India Adds 14 Seaports to e-Visa Scheme, Taking Total ICPs to 114
France Scraps Airport Transit Visa for Indian Nationals
US Opens New H-1B and F-1 Interview Slots in India After Months-Long Freeze
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OCI Overhaul: India Drops 6-Month Residency Rule and Revamps Fees
From April 2026, OCI applicants in India no longer need to prove a six-month stay, and a simplified fee chart reduces costs for routine card reissues while hiking charges for lost cards. Postal submissions are out; in-person biometrics at VFS centres are in. Companies can accelerate spouse and child applications but must plan around mandatory in-person visits and a new digital e-arrival card.
No, You Don’t Need an Income-Tax Clearance Certificate to Fly Abroad, Government Reassures Travellers
The Finance Ministry confirmed on 23 April that Income-Tax Clearance Certificates remain mandatory only for individuals under serious tax investigation or with large arrears. Social-media rumours of compulsory ITCCs for all outbound passengers are false, preserving the status quo for holiday-makers and business travellers.
US Consulates quietly release fresh H-1B and F-1 interview slots across India
US missions in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata have started releasing new H-1B, H-4 and F-1 visa interview appointments after months of backlog. Slots appear in small, quickly-filled batches, offering stranded professionals and Fall-2026 students a critical—though narrow—window to secure visas. Employers should move fast but continue to treat the system as unstable.
Thailand hikes visa fees but keeps 60-day visa-free entry for Indians from 27 April
From 27 April 2026 the Royal Thai Embassy will raise all visa and consular fees for Indian applicants—₹3,000 for a single-entry tourist visa and up to ₹1.4 lakh for a Long-Term Resident visa—while retaining the 60-day visa-free facility. Short-term tourists remain unaffected but businesses and long-stay professionals will face higher mobility costs and should budget and apply early.
IRCC data shows Canada now processing Indian study permits in just 3 weeks
IRCC’s 15 April update cuts Indian study-permit processing to three weeks—its quickest in over a year—while visitor visas fall to 23 days. The window is ideal for Fall 2026 admits but comes with continued high refusal rates and a tighter national permit cap, so well-documented, SDS-ready files remain essential.
Airlines warn Indian travellers to Schengen of new biometric Entry/Exit System now live
Emirates’ 22 April bulletin confirms the EU Entry/Exit System is now live: Indian short-stay visitors must provide fingerprints and a facial scan on first arrival and should pre-register via the official app to save time. The digital system strictly counts the 90/180-day rule, so employers must monitor staff travel days to avoid overstays and sanctions.