Bollywood stars Katrina Kaif and Yana Gupta are working in tinsel town for the last several years on employment visas, says a media report.
Among those who have been staying in India and working on an employment visa are Katrina Kaif (UK citizen), Deepti Naval (US citizen), Salma Agha (UK citizen) and Yana Gupta (Czech citizen).
‘‘Most of the actors and other foreigners working in Bollywood prefer staying here on an employment visa. Sometimes they ask for an extension in visa period. We consider whatever is correct as per the law,'' said a police officer from the immigration department.
Pakistani singer Adnan Sami has been staying in Mumbai along with his German wife. As per a bilateral treaty between India and the US, an American national can stay in India on a tourist visa for as long as 10 years. The same is applicable to Indian citizens in America as well.
Some models who came to India on a short-term tourist or employment visa and did not get their visa extended had to face the law. Norwegian model Negar Khan was deported from India on February 7, 2005.
The report says, the collector's office in Mumbai, in the last five years, has received around 150 requests for Indian citizenship. However, not a single foreigner working in Bollywood has so far applied for citizenship, though some of them are living in India for more than seven years.
The immigration department is busy scrutinizing the visa categories of dozens of foreigners who entered India on a tourist visa and began working in the film industry.
‘‘When one can get an employment visa and work on the basis of it, then what is the need of working on a visitor's visa?'' asked an immigration official.
The department is now classifying the visa details of foreigners who entered the country on a specific visa but are flouting the rules.
