Dear Minister S. Jaishankar and Minister Amit Shah,

We, foreign tourists stranded in Goa due to COVID-19 outbreak, ask for a longer visa extension and easier extension procedure. 

The most recent advisory for visa extension for foreign nationals stranded in India, goes as follows:

"Regular visa, e-visa or stay stipulation, of such foreign nationals who have been stranded in India because of spread of COVID-19 in many parts of the world and also due to travel restrictions imposed by Indian authorities, and whose visas have expired or would be expiring during the period from 01.02.2020 (Midnight) to 03.05.2020 (Midnight), would be extended till midnight of 03.05.2020 on ‘GRATIS’ basis, after making online application by the foreigner. Exit to such foreign nationals, if so requested by them during this period, will also be granted to them upto 14 days beyond 03.05.2020 i.e. 17.05.2020 without levy of overstay penalty."(Source)

This means every foreign national with an expired visa on May 3d will have to leave before May 17th with an exit permit.

However, Goa has recently been declared COVID-19 free as first state of India, what makes it a very safe place to be at this moment. A lot safer than in our home countries, like France, UK, Russia etc., where cases keep increasing on a daily basis.

Moreover, by obliging us to leave the country very soon, many of us will have to travel in crowded places, which is highly discouraged at the moment. This, assuming that international flights will operate again by then, which is not sure. And even if there will be flights, prices will be highly inflated because of the situation. As you see, the extremly short period of visa extension creates a lot of uncertainty.

An easier and safer solution would be that everyone can stay where he or she is, until the COVID-19 situation gets considerably better in the whole world.
Therefore, we kindly ask you and the whole Ministry of External Affairs and Home Ministry to introduce a system of automated visa extension for a few months for stranded foreigners, without having to fill in complicated online forms again and again. This should be perfectly possible, considering the examples of Thailand and Indonesia, that have both introduced automated visa extensions, without any steps to be taken by the foreigner. Thailand has recently even extended the foreigners' visas until no less than July 31st.
India could do the same.

We sincerely hope that you will consider our proposal.

Yours faithfully,

The foreign community in Goa