RAS question
Under the India-NZ FTA, how many work visas are provided for Indian professionals?
Correct answer: (B) 5,000.
Under the India-New Zealand FTA, the Temporary Employment Entry Visa pathway provides a quota of 5,000 visas for skilled Indian professionals for stays of up to three years.
Explanation
The India-New Zealand FTA links trade liberalisation with mobility for students and skilled workers. In the mobility and education section, the PIB backgrounder says the agreement creates a new Temporary Employment Entry Visa pathway with a quota of 5,000 visas for skilled Indians and permits stays of up to three years. That is why 5,000 is the correct figure: it is not a general migration estimate, but the specific quota attached to this FTA pathway for skilled Indian professionals. The same section places the pathway alongside student mobility, post-study work visa provisions and a working holiday visa, showing that mobility is a defined part of the agreement rather than an incidental benefit.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 3,500 is below the visa quota stated for the Temporary Employment Entry pathway, which the PIB source fixes at 5,000.
- (C) 2,000 does not match the FTA's stated quota for skilled Indians under the Temporary Employment Entry Visa pathway.
- (D) 7,500 overstates the quota; the cited FTA provision provides 5,000 visas, not 7,500.
Concept
This tests the external-sector part of Indian Economy, especially how FTAs can cover services and mobility as well as goods. RAS often asks such figures because trade agreements are current-affairs topics with direct links to employment, skills and market access.