Intern Visa Intern Visa

Intern Visa

Intern (I) Visa

The Indian Missions/ Posts may grant “Intern [‘I’] Visa” to a foreigner intending to pursue internship in Indian companies, Educational Institutions and NGOs subject to usual checks and formalities and subject to the following conditions:-

  1. The period of visa should be restricted to the duration of the internship programme or one year, whichever is less.
  2. Intern visa will be granted to a maximum of 50 interns per year for each Indian Mission/ Post. This limit will be 100 per year for countries where the PIO (Person of Indian Origin) population is more than 1 million. This quota will be reviewed after 3 years
  3. The intern visa will be granted immediately after completion of graduation/ post graduation but the gap between the completion of graduation/ post graduation and the commencement of the internship should not be more than one year.
  4. Visa should be granted only on the basis of a letter from the Indian company/ educational institution/ NGO concerned sponsoring the foreign national for the internship programme and clearly indicating the period of internship.
  5. In case the internship is in a Company, the foreign national being sponsored for internship should draw a minimum remuneration of Rs. 7.80 lakhs per annum. There will be no minimum salary limit in the case of internship in Educational institutions and NGOs.
  6. Intern visa will not be issued for internship in certain vital sectors like Defence, Telecom, Space Technologies, Construction/ strategic Infrastructure projects, Mining, Civil Aviation, Petroleum & Natural Gas exploration, Private security agencies, Human Rights, Nuclear Energy, Environmental issues and Dams. This list will be reviewed every two years.
  7. Grant of Intern Visa to foreigners intending to pursue internship in NGOs will be subject to prior clearance of the Ministry of Home Affairs
  8. A specific endorsement should be made on the visa sticker clearly indicating “For pursuing internship in ………. (name of the Indian company/ educational institution/ NGO and place where the foreign national would be pursuing the internship ).
  9. Foreign nationals granted visa for doing internship will have to register themselves with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)/ Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) concerned within 14 days of arrival in India if continuous stay is for more than 180 days. Specific endorsement to this effect will be made in the Visa sticker.
  10. In the case of nationals of Afghanistan, China, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan or a foreign national of Pakistan origin or Stateless person, visa shall be granted only after obtaining prior clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs. No such visa shall be granted to a national of Pakistan.
  11. Prior clearance of the Ministry of Home Affairs shall also be obtained if the internship programme involves visits to Protected, Restricted & Cantonment areas, State of Jammu & Kashmir and North Eastern States.
  12. The foreign national will have to exit the country before the expiry of the visa. An undertaking should be obtained from the company/ organization concerned that they will ensure departure of the foreigner on completion of the internship.
  13. Under no circumstances, the foreign national will be allowed to take up employment in India immediately after completion of the internship programme. Conversion of the Intern visa into Employment visa or any other types of visa will not be permitted. In case the foreign national receives any offer for employment in India, he/she will have to go back to the country of his/her origin/ domicile and apply for ‘Employment Visa’ at the Indian Mission/ Post concerned. Grant of Employment Visa in such cases will be strictly governed by the provisions pertaining to Employment Visa.
  14. Earnings from internship of the foreign nationals with Indian companies/ Educational Institutions/ NGOs will be subject to the Indian Income Tax Regulations.
  15. Grant of visa to interns sponsored by AIESEC will also be governed by the above mentioned guidelines.