With the new guidelines for employment of foreign nationals threatening to derail oil and gas operations, the petroleum ministry has asked the home ministry to apply the new visa rules prospectively.
Worried about the inflow of Chinese workers, government had in October asked all expatriates working on business visas to leave the country by October 31 and return only when given employment visas.
The deadline was extended to November 30.“As obtaining of Employment Visa would take around 60 days, the sudden removal of expatriates in the middle of their present assignments without the relievers in place would lead to close down of crucial ongoing operations,” Oil Secretary R S Pandey wrote to Home Secretary G K Pillai.
Indian Oil and Reliance Industries had represented to the ministry saying refinery upgradation projects, pipelines and oil and gas exploration and production projects would be hit by the sudden withdrawal of foreign experts working on them as part of their collaboration with foreign process licensors.
“Oil companies have entered into technical collaboration with various process licensors which require frequent visit of their professionals for providing technical expertise,” Pandey said.
“Presently a large number of experts have come to India on business visa granted for varied periods based on the programme schedule worked out long time back,” he added.
He demanded that the “new visa instructions may be made applicable prospectively i.e from the date of expiry of the existing business visa of the foreign experts, presently on visit to various oil and gas projects in India.”