India Fully Restores Long-Duration Tourist Visas and e-Tourist Visas
U.S. F-1 Visa Slots Disappear Within Minutes, Fueling Panic Among Indian Students
3,217 Indian Seafarers Evacuated From Gulf Since Crisis Began; 61 Brought Home This Week
Latest News
IMD Weather Advisory Warns Travellers: Heavy Rains in South, Severe Heatwave in North India
An 18 May IMD bulletin warns of heavy pre-monsoon rain and squally winds across southern and northeastern India while forecasting a week-long severe heatwave in the north. The weather split is likely to cause flight disruptions, road closures and health risks for travellers, prompting airlines and employers to activate contingency measures.
VFS Global opens 12 Premium Application Centres for UK visas across India
VFS Global and UKVI have launched 12 Premium Application Centres in secondary Indian cities, giving business travellers and students a faster, more comfortable way to submit UK visa applications. The centres bundle biometric capture, document help and lounge facilities for an extra fee, cutting the need to fly to metro hubs and aligning with India-UK mobility targets.
Belgian national strike shuts Charleroi Airport; Indian travellers advised to re-route via Brussels
A national strike in Belgium will shut Charleroi Airport on 12 May and severely curtail flights at Brussels Airport, disrupting Indian passengers using low-cost European connections. Travellers should seek rebooking under EU 261 rules and consider alternate hubs such as Amsterdam or Frankfurt.
India accelerates evacuations from Iran and repatriates 3,000 seafarers as Gulf crisis deepens
The MEA has evacuated 2,549 Indians from Iran and helped repatriate over 3,000 Indian seafarers, activating round-the-clock control rooms as West Asia tensions disrupt air and sea travel. The measures aim to safeguard workers and protect vital shipping lanes that carry a fifth of India’s crude imports.
11 Indian merchant ships clear Strait of Hormuz; 13 await safe passage, says MEA
Indian diplomacy has enabled 11 home-flagged ships to leave the Strait of Hormuz, but 13 vessels are still inside the Gulf as tensions linger. Higher insurance costs and routing detours are complicating supply chains for Indian importers and exporters.
Modi urges citizens to limit foreign trips and embrace domestic travel to conserve forex
With the rupee at a record low, Prime Minister Modi has appealed to Indians to cut non-essential overseas travel and gold purchases, framing the move as a way to protect foreign-exchange reserves. The call could reshape corporate travel budgets and boost domestic tourism in the short term.