Diplomatic Correspondent :
India has raised the visa processing fee for Bangladesh citizens amid a time when it has nearly suspended the issuance of visas, except a few, since the fall of the Awami League government in a mass uprising last year.
The closure of issuing visas have frustrated the Bangladeshi people as many people travel to India for treatment, tourism and business purposes.
When the Ministry of Foreign Affairs inquired of the situation, the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh replied that they have slowed down the visa processing due to the shortfall of manpower.
Still there is no progress of issuing full-fledged issuance of visas for Bangladeshi citizens who intend to travel there.
Amid this situation, India has now increased the visa processing fee, despite the continued restriction on most categories of travel.
According to a recent notice posted on the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) website, the visa processing (service) fee will rise from Tk 824 to Tk 1,500, effective from August 8. This is the first hike in service charges since 2018. The announcement comes at a time when thousands of Bangladeshi citizens-many with urgent medical, academic, or family needs-are unable to secure Indian visas due to the suspension of regular services.
An official from the Indian High Commission in Dhaka clarified that while visa fees remain “gratis” (zero government charge) for Bangladeshis, the processing charge is collected by IVAC, a private service provider operating the centers at its own cost. The increase, they said, reflects rising operational expenses.
However, critics argue that the timing of this fee hike is insensitive and indicative of India’s broader lack of cooperation with the Bangladeshi people, particularly under the current political climate.
Since for the formation of the Interim Government led by Prof Muhamamd Yunus, India has not continuing its warm relations with the government as well as the people.
Such diplomatic gesture has created a negative attitude towards India that it does not stand with the Bangladesh people when they are in trouble. Rather they are sheltering the deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Currently, only a limited number of visa slots are available in centers located in Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Sylhet, and Khulna-primarily for emergency medical cases, students, or workers transiting through India to a third country.
Even these are subject to prior appointments with relevant foreign embassies, making access increasingly bureaucratic and uncertain.
In the past, India was a primary destination for Bangladeshi patients seeking advanced or affordable healthcare. With medical visas almost entirely unavailable, many patients are now being forced to explore alternative options in China, Thailand, or Malaysia.
Despite longstanding cultural and economic ties between the two neighbors, India’s sustained visa freeze has strained people-to-people contact, disrupted trade, and fed growing resentment among Bangladeshis.
The increased fee, in the absence of full visa services, is now being viewed not merely as a cost adjustment, but as a symbolic reminder of India’s disengagement with both the interim government and its citizens.
These steps taken by India has also been hampering the businesses of India, particularly the West Bengal a region largely dependent on the Bangladeshi people who spend their heavily during different festivals.
