India relieves Visa Norms for Pak nationals

In a move that would provide relief to many Pakistani nationals, the Home Ministry has relaxed norms for granting extension of long-term visa (LTV) to at least four categories staying in India.

Those who qualify for getting exemption from the provisions of Rule 3 of the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, are members of minority communities like Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan; Pakistani women married to Indian nationals and staying in India; Indian women married to Pakistani nationals and returning due to widowhood/divorce and having no male member to support them in Pakistan; and cases involving extreme compassion.


The Ministry has asked the State governments and Union Territories to consider cases for extension of long-term visa of these categories without insisting on validity of passports, as such Pakistani nationals have come to India permanently with the intention to attain Indian citizenship. However, only such Pakistani nationals are eligible to be considered for grant or extension of long-term visas who had come to India on or before December 31, 2009, says an official release issued on Thursday.

The Ministry is also considering grant of long-term visa for male Muslim members who were Indian citizens, but went to Pakistan after Partition, leaving behind their families in India. These persons had returned to India on a valid passport issued by the Pakistani government and settled in Kerala so that they could acquire Indian citizenship.

Such Pakistani nationals were unable to extend the validity period of their passports for reasons such as the Pakistan High Commission's refusal to extend the validity of passport in the absence of computerised national identity card.

Pakistan is issuing computerised national identity cards to its nationals and extends the validity of passports only for those who possess such cards.