India Eases Visa Rules for Foreign Professionals Hired by Indian Firms

India has introduced a simplified visa framework to help domestic companies bring in foreign professionals required for critical manufacturing and production-related activities. The move is aimed at reducing delays in industrial projects and improving the ease of doing business.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) announced that Indian firms can now digitally generate sponsorship letters for foreign engineers, technical experts and subject matter specialists under the e-Production Investment Business Visa, also known as the e-B-4 visa.

The streamlined process is expected to benefit manufacturers importing specialised machinery and equipment from overseas, including from China, who often require foreign experts for installation, commissioning, quality checks, training and maintenance.

Digital Visa Module Launched on NSWS

The new online module was launched on November 29 on the National Single Window System (NSWS). Officials said the initiative is part of broader reforms to modernise India’s business visa regime and cut down lengthy approval processes that earlier slowed down projects.

According to DPIIT, the previous system involved multiple layers of clearances and was time-consuming. The revised mechanism significantly shortens processing time by enabling Indian companies to generate sponsorship letters digitally.

So far, 129 sponsorship letters have already been issued through the platform. Foreign professionals can use these letters to apply for visas and travel to India for manufacturing and production-related assignments.

Officials noted that while business visitors were entering India earlier as well, the visa process has now become more structured, transparent and efficient.

Wider Scope Under B-4 Visa

The B-4 visa allows foreign professionals to engage in a wide range of activities, including installation and commissioning of equipment, quality control, production support, IT ramp-up, training, supply chain development, plant design, and commissioning. It also covers visits by senior executives linked to production investments.

The facility is available to both companies covered under the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes and those outside the PLI framework.

Regulatory Changes and Simplification

The reforms follow an August 2025 circular by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which addressed ambiguities around employment and business visas. Activities earlier categorised under employment visas—such as commissioning equipment under supply contracts—have now been brought under the business visa framework.

The earlier e-PLI business visa has been discontinued. Under the new system, the Production Investment Visa is issued as an e-visa through the online visa portal, with sponsorship letters generated via NSWS.

DPIIT said forms have been shortened, the requirement for line ministry recommendations has been removed, and data authentication is now automated through databases such as the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the GST Network.

Officials said the changes will ease operational bottlenecks for manufacturers and support faster execution of industrial projects across sectors.