A friend of mine who lives out in Goa just got a 12 month T visa in April - despite being told by the VFS that she would not have a chance in hell of getting it. She still has the 2 month exile after 180 days though.

Dread - x

Hi all

two friends have mentioned that the "2 month out" ruling may be rescinded soon? Anyone else heard anything about this, or is it just Chinese Whispers again?

I'll be applying for new tourist visa third week July, so we shall see what transpires then.

The new VFS form is a nightmare to fill in - they now want to know your last Indian Visa No. and issue date, which cities you have visited in India, which countries you have visited in the last 10 years (!!!), current occupation or former occupation if retired (& there are a lot of possibilities related to journalism, the media, armed forces, police etc).

Cheers for now
Iain

P.S. anyone "monsooning" it at the moment? any restaurants open in the Candolim/Calangute belt?

see my post #4496 (?) here

Not sure about Calangute, as i try to avoid it, but several in Candolim:

Spice of India, (but not doing ice for some reason)
Bobs Inn,
Jazz,
Tuscany gardens,
Over the flames (till Sunday i believe)
Flambes
Fishermans cove

to name but a few...happy eating, i would reccomend Tuscany, Flames and Fishermans as good places to nosh .

There are several more but forget the names so a few to choose from

Tuscany gardens - Yum Yum
Flambe - don't know what has gone wrong there
Fishermans Cove - has the terrible smell gone from the lane by the kitchen.
used to love the place, but last year walking up the lane by the kitchen really put us off.

from the sounds of this and from what many understand the 2 month rule is/was a knee jerk reaction of the bombay incident - now that a reasonable amount of time has passed they will hopefully get rid of the rule - in which case the extra questions one has to answer in the form are not as bad as having to wait for 2 months before reentry

Initially there were some official comments that referred to the Bombay incident but the official MHA position is:
AndyD 8-)#

The questions are definitely a nightmare for anyone who is police/armed forces/anything to do with photography or journalism - or those who have retired from such occupations.
It seems that if you are in or have been in any of these occupations, you get discriminated against and only given a 3 month visa.
I met one guy last season in Goa who only got a 3 month visa - because he works as a sales assistant in Jessops - and this is classed as working in photography !!!

It seems that if you are in an ocupation where you are likley to have to return for the purpose of employment, therefore less likely to breach visa and overstay, the Indian govt don't want you there. But an unemployed drug dealer gets a year - and before anyone corrects me, I met three such low lifes last season who got 1 year visas, which somewhat rankled me !

I appreciate the need for security and the Indian authorities may have a sense of paranoia about armed forces, journalists etc but don't they realise that people in these occupations are so strictly governed within their occupations that it is unlikely they would want to operate in India - apart from the odd investigative journo or papparazzi !

Craaaazzzzzyyyyy !

Dread - dreading that form - x

Mum called me this morning - she's just returned back to Goa after her two month out - and there is a very strong rumour that the 2 month out rule will be scrapped for Goa only, as tourism has suffered badly this year.

I find it hard to believe that it can be scrapped for Goa only, either the whole of India or nothing.
We can live in hope.
Keep each other informed.

iirc it is the Goa tourism director Swapnil Naik who has asked for this - just like his namesake Shripad Naik asked for a change in the Indian Constitution to control property ownership 'just for Goa'. Either they have completely inflated ideas of the importance of Goa to the rest of India or they are playing to the local gallery. Think about the logistics - would it apply only to direct flights? Would they have to check your visa at the state border to see if it was valid for the rest of India? It's a non-starter.

AndyD 8-)#

Well I had thought about that, the logistics of crossing boarders etc. It was only what's been rumoured. I am not suggesting for one minute this is happening.

I spoke to someone last week who works for the HCI in Birmingham,and he siad that there are NO plans to rescind the 2 month out rule for tourist visa's,mainly because of their misuse.The official also reminded me that it's not an anti British thing,as most of the people who were violating the tourists visa's were from other countries.

John

At VFS Bangkok at the moment after doing 2 months out they strictly counted the days between last exit from India and this new application date. Very friendly and efficient, they explained that the Consul Bangkok is enforcing the 2 month rule (with only proveable hardship exceptions) if your previous visa was T Multiple Entry. Otherwise, if it had been a 6 month T Single Entry the 2 months would be irrelevant, but the Consul will only issue a new 3 month Single Entry T, and the verbal and written declarations that you are a Tourist seem more insistent.

Technically then, a visa run of sorts is still possibe to Bangkok, just make sure your next visa from UK is 6 months T Single Entry. After a short holiday in Thailand - no hardship doing that - you'll get a 3 month single to return to India, no problem. That's still only 9 months total in India but the so called reinstatement of the 12 month T (with compulsory exit after 180 days) has been incorrectly praised and is still only truly a 10 month or less visa because you would have to be a genius to time your exits and reentry to India so precisely (unless they accept that you are on an 'itinerary' with all supporting documents).

There is still no category of visa to India for any person of non Indian origin who has a property there, so we are all Tourists, but I suspect the Indian authorities will be looking more closely at the validity of that too.

VFS have given no guarantee that the 3 month single T will be given considering the history of X, XV, Business and only recently T visas in my passport, so maybe I'll get to talk with the Consul.

ridiculous ! bureaucracy/complacency at its worse.