New Delhi: Even as visa restrictions remain due to the Covid pandemic, more than 15 lakh foreigners came to India last year, according to the Home Affairs Ministry. Most of the names came from America. 4.29 lakh Americans came to see India. Second place goes to Bangladesh. 2.4 Bangladeshis have visited India. Great Britain, Canada and Nepal are in third, fourth and fifth place respectively.
From 1 January to 31 December 2021, 15,24,469 foreign nationals arrived in India. 74.39% of them come from 10 countries. Many people have come to India from Afghanistan, Australia, Germany, Portugal and France.
All international flights were suspended from 25 March to 21 April 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Flights gradually resumed from June 2020, but partial restrictions continued until March 2022. Visa restrictions were also imposed as part of epidemic prevention. In March 2021, the MHA re-established the e-Visa system for citizens of 156 countries. Subsequently, tourist and e-tourist visas were also granted from 15 October. In addition to this, visa on arrival has also been introduced for travelers from Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. A 65-year-old Pakistani was also granted a 45-day visa to enter India on foot through the Attari checkpoint.
