Govt extends visas of all foreign nationals stuck in India due to Covid-19 till Sep 30

The spokesperson said the decision was taken because a number of foreigners who came to India on various types of visas prior to March, 2020 got stranded in the country in the absence of flights to their destinations due to the pandemic

The government on Thursday extended till September 30 visas of all foreign nationals stuck in India due to Covid-19 pandemic, an official spokesperson said here.

The spokesperson said the decision was taken because a number of foreigners who came to India on various types of visas prior to March, 2020 got stranded in the country in the absence of flights to their destinations due to the pandemic.

"The central government had facilitated the stay of such foreign nationals within India by giving deemed extension of their regular visa or e-visa or stay stipulation period on gratis basis without levy of any overstay penalty.

"This facility which is presently available till August 31, 2021 has now been extended by the central government till September 30, 2021. Such foreign nationals will not be required to submit any application to the FRRO/FRO concerned for extension of their visas till September 30, 2021," the spokesperson said.

Also read: Amid fear of new Covid-19 strains, RT-PCR test compulsory for those arriving from 7 more nations

Before exiting the country, they may apply online for an exit permission on e-FRRO portal which would be granted by the authorities on gratis basis without levy of any overstay penalty.

The spokesperson said that if someone wanted visa extension beyond September 30, they may apply on the online e-FRRO platform on payment basis, which would be considered by the authorities, subject to the eligibility as per the extant guidelines.

The spokesperson made it clear that Afghan nationals, already in India on any category of visa, will be granted extension of visa under guidelines issued separately for Afghan nationals.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!