India’s Union Cabinet has approved a five-year continuation of the Immigration, Visa, Foreigners Registration and Tracking (IVFRT) Scheme, allocating 18 billion rupees (approximately USD 215 million) for operations from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2031. The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the extension at the end of last month.
The IVFRT scheme, originally launched on May 13, 2010, serves as India’s central digital platform for immigration and visa management. It integrates 117 Immigration Check Posts, 15 Foreigners Regional Registration Officers (FRROs), and 854 Foreigners Registration Officers and law enforcement designations into a single global database for traveler management. The scheme is administered by India’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Bureau of Immigration.
The current operational phase recorded measurable performance improvements. Average passenger clearance time at Immigration Posts, including biometric capture, was reduced to 2.5 to three minutes from a previous five to six minutes. The Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP), which operates automated e-gates at 13 major airports, achieves clearance times of approximately 30 seconds per enrolled traveler. The e-Visa process is 100 percent contactless and faceless, with online appointment scheduling and payment available without in-person interaction, and 91.24 percent of applications have been cleared within 72 hours.
The five-year extension will fund deployment of mobile-based services and self-service kiosks for passenger processing, upgrades to core infrastructure across Immigration Posts, FRROs, and data centers, and a revamp of core application architecture through unified digital platforms and strengthened network frameworks. The government described the continuation as a strategic transformation supporting India’s international mobility ambitions while reinforcing national security.
The IVFRT renewal runs alongside other investments in India’s border and identity infrastructure, including a nationwide rollout of chip-based e-passports launched in May 2025. The FTI-TTP program has expanded to airports across the country, with biometric arrivals kiosks added at additional locations, including Kochi, as traveler volumes have grown. Chennai Airport also deployed a biometric immigration system designed to cut processing time by 60 percent, demonstrating the type of infrastructure investment the new IVFRT phase will continue to fund.
Sources: Press Information Bureau, Government of India, DD News
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
