To immigrate to India from Australia, you must first apply for an appropriate visa if you intend to spend more than 90 days in the country. There are multiple types of visas available, depending on your traveling purpose. It is also required to gather all necessary documents, including your passport, visa application forms, proof of financial stability, and any relevant certificates or qualifications. Our lawyers in India can assist in immigration matters and ensure that you meet all the requirements.
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Types of visas in India
If you wish to immigrate to India from Australia, you need to apply for a visa that accommodates your purposes of travel and stay. There are several types of available visas in the country, but generally, individuals apply for the following:
- Tourist visa;
- Employment visa;
- Student visa;
- Business visa (for individuals who wish to open/invest/buy a company in India)
- Medical visa (for medical treatments);
- If you relocate to India from Australia for media & journalism you need the Journalist visa.
Our Indian lawyers can help you select the visa and complete the application form.
Documents and procedure for applying for a visa
After selecting the appropriate visa type, the next step for moving to India from Australia is to complete the visa application form and then submit the rest of the required documents to your nearest Indian Embassy. The other documents include:
- Passport valid for at least 180 days;
- Passport photos;
- Proof of purpose of visa (employment contract, a letter from an Indian university, invitation letter from an Indian company, a letter from the hospital/doctor in Australia recommending treatment in India, etc.)
- Flight and accommodation reservations in India;
- Proof of financial means during the stay in India (for some visas only).
To legally stay in India for more than 90 days, you must apply for a residence permit and register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) upon arrival in India. Please note that holding a visa does not grant permanent residency in India.
Permanent residence in India
If you want to immigrate from Australia to India permanently, you must meet the following criteria:
- If you have Indian ancestry or previously held citizenship in India, but renounced it, you might be eligible for the OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) card. This grants a multiple entry, multipurpose, lifelong visa for visiting India. You also won’t be required to register with Indian authorities on every visit. You will have the same rights as Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), except for buying agricultural land.
- If your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents were born or were permanent residents of India, you might be eligible for the PIO (Person of Indian Origin) card. This card can help you relocate to India from Australia. You can visit India without a visa for up to 15 years after getting the card, among other benefits;
- Make investments under the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) route of approximately 1.33 million USD within 18 months or 3.33 million USD within 36 months.
Our immigration lawyers in India can guide you in obtaining permanent residency in India if you are interested.
Statistics about immigration in India
For those looking to move to India from Australia, our team will present some interesting statistics about the immigration and travel trends in recent years in the country:
- 4.5 million people immigrated to India in 2020;
- India was ranked 54th in the Travel and Tourism Development Index for 2021;
- There were over 1.731 million domestic tourist visits in India in 2022.
Please contact our law firm in India if you have any questions regarding the immigration process including visa issuance, permanent residency, or citizenship.