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Kathmandu, July 18: The number of Nepalis traveling to third countries via India has sharply increased following the ‘visit visa’ controversy. The surge came after the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) took Tirtharaj Bhattarai, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, into custody on May 20 and launched a probe into the misuse of visit (tourist) visas.

Earlier, Nepalis used to travel directly to countries like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait on visit visas from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), allegedly through corrupt arrangements. After the CIAA initiated investigations into these cases, many travelers started opting for the India route to reach their final destinations.

“Travelers going to India are rarely questioned. That’s why those who previously traveled directly to Gulf countries or further to Europe via manipulated visit visas are now going to India first and continuing onward from there,” a source at the Department informed. “That’s why there has been a sudden increase in the number of people going to India.”

According to immigration data, 7,913 Nepalis flew to India from TIA in May 2025—the month when the visit visa investigation began. That translated to an average of over 255 people per day.

In June, the month after the probe began, the number jumped to 10,671, averaging more than 355 people per day. That’s an increase of over 100 travelers per day compared to May.

By mid-July, the numbers rose even further. Between July 1 and 16, a total of 6,459 Nepalis traveled to India via TIA, which averages more than 403 per day. Compared to May, this is an increase of 148 people per day.

An immigration official noted that the high number of travelers in January and February was largely due to the Mahakumbh Mela, which drew many Nepalis to India for ritual bathing. “But the spike in June and July seems unnatural,” the official added.

The number of travelers from TIA to India increased by 2,758 between May and June alone—a 34.85% jump.

If the current trend continues, the number of Nepalis traveling to India via TIA could surpass 12,000 by the end of July.

According to the Department of Immigration, a total of 64,678 Nepalis had flown to India via TIA for tourism in 2024. That number has already been exceeded in just the first six and a half months of 2025.

People’s News Monitoring Service