New Delhi
The Indian government has unveiled an online module allowing companies to instantly generate sponsorship letters for inviting foreign professionals under the e-Production Investment Business Visa (e-B-4 Visa). The move is part of broader reforms to simplify business visa procedures and boost ease of doing business in the country.
According to the Commerce Ministry, the digital platform streamlines the process by removing the need for Line Ministry recommendations. Indian companies and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) can now generate sponsorship letters instantly on the National Single Window System (NSWS). Data auto-population and authentication via existing databases such as MCA and GSTN eliminate the need for separate approvals.
“The unique ID of the generated sponsorship letter will be used by the foreign professional while applying for the visa on the e-Visa portal, seamlessly integrated with NSWS,” the ministry added.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs reclassified certain employment visa activities under the business visa regime. This includes foreign nationals involved in installation and commissioning of equipment supplied under contracts where Indian companies pay fees or royalties. A new sub-category called the “Production Investment Visa” or B-4 Visa was also introduced for foreign specialists, engineers, and technical experts.
The previous e-PLI business visa has been discontinued, with amendments made to the Visa Manual, 2019 to support these changes. The Production Investment Visa will now be issued as an e-visa and can be applied for directly via the online portal.
To support this, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) launched the e-Production Investment Business registration module on NSWS, accessible to both PLI and non-PLI businesses. Officials say the digital platform will simplify visa processes, reduce administrative delays, and encourage faster collaboration with foreign professionals for production-related projects in India.
