No points system: India selects work migrants through an employer-sponsored Employment Visa with a US$25,000 salary floor, and offers people of Indian origin a lifelong OCI card instead of dual citizenship.
Overview
India has no points-based selection system. Entry routes are visa categories administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Bureau of Immigration, with visas issued by Indian Missions abroad and the online e-Visa platform (indianvisaonline.gov.in). The two work routes are the Employment ('E') Visa — employer-sponsored, restricted to highly skilled professionals drawing a salary above US$25,000 per year (with three narrow exceptions) — and the Business ('B') Visa, which permits commercial visits but not employment or project execution. Seven e-Visa sub-categories cover tourism, business, medical treatment and conferences for eligible nationalities. People of Indian origin have a separate, far more generous route: the OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card under section 7A of the Citizenship Act 1955 — a lifelong multiple-entry visa with registration exemption, but not citizenship. Since 1 September 2025, the legal framework is the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025, which replaced the colonial-era Foreigners Act 1946. Verified against mha.gov.in, boi.gov.in and indianvisaonline.gov.in as of June 2026.
Every Route into India (2026)
| Route | Who it is for | Validity / key condition |
|---|---|---|
| Employment (E) Visa | Highly skilled professionals sponsored by an Indian-registered entity; salary above US$25,000/yr | Up to 2 years (3 for IT sector, 5 under bilateral agreements); extendable year-to-year to 5 years total |
| Business (B) Visa | Establishing ventures, trade, meetings, recruitment — NOT employment or project execution | Multiple entry up to 5 years (10 for US nationals); max 6 months per stay |
| e-Visa (7 sub-categories) | e-Tourist (30 days/1 yr/5 yr), e-Business, e-Medical, e-Medical Attendant, e-Ayush, e-Ayush Attendant, e-Conference — eligible nationalities only | e-Business: 1 year, stays up to 180 days; e-Tourist 30-day: 30 days from arrival |
| Student Visa | Admission to a recognised Indian institution | Duration of course; FRRO registration within 14 days if over 180 days |
| Research Visa | Approved research at Indian institutions (prior clearance) | Duration of research project |
| X (Entry) Visa | Dependants of E/B visa holders; persons of Indian origin | Co-terminus with the principal visa holder's visa |
| OCI card | Former Indian citizens, their descendants to great-grandchildren, and foreign spouses (2+ years of registered marriage) | Lifelong multiple-entry visa; exempt from FRRO registration |
The Employment Visa — How India Actually Screens Workers
- Salary floor: The sponsored foreign national must draw a salary in excess of US$25,000 per annum. The MHA's work-visa FAQ states applications may be rejected where this benchmark is not met. Only three categories are exempt: ethnic cooks, language teachers other than English-language teachers (and translators), and staff of embassies/high commissions in India.
- Skills test: The visa is reserved for highly skilled or qualified professionals. It is not granted for jobs for which qualified Indians are available, nor for routine, ordinary or secretarial/clerical work — this is the closest thing India has to a labour-market test.
- Sponsorship: The applicant must be engaged by a company/organisation registered in India, or by a foreign company executing a project in India. The sponsoring employer's name is stipulated on the visa sticker.
- Apply from your own country: The visa must be issued in the applicant's country of origin, or country of domicile if they have lived there more than 2 years.
- No job mobility: Change of employer is not permitted during the visa's currency, except between a registered holding company and its subsidiary (or between subsidiaries) at senior/skilled level — and only once, with prior MHA approval. Otherwise you must leave India and apply for a fresh Employment Visa.
- Extensions: State Governments/FRROs can extend year-to-year up to 5 years total from first issue, subject to continued employment, income-tax filings and no adverse security inputs.
- Dependants: Spouse and dependants receive X (Entry) visas co-terminus with the principal's visa; an X visa does not authorise employment.
OCI — The Route for People of Indian Origin
- Eligibility: A person who was a citizen of India at or after 26 January 1950, was eligible to become one on that date, or belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15 August 1947 — plus their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and minor children of such persons. A foreign-origin spouse of an Indian citizen or OCI cardholder qualifies if the marriage has been registered and subsisted for at least 2 continuous years before applying.
- Hard exclusion: Anyone who is or has ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh is ineligible in every category, including via parents/grandparents.
- What it gives: A lifelong multiple-entry, multi-purpose visa to visit, live and work in India; exemption from FRRO/police registration; and parity with Non-Resident Indians in economic, financial and educational fields as notified by MHA.
- What it withholds: OCI is not citizenship. No voting rights, no constitutional offices, no public employment (Article 16 rights excluded), and no purchase of agricultural or plantation land. India does not permit dual citizenship for adults — OCI is the deliberate substitute.
- Fees: US$275 (or local-currency equivalent) for registration abroad; ₹15,000 within India (MHA fee schedule).
