The Union Cabinet on 15 October 2026 cleared a five-year extension (2026-2031) of the Immigration, Visa, Foreigners Registration & Tracking (IVFRT) scheme, allocating ₹1,800 crore to transform the backbone of India’s border-management and consular IT systems. IVFRT already links 117 immigration posts, 15 Foreigners Regional Registration Offices and 854 district-level units, but officials say rising passenger volumes and the new Immigration & Foreigners Act 2025 require a fresh technology leap. Phase-IV will focus on three fronts: (1) emerging technologies such as AI-enabled risk analytics, mobile boarding and biometric e-gates; (2) a revamp of core data centres and disaster-recovery sites to ensure 24/7 uptime; and (3) a unified digital platform that collapses visa issuance, registration and overstay tracking into one dashboard for airlines, security agencies and travellers. Average clearance times are targeted to fall from the current 2.5-3 minutes to under 90 seconds, while e-visa approvals aim for 95 % within 48 hours. For business travellers and global mobility managers, the upgrade promises quicker crew and conference visas, real-time API hooks for corporate booking tools, and nationwide expansion of the Fast-Track Immigration-Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP). Indian airports that already have e-gates—Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad—will add separate lanes for accredited frequent flyers and OCI card-holders, mirroring programmes such as Global Entry in the US. The scheme also earmarks funds to integrate Advanced Passenger Information and carrier penalty modules directly into airline departure-control systems, reducing manual data entry and fines for data errors. Smaller airports and new seaports such as Navi Mumbai, Bhogapuram and Haldia will be brought onto the national immigration network, supporting Tier-2 export hubs. Industry bodies including NASSCOM and the Hotel Association of India welcomed the decision, noting that predictable, digital visa processing is critical if India is to meet its target of 15 million foreign business visitors by 2030. The Ministry of Home Affairs said stakeholder consultations with chambers of commerce would begin next month to fine-tune business-visa service-level agreements.
Source: Prime Minister’s Office – India
