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Employment & Business Visas

Immigration pathways for foreign directors, expats, and technical staff.

E-Visa vs B-Visa Classifier

Rule of thumb: Any activity resulting in a salary paid in India requires an Employment (E) Visa. Business (B) Visas strictly prohibit local employment.

The Employment Visa Threshold

To protect the local labor market, India sets a strict minimum salary threshold for granting Employment (E) Visas to foreign nationals. The expat must draw a gross salary in excess of USD 25,000 per annum (subject to specific exemptions for ethnic cooks, translators, etc.).

FRRO Registration

Holding a visa is only step one. Any foreigner entering India on a visa valid for more than 180 days must register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) within 14 days of arrival. Failure to do so results in heavy fines and exit delays.

Project Visas

For the power and steel sectors, India offers specific Project (P) Visas for highly skilled technicians brought in solely for project execution. These are strictly quota-bound based on the project size.