New Delhi: The government has cleared around 2,500 applications from Chinese workers, engaged in different projects in India, to change their visa status from business to employment.
Home Ministry sources said the applications have come following the government`s directive to around 25,000 Chinese nationals working in different projects across India to convert their visas from business to employment.
"We have so far cleared around 2,500 applications. Rest of the Chinese nationals will go back home," a Home Ministry official said.
Home Minister P Chidambaram had last week said that India
would issue employment visas only to highly-skilled workers
and it does not apply only to workers from China but from
other countries as well.
"Chinese companies engaged in different projects also have
decided to hire local workers which would solve their visa
problems," the official said.
The Chinese nationals have been asked to change their
visas status by October 31.
The decision came after China`s Ambassador to India Zhang
Yan met Home Secretary G K Pillai requesting him to extend the
September 30 deadline given to Chinese citizens to change
their visa status.
Around 25,000 Chinese are working in various power,
communication and petroleum sector projects across the
country. The Indian missions in China have issued 1,60,190
business visas from 2007 to June 30, 2009.
Bureau Report
