Karnal: MEA does not issue licence to agents for visa counselling: RTI

Karnal, January 16

With the increasing number of aspirants seeking to go abroad, the count of visa consultants is also on the rise, accompanied by a surge in cases involving duping youth on the pretext of facilitating overseas opportunities. In the midst of this escalating trend, the Ministry of External Affairs has stated that it does not issue any licence to agents providing visa counselling services in Haryana or any part of the country. This revelation came in response to an RTI query filed by Arvind Kumar Kadian, an educationist based in Karnal, seeking information on the criteria for issuing licences for immigration services.

According to the RTI reply, “The visa for any foreign country is sovereign right of that respective foreign government and the entire criteria related to the issue of licence to agents dealing with visa processing and granting that of is issued by the respective foreign government.”

Kadian highlighted the confusion surrounding immigration policy at both the state and national levels, emphasising the need for the government to permit only those individuals to work in this field who have been granted licences by the foreign government concerned. He expressed concern over the increasing number of visa consultants claiming authenticity without proper regulation.

Speaking to the media, Kadian pointed out the lack of a clear immigration policy in Haryana and the absence of registration criteria for licensed consultants. He said since foreign matters fell under the jurisdiction of the Union government, the state government should only allow individuals with consultant licences from the respective foreign government to operate in the field of immigration. Despite the state government’s apparent commitment to curbing fraud in immigration, he said it was not visible on the ground.