New Delhi, April 22 (IANS): The central government on Wednesday rolled out an online system for submission of the long term visa (LTV) applications by Pakistanis and for its processing by various agencies.

At present, such applications were accepted through a manual system, a release issued here said.

"This decision has been taken by the government of India to show the concern over the minority communities in Pakistan who come to India with the intention to settle permanently," it said, adding that the government has also been taking steps to streamline the procedures to facilitate their stay in India.

"Pakistani nationals eligible for LTV can now submit the applications online by logging in the URL indianfrro.gov.in/frro. The new system will enable the applicants to monitor and track their applications and will also help in their speedy disposal," it said.

While the manual system of submission of LTV applications will continue along with the online system for a period of three months, with effect from August 1, 2015, all applications for the LTV will be received and processed only in the online mode, it added.