The Ministry of Commerce confirmed on 16 June that India concluded or signed four major trade pacts in FY 2025-26: the India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the India–Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the India–New Zealand FTA and a framework deal with the European Union. Collectively, the accords abolish duties on up to 97 % of tariff lines and embed dedicated chapters on the temporary movement of natural persons (Mode 4).
![New FTAs with UK, Oman, New Zealand and EU promise easier mobility for Indian professionals]()
In this context, VisaHQ’s India platform (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can be an invaluable resource, providing real-time updates on treaty-specific visa categories, pre-checking documentation, and coordinating filings so that employers and travellers can seize the new mobility opportunities the moment they launch.
Mobility clauses in the UK pact, for instance, guarantee 90-day business-visitor stays, streamlined short-term intra-corporate transfer (ICT) permits for executives, and a new “Young Professionals” route granting two-year work visas to Indians aged 18-30. Oman will introduce a priority-processing lane for Indian engineers and project managers employed on EPC contracts, while New Zealand has committed to issue ICT visas within 15 working days and recognise Indian professional qualifications in IT, accountancy and nursing. The EU framework sets the stage for mutual recognition of selected service licences and facilitates multi-country work assignments through a single notification system once the final agreement is signed. For multinational employers, the deals could trim assignment lead-times and cut immigration-related costs. Indian exporters of IT and audiovisual services stand to benefit from longer on-site project windows and reduced social-security detachment certificates. HR leaders should track ratification timelines—particularly for the EU pact, where member-state approval is still pending—and update global mobility policies to reflect new minimum-salary thresholds, occupational lists and visa quotas embedded in each agreement. Government officials say the agreements will enter into force progressively from Q3 2026 after domestic procedures are completed. Businesses should monitor Gazette notifications and engage external counsel to map sector-specific concessions. In the meantime, pilot mobility channels—such as the UK’s new 30-day service-supplier visa—are expected to open for applications as early as August.
In this context, VisaHQ’s India platform (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can be an invaluable resource, providing real-time updates on treaty-specific visa categories, pre-checking documentation, and coordinating filings so that employers and travellers can seize the new mobility opportunities the moment they launch.
Mobility clauses in the UK pact, for instance, guarantee 90-day business-visitor stays, streamlined short-term intra-corporate transfer (ICT) permits for executives, and a new “Young Professionals” route granting two-year work visas to Indians aged 18-30. Oman will introduce a priority-processing lane for Indian engineers and project managers employed on EPC contracts, while New Zealand has committed to issue ICT visas within 15 working days and recognise Indian professional qualifications in IT, accountancy and nursing. The EU framework sets the stage for mutual recognition of selected service licences and facilitates multi-country work assignments through a single notification system once the final agreement is signed. For multinational employers, the deals could trim assignment lead-times and cut immigration-related costs. Indian exporters of IT and audiovisual services stand to benefit from longer on-site project windows and reduced social-security detachment certificates. HR leaders should track ratification timelines—particularly for the EU pact, where member-state approval is still pending—and update global mobility policies to reflect new minimum-salary thresholds, occupational lists and visa quotas embedded in each agreement. Government officials say the agreements will enter into force progressively from Q3 2026 after domestic procedures are completed. Businesses should monitor Gazette notifications and engage external counsel to map sector-specific concessions. In the meantime, pilot mobility channels—such as the UK’s new 30-day service-supplier visa—are expected to open for applications as early as August.
