Symbolic image of immigration counters at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. Photo courtesy: GP Sampat Kumar
The government on Wednesday (December 17, 2025) said it has simplified and streamlined the process for domestic companies to obtain e-Visa for foreign professionals, including engineers and technical experts, whose services are essential for machine installation, quality checking, training and plant design.
The move is expected to help companies that import machinery from countries like China. Earlier, some Indian companies had raised concerns that they were facing problems in getting visas for Chinese professionals who needed their expertise.
Online Module for Sponsorship Letters
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) said it has launched an online module for Indian companies to prepare sponsorship letters to invite foreign professionals for production-related activities under the e-Production Investment Business Visa (EB-4 Visa).
The module was launched on 29 November. The launch of this digital platform is a part of a series of reforms that have been instituted under the business visa regime to improve the ease of doing business in India.
An official said the earlier process was cumbersome and lengthy and now the new system will help domestic companies get e-visas for foreign experts in less time. To date, 129 sponsorship letters have been prepared by Indian companies.
Visa granting time will be ‘significantly reduced’
Now foreign professionals will use the letters to apply for visas and visit Indian manufacturing facilities to offer their services, the official said. He said that the time taken for granting visas will now be significantly reduced.
“Business visitors used to come to India earlier also, but now the visa process has been streamlined and simplified,” the official said. It is quite structured now,” he said, adding that the facility is now available to both PLI (Production Linked Incentive Schemes) and non-PLI beneficiary firms.
In August 2025, the Home Ministry had issued a circular to resolve some issues related to employment visa, business visa and e-PLI business.
“As part of this circular, two activities which earlier came under employment – foreign nationals coming for installation and commissioning of equipment as part of a contract for supply of equipment, for which Indian companies pay fees or royalty – are now classified under the business visa regime.”
“Furthermore, a new sub-category of Production Investment Visa has been created under the Business Visa regime and is called B-4 Visa to enable foreign subject experts/engineers/technicians to be employed by Indian companies,” DPIIT said.
Experts are engaged for installation and commissioning; Quality checks and necessary maintenance; Production; IT ramp-up; Training; Supply chain development for vendors empanelment, plant design and follow-up; It said senior management and officials will freely visit India for such production investment activities. “Furthermore, the existing e-PLI business visa has been abolished,” it said.
Now, this Production Investment Visa will be issued as e-Visa and has to be applied for on the online visa portal.
eb4
Additionally, to facilitate the visa application process for EB-4 visas, Indian companies will generate sponsorship letters digitally.
To digitally enable this facility, DPIIT had launched the e-Production Investment Business Registration module on the National Single Window System (NSWS) on November 29, which can be availed by PLI as well as non-PLI businesses.
“The processes have been streamlined with simpler forms, and the need for line ministry recommendation has been eliminated,” it said, adding that with this module, Indian companies and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) can instantly generate sponsorship letters to invite foreign professionals for production-related activities under the EB-4 visa category on NSWS.
Auto-population and automatic authentication of data through existing databases like MCA (Ministry of Corporate Affairs), GSTN has eliminated the need for line ministry approval.
The unique ID of the sponsorship letter generated will be referred by a foreign professional when he/she applies for visa on the e-Visa portal where the module has been integrated with NSWS through API.
published – December 18, 2025 11:47 am IST
