YEREVAN, JANUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. The number of nationals of India arriving to Armenia is growing.

The Migration Service of Armenia said that in the first nine months of 2018, arrivals of citizens of India totaled 21,061; while 18,095 departed the country.

In 2015, just about 4,000 citizens of India came to Armenia, and the numbers grew since then and reached about 11,500 in 2017.

The number of Indian citizens who have been granted residence permits has also grown. In 2018, preliminary data suggests around 2000 were granted permits, but the final data will be available after January 20, the migration service said.  It said that the Indian nationals mostly received temporary residence permits and the purpose of arrival was mostly education.

Visa policy has also contributed to the increased numbers of arrivals. Indian nationals are entitled to apply for visa without invitations, and those citizens who have residence permits in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman can receive visa upon arrival in Armenia.

The visa policy for Indian nationals was further facilitated by the Armenian government in November of 2017 with E-visa options.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan