FRRO network expands to 20 with new offices in Bhubaneswar, Kohima, Agartala
NEW DELHI: The Centre has notified three new foreigners regional registration offices (FRROs) — in Bhubaneswar, Kohima, Agartala, taking the total number of such offices to 20 in the country.Stating that the number of foreign visitors arriving for tourism, medical and educational purposes has witnessed a substantial rise, the home ministry in a statement said there is need to appoint FRROs in each state. “This will ensure service accessibility, enhance regulatory compliance and promote India as an attractive destination,” it said while reiterating home minister Amit Shah’s call for establishing FRROs in all state capitals by 2027.The FRRO monitors compliance with Indian immigration laws, handles cases of overstay and visa violations, and coordinates legal action or penalties where necessary.In the past couple of years, five new FRROs have become operational in Jaipur, Chandigarh, Aizawl (Mizoram), Amravati (Andhra Pradesh) and Guwahati.“Recently, three new FRRO offices, namely Kohima (Nagaland), Agartala (Tripura) and Bhubaneshwar (Odisha), have been notified. Earlier, Kohima and Agartala were under the jurisdiction of FRRO, Kolkata, whereas Bhubaneshwar was under the jurisdiction of FRRO, Hyderabad,” shared the MHA.The government is considering further increasing the FRRO network in the remaining states, namely Bihar, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya.The 20 FRROs across the country are located at Ahmedabad, Amravati, Amritsar, Aizawl, Agartala, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Chandigarh, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kohima, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mumbai and Trivandrum,” the statement read.The expansion of the FRRO office network has a dual focus on facilitating foreigners’ legitimate travel and stay in India and ensuring effective implementation of immigration laws and security requirements.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com