Employment Visa

   Employment visa is only granted to an applicant who is highly skilled and / or qualified professional and is not granted for unskilled, routine, ordinary or secretarial / clerical jobs. The foreign national being sponsored for an Employment Visa in any sector should draw a salary of more than Rs 16.25 lakhs per annum.

Employment Visa may be granted to the following categories of Chinese / foreign nationals:

1. Chinese/Foreign nationals coming to India for employment in a company/firm/organization registered in India or for employment in a foreign company /firm/organization engaged for execution of some project in India.
2. Chinese/Foreign engineers/technicians coming to India for installation and commissioning of equipments/machines/tools in terms of the contract for supply of such equipment/machine/tools.
3. Chinese/Foreign personnel deputed for providing technical support/services, transfer of know-how/ services supplies for which the Indian company pays fees/royalty to the foreign company.
4. Chinese/Foreign nationals coming to India as consultant on contract for whom the Indian company pays a fixed remuneration (this may not be in the form of monthly salary).
5. Chinese/Foreign artists engaged to conduct regular performances for the duration of the employment contract given by Hotels, Clubs, and other organizations.
6. Chinese/Foreign nationals who are coming to India to take up employment as coaches of national/state level teams or reputed sports clubs.
7. Chinese/Foreign sportsmen who are given contract for a specified period by the Indian Clubs/organizations.
8. Self-employed Chinese/Foreign nationals coming to India for providing engineering, medical, accounting, legal or such other highly skilled services in their capacity as independent consultants provided the provision of such services by foreign nationals is permitted under law.
9. Chinese/Foreign language teachers/interpreters.
10. Chinese/Foreign specialist Chefs.

1. General requirements:
1.1 Passport to be valid for a minimum period of six months.
1.2 Duly filled in and signed application form to be submitted in person or through an agent. Incomplete application will not be accepted.

2. Documents Required
1. Letter of Appointment from Indian company
2. Original copy of the contract signed between two parties explicitly stating annual income of more than Rs 16.25 lakh per annum.
3. Curriculum Vitae of the applicant.
4. Documentary proof of the educational qualification.
5. Professional expertise certificate
6. Registration certificate of the employing company under the Companies Act / Proof of registration of the firm in the State industries department or the Export Promotion Council.
7. Other documents as specified in Checklist.

3. Procedure for submitting a VISA application:
3.1. Submission of all relevant documents mentioned in the checklist on the website is important for acceptance of the visa application at the Indian Visa Application Centre/Embassy/Consulates.
3.2. It is a mandatory requirement to ensure that your photo is 2 inch x 2 inch (51mm x 51mm) in size with white background. Photos which do not meet this specification will not be accepted.

4. Note:
1. Visa to family members of a Chinese/Foreign nationals granted Employment Visa
Family members /dependents of a Chinese/Foreign national who is granted Employment Visa will also need to apply for E-X visa under the Employment Visa category. Its validity shall be co-terminus with the validity of the visa of the principal visa holder.
2. Conversion of Employment Visa
Employment Visa cannot be converted to any other kind of visa during the stay of the Chinese/ Foreign national in India except in the following circumstances and with the prior approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs:
a. Employment visa may be converted to X-Visa (Entry) if a Chinese/Foreign National who has come to India on Employment Visa marries an Indian National during the validity of his/her employment visa and does not intend to continue on Employment Visa.
b. Employment visa of a foreigner who falls ill after his/her entry into India rendering him/her unfit to travel and requiring specialized medical treatment, may be converted to a Medical visa if he/she is eligible for grant of the Medical Visa and a medical certificate is obtained form a government/government recognized hospital.
3. Conversion of business visa or any other type of visa into employment visa is not permitted. Chinese nationals desiring to do so must return to their country of permanent residence and apply to the Indian Embassy/Consulate for Employment Visa furnishing all relevant papers required for grant of employment visa.
4. Employment visa is issued only after approval from concerned authorities in India, the processing of which may take at least 6 weeks.

Download forms
a. Checklist for Employment Visa applications

b. Certification accompanying applications for Employment Visas

c. Employment Visa Proforma be obtained from Indian Visa Application Centre.

Project( E4 Visa)
Visa may be granted to Chinese / foreign nationals coming to India for execution of projects in the power and steel sectors, subject to the following conditions:
1. Visa will be issued only to highly skilled / skilled persons and not to semi-skilled/ un-skilled workers.
2. Visa holder cannot engage in another project either of the same company or of a different company.
3. Employment / Work of the Project visa holder would be restricted to the location of the project.
4. Validity of visa would be initially for the duration of the project/contract with multiple-entry facility. It cannot exceed one year.
5. A person coming for Project Visa cannot take employment in the same Indian company for a period of two years from the date of commissioning of the project.
6. Project Visa would be issued based on the submission of the relevant documents clearly establishing that the project / contract hasbeen assigned to the particular foreign company by the Indian company / organization concerned.
7. Project Visa can be issued to 2 chefs and 2 interpreters per project.
8. Indian company engaging the foreign national for executing the project / contract would be responsible for the conduct of the foreign national during his / her stay in India and also for the departure of such foreign national upon expiry of visa.
9. Project Visa holder would have to register with the FRO/FRRO concerned within 14 days of arrival if the validity of visa is more than 180 days.
10. All decision in respect of Project Visas will be evaluated by the Embassy.

1. Documents Required
1. Letter (original / fax) from the Indian Company awarding the contract to the foreign company specifying the following details:
i. Name of the foreign Company
ii. Registered address of the foreign company
iii. Name of the project awarded as per the tender document
iv. Location of the project in India (village/town/district/state)
v. Duration of the contract (number of days)
vi. Total number of foreign workers likely to be sent by the foreign company (category wise)
a) Highly skilled
b) Skilled technicians with diploma/polytechnic degree
c) Skilled workers with school level education
2. Letter (original / fax) from the Indian company addressed to the Indian Mission explicitly stating that:
i. It guarantees the conduct of the foreign company and the foreign personnel involved in the execution of the project/contract.
ii. It would be responsible for ensuring that the applicant (name of the applicant, passport number and date of birth shall be mentioned) will abide by Indian rules and regulations.
iii. It will be liable to ensure departure of the applicant from India before expiry of Visa.
3. Three sets of duly filled application forms. Each application should have one photograph pasted on it and one photograph attached to it.
4. Letter from the foreign employer providing brief description of the nature of its project in India and a brief description of the job which the applicant is required to perform in India.
5. Curriculum Vitae of the applicant.
6. Documentary proof of the educational qualification.
7. Professional expertise certificate
8. Registration certificate of the employing company under the Companies Act / Proof of registration of the firm in the State industries department or the Export Promotion Council.