Visa issues

Many foreign residents of Auroville experience often long delays in obtaining the mandatory Letter of Recommendation (LoR) for their visa. Awaiting the letter, Aurovilians and Newcomers abroad have to find employment and housing; those in Auroville are facing penalties imposed by the registration authorities if their application for visa extension is received after the date of expiry of their current visa. Some LoRs contain a sentence stating that the person “has been obstructing the work progress as per the Master Plan approved by the Governing Board and gazetted by the Government of India”, which may lead to a refusal to grant the visa or visa extension, and then a request to the individual concerned to leave India.

It is also a concern that a large number of residents have received a recommendation for a substantially shorter period than that for which they were eligible since December 2021. In most of these cases no reason has been given.