Centre asks states to adhere to conference visa procedures - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Union Home Ministry on Thursday asked state governments and all ministries in the Central Government to strictly adhere to the revised procedure for grant of conference visa to foreign nationals. On July 15, 2009 the Home Ministry had issued instructions to all Central Ministries / Departments and Chief Secretaries of all State Governments and Union territories advising them to strictly adhere to the revised procedure for grant of Conference Visa to foreign participants coming to India for attending international conferences, seminars, workshops etc. These instructions have been issued so as to ensure that all organizers of such international events strictly adhere to the time line for submitting their proposals to this Ministry at least six weeks before the commencement of the event. This would ensure that security clearance for the event and for the participants could be suitably assessed. The issuance of these instructions had also become necessary because security vetting is a time-consuming process and most of the organizers of international events were not strictly adhering to the time schedules prescribed. As per the revised procedure, while the Home Ministry's Foreigners Division grants in-principle approval for holding the event, security clearance for grant of Conference Visa is required from this Ministry only in respect of participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Sudan and in respect of foreigners of Pakistan origin and Stateless persons. The participants from other countries can obtain Conference Visa from the Indian Mission concerned on production of invitation letter from the organizer, event clearance from the Home Ministry, administrative approval of the nodal Ministry, political clearance from the External Affairs Ministry and clearance from the State Government and UT concerned.