Visa norms get stricter

India’s production industry is choc-a-bloc with expats. How will the new visa norms affect business in times to come? Ankita Shreeram reports

Ever since the arrest of terrorist David Coleman Headley, the country has been in a tizzy. The Lashkar jihadi’s statements revealed startling loopholes in India’s visa norms and the government swung into action making it tougher for foreigners to enter India and even tougher for them to stay here. However, in trying to stem the flow on terrorists infiltrating the country, will the new policies have a negative impact, as the country’s production industry is dependent on expatriates to a large extent?

The primary change in visa regulations is that tourist visas can no longer be used in lieu of business visas. Apparently, foreigners who are in India on a tourist visa and have stayed for over 90 days need to take a two-month ‘time-out’ before returning.

Many reports claim that a large number of foreigners in India only own tourist visas and stay on for years because the process of attaining a business visa is extremely cumbersome and lengthy. However, we found that expats in the broadcast and film production industry are extremely responsible and possess business visas rather than the purported tourist visas. “I have an employment visa,” affirms Paul Byrne, head, Digital Film and senior Film Colourist, Pixion Studios. Charles Darby, creative director, Eyecube is also least concerned with the new norms. “I personally have all the relevant paperwork already so it’s not an issue.”

The production industry is particularly dependent on foreigners because external expertise is a prime factor in special effects and these days even other areas like stunts, make-up for futuristic movies and technical knowhow. A lot of the equipment our films and animations use is imported from abroad.

The west has been a forerunner in technical advancements in the creative field and it is but natural that our producers take advantage of their proficiency to move ahead. Though most of the expats are wise enough to apply for employment visas, the new rules will definitely create a certain amount of hesitancy to come to India and work here. Reports claim that the new rules have caused uproar in the United States of America and the United Kingdom as citizens of these countries work in India in large numbers. So intense is the protest that the British High Commission has written to the Indian government, asking for a review of the proposed visa guidelines. The new rules will also penalise foreigners who use India as a base to travel to nearby nations.

Story continues below

Advertisement

FEATURED COMMENT Please click here to comment on this article

“The business visa rules are the same. Nothing has changed. Whatever changes have been done are with regard to tourist visas. I don’t think this should affect expats in India in an adverse way at all. In fact the number of foreigners coming to India has increased - look at the queue here,” says Irani, chief registration officer, Foreign Regional Registration Office, Mumbai.

Byrne hasn’t encountered difficulties as yet as the proposed rules are still being debated upon. “It has been quite difficult to get information about visa changes,” he says. James Durston, presently a sr editor with CNNGo in Hong Kong, was earlier working as a group editor with a leading publication house in India. When questioned on his opinion about the new visa norms, Durston said that he found the new policies quite manageable. “I don’t know the exact details of the new visa rules, but even before this rule you were not allowed to work with just a tourist visa. If you want to work in India, you need an employment or a business visa, so this has not changed. It is not difficult to get an employment or a business visa, as long as you apply in advance. The foreign worker just needs to prove that he or she has skills that local workers do not, and they will be awarded their visa,” he explains.

Industry professionals agree that the new regulations will not help the production industry any, even if they don’t cause huge setbacks. “On a business visa of say five years, when you exit the country you will have to wait two months before returning to India. This may be a problem for engineers coming over to fix equipment, sometimes on multiple visits,” opines Byrne.

Currently, there are no industry statistics on how many foreigners are working in India.

Expatriates are uncertain as to how far the new regulations will go in curbing terrorism. “I don’t see how this will improve security. I don’t imagine terrorist’s show their passports when entering the country,” says Byrne. Darby thinks it’s the duty of the government to ensure that all visas are in place. “I think proper work visas for all is the correct thing to do,” he avers. However he adds “Does it fight terrorism? I suspect not.” Durston offers, “It certainly makes sense to be extra vigilant regarding who can enter the country and for what reasons. But terrorists who are determined to attack or cause destruction will not be deterred simply by new visa rules. It would be naive to think so, and if the government has claimed tighter visa rules will help curb terrorism I suspect this policy is as much about being seen to be doing something, as it is about actually doing something.”

Even if the new rules are put into place, they will only increase paperwork and there can always be slight deviations as per the discretion of the visa officer. It is debatable whether we have enough manpower to take on the increased duties and whether the advantages offset the adverse impact that these rules will have on India’s key industries like tourism and production.