Revamped Visa Processes: Swift Approvals and Modernized Immigration

India has introduced regulatory relaxations allowing same-day visa issuance, enhanced by two new digital portals for monitoring immigration. Policies were discussed to simplify visa procedures, which have reduced processing times significantly. Increased ICPs and fast-track programs at airports enhance immigration processes, alongside revamped OCI cards and a new citizenship application app.

The Indian government has announced significant regulatory relaxations aimed at expediting visa approvals to within a day of application, provided all required documentation is submitted correctly, according to an official release.

The launch of two new digital portals—the District Police Module (DPM) and the Foreigners Identification Portal (FIP)—is part of efforts to strengthen oversight on illegal immigrants and monitor foreigners overstaying their visas effectively.

In a recent review meeting, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Kumar Sanjay discussed various policy updates with officials from the Foreigners Division. The agenda covered visa simplification, the modernization of immigration check posts, and other relevant topics. Notably, the number of primary visa categories has been streamlined from 26 to 22, and sub-categories reduced from 104 to 69, optimizing the processing system.

The simplification strategy has shortened average visa issuance times from several weeks to less than a day. The modernization of Immigration Check Posts (ICPs) includes new facilities for automated travel document scanning and biometric enrollment. The expansion sees the number of ICPs increase from 82 in 2014 to 114 today, integrating 37 air, 37 land, 34 sea, and 6 rail checkpoints.

Authorities highlighted the execution of the Fast-Track Immigration - Trusted Traveller Program (FTI-TTP) across major airports like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, providing pre-verified flyers with rapid immigration clearance within a minute. Plans are underway to extend this system to additional airports including Kozhikode and Noida.

Improvements extend to the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards, with approximately 50 lakh cards issued and the OCI portal revamped for enhanced user service. Furthermore, a mobile application, "CAA-2019," has been launched to streamline citizenship applications from minority communities originating in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

Minister Sanjay praised the efforts of the officials and urged for the seamless implementation of the development works directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The goal is to ensure these initiatives benefit the broader population, reaching citizens at the grassroots level.

(With inputs from agencies.)