NEW DELHI: Foreign academicians who want to teach at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will no longer require prior clearance for acquiring visas, a condition that has been a major irritant in hiring overseas talent.
The existing regulatory regime calls for prior approvals from both the ministry of external affairs (MEA) and the ministry of home affairs (MHA), resulting in delays of six to 18 months. According to sources, this usually results in the foreign academician turning down the job offer. “We have agreed that they need not procure prior political clearance, with the exception of a few cases,” said a source.
Another major obstacle — an annual income threshold of approximately Rs 16 lakh – is also likely to be relaxed, with the ministry mulling over bringing it down to Rs 9.10 lakh for issuing work visas.
It was decided at an August meeting of the I IT council, chaired by human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar, that the authorities should identify potential candidates graduating from reputed international universities to work in Indian institutions.