Foreigners have not been allowed to travel to India since the announcement of the national lockdown.
New Delhi:
On Friday, the government authorized certain categories of foreigners, including foreign citizen of India (OCI) card holders, to enter India due to restrictions on the entry of people from abroad into because of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.
Among the persons authorized to enter India are married couples, one of whom holds an OCI card and another Indian national, and students who hold an OCI card and of which at least one parent is Indian or a holder an OCI card.
The Interior Ministry (MHA) has authorized certain categories of foreigners, including OCI card holders and minors who hold OCI cards and whose parents are Indian nationals, a senior ministry official told PTI.
Foreigners have not been allowed to visit India since the national lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 to verify the spread of the new coronavirus.
Foreign nationals who are single parents of minor children holding an Indian passport or an OCI card, foreign students of which at least one of the parents is an Indian citizen or holder of an OCI card have been authorized to visit the India.
Dependent family members of foreign diplomats and service personnel holding an official passport and accredited service with foreign diplomatic missions, consular offices or international organizations accredited in India can now come to India.
OCI cardholders who wish to come to India due to family emergencies such as critical medical conditions of immediate family members or death have been allowed to visit India.
However, these foreign nationals will have to obtain a new visa of the appropriate category from Indian missions and posts abroad.
Foreign nationals holding a long-term multiple entry visa of the appropriate category issued by Indian missions and posts abroad must obtain a new validation of the visa from the Indian mission and the post concerned.
These foreign nationals will not be allowed to travel to India on the basis of an electronic visa obtained earlier.
Therefore, the visa restrictions imposed by MHA on April 17 and May 5 would not apply to the above-mentioned foreign nationals.
Likewise, the travel restrictions imposed on May 7 would not apply to any aircraft or other vehicle by which the above categories of foreigners, including OCI cardholders, could travel to India.
International arrivals to India were prohibited with effect from March 25, the date on which the first phase of the national lockdown was announced.
On May 7, the government launched a special operation under the name of Mission Vande Bharat for the evacuation of stranded Indians in foreign countries by air and sea.
Subsequently, the government authorized holders of Foreign Citizen of India (OCI) cards who wish to come to India due to family emergency.
The nationwide lockdown was first announced by Prime Minister Modi on March 24 for 21 days in an effort to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.
The lockout was first extended until May 3, then again until May 17. It has been extended until May 31.
The lockdown is now only restricted in containment areas across the country and will continue until June 30. A large number of social, economic, religious and sports activities are currently authorized to operate which the MHA has called “Unlock 1”.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
