The Union Home Ministry of India has extended the visas of foreigners who are stranded in the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic until August 31.
“The Indian visa or stay stipulation period of such foreign nationals stranded in India will be considered as deemed to be valid till August 31, 2021, on gratis basis without levy of any overstay penalty,” said a circular from the ministry as quoted by NDTV.
The stranded foreign nationals do not need to file any application with the FRRO/FRO concerned to avail the extension, but they will need to apply for an exit permission that will be granted without any penalty, the circular added.
The Bangladesh government closed the border with India from April 26 due to an increase of Covid-19 in the neighbouring country, but cargo transports were allowed to operate as usual.
India reported another 132,364 coronavirus cases in the 24 hours till Friday morning, a declining trend with recoveries exceeding new cases this week and prompting several state governments to ease some of the restrictions.
The latest update from the Indian Health Ministry on Friday raised the nation’s total to more than 28.6 million, the second highest in the world after the United States. The ministry said 2,713 more people died in the past 24 hours, driving the overall toll to 340,702.