- Card maintenance: Since the MHA's April 2021 advisory, the card must be re-issued only once — when a new passport is issued after the holder turns 20 (US$25 fee). Otherwise holders simply upload a copy of each new passport and a photo on ociservices.gov.in (each renewal up to age 20 and once after age 50), free of charge.
Long-Term Settlement and Citizenship
- No standard permanent residency: India has no general PR programme for foreigners without Indian origin. Long-term presence runs on repeated visa extensions (Employment Visa capped at 5 years) or, for those of Indian origin, the OCI card.
- Citizenship by naturalisation: Under the Third Schedule of the Citizenship Act 1955: 12 months' continuous residence immediately before applying, plus residence/government service totalling at least 11 of the preceding 14 years, good character, an intention to reside in India, and adequate knowledge of a language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Prior citizenship must be renounced — India does not allow dual citizenship.
- Citizenship by registration: Faster routes exist for persons of Indian origin (broadly 7 years' residence) and spouses of Indian citizens (7 years' residence after marriage) under section 5 of the Act.
- New legal framework: The Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025 (Act 13 of 2025), in force since 1 September 2025, consolidated four statutes (including the Foreigners Act 1946 and Registration of Foreigners Act 1939). It strengthens registration/reporting obligations and makes the immigration officer's decision on entry final and binding.
- Who decides: Visa policy is set by MHA's Foreigners Division; Missions abroad decide individual visa grants; the Bureau of Immigration and FRROs administer entry, registration and extensions in-country.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum salary for an India Employment Visa, and are there exceptions?
The sponsored foreign national must draw a salary in excess of US$25,000 per annum — the MHA's work-visa FAQ states the Indian Mission may reject applications that do not meet this benchmark. Exactly three categories are exempt from the floor: ethnic cooks, language teachers other than English-language teachers (and translators), and staff working for the relevant embassy or high commission in India. There is no points credit for qualifications or age — the test is simply that you are a highly skilled professional, sponsored by an Indian-registered entity, in a role qualified Indians are not available for, above the salary line.
Can I come to India on a Business Visa and then start working for the company?
No. The Business Visa explicitly excludes full-time employment, and the MHA FAQ is categorical that foreign nationals executing projects or contracts must come on an Employment Visa, that Business Visa holders already in India on projects cannot extend, and that a Business Visa cannot be converted to an Employment Visa in-country. Conversion of B or E visas to anything else is only possible with prior MHA approval in three narrow cases: marriage to an Indian national (to X visa), persons of Indian origin (to X visa), or serious illness (to Medical Visa). Getting the category wrong means leaving India and reapplying from scratch.
Can I change employers in India on an Employment Visa?
Almost never. The MHA FAQ states no change of employer is permitted during the currency of the Employment Visa, except between a registered holding company and its subsidiary (or between two subsidiaries of the same holding company) — and even that requires prior MHA approval, a senior managerial or skilled technical position, NOC from the current employer, and is allowed only once in the 5-year span. The 5 years also keep running from the original visa's issue date. For any other employer, you must leave India and apply for a fresh Employment Visa at an Indian Mission abroad.
Am I eligible for an OCI card, and what does it actually let me do?
You qualify if you, a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent were an Indian citizen at or after 26 January 1950 (or eligible on that date), or if you are the foreign spouse of an Indian citizen or OCI cardholder with a marriage registered and subsisting for 2+ years. Citizens or former citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh are excluded in all categories. The card is a lifelong multiple-entry visa to live and work in India with exemption from FRRO registration and NRI-parity in economic, financial and educational fields. It is not citizenship: no voting, no public office, no government employment, and no buying agricultural land. Fees: US$275 abroad, ₹15,000 in India.
Can I work in India on an e-Business visa?
No. The e-Business visa covers the same commercial-visit activities as the regular Business Visa — establishing ventures, sales/purchases, meetings, recruitment, exhibitions — with validity of 1 year from grant, multiple entries and stays up to 180 days, but it does not permit employment. Taking up a job, or executing a project or contract, requires a regular Employment Visa issued by an Indian Mission, with the US$25,000 salary floor and employer sponsorship. Note also that e-Visas are available only to nationals of countries on the eligibility list at indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa, and the seven sub-categories (tourist, business, medical, medical attendant, Ayush, Ayush attendant, conference) each carry their own validity rules.
Is there any realistic path to Indian citizenship or permanent residency for a foreigner with no Indian roots?
It is one of the hardest in the world. India has no general permanent-residency programme, and the Employment Visa is capped at 5 years total. Naturalisation under the Citizenship Act 1955 requires 12 months' continuous residence immediately before applying plus 11 of the preceding 14 years in India, adequate knowledge of an Eighth Schedule language, and renunciation of your existing citizenship, since India bars dual citizenship for adults. Because most long-stay visas cannot stack to 12+ years, very few non-Indian-origin foreigners ever qualify. For people of Indian origin the OCI card is the practical endpoint — lifelong residence and work rights without citizenship.