Visa Rules: India has launched a new scheme of ‘e-Student Visa’ and ‘e-Student-X Visa’ for foreign students, which will facilitate them in pursuing higher education in Indian educational institutions.
Student Visa For Foreign Students: Taking a big initiative towards making India a hub of higher education in the world, the government has announced two special categories of visas for foreign students wishing to pursue higher education in the country’s educational institutions. For the ‘e-student visa’ and ‘e-student-X visa’ launched by the Home Ministry, foreign students will have to apply on the government’s ‘Study in India’ (SII) portal. ‘e-student visa’ will be for students, while ‘e-student-X visa’ will be given to the family members (parents, life partner) accompanying them.
According to government sources, the aim of the SII portal is to simplify the admission process for international students wishing to take admission in long term or short term courses in India. The SII program is designed to host international students wishing to pursue higher education in India. It partners with more than 600 institutions offering more than 8,000 courses in various subjects including engineering, technology, management, agriculture, science, arts, humanities, languages, law, para-medical, Buddhist studies and specialized areas such as yoga. Applications are submitted online under the SII program for undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and diploma courses in these institutions.
Who will get e-student visa and how…
1- E-student visa is for those students who want to study regular, full time graduation, post graduation, PhD and other formal courses in educational institutions recognized by the statutory and regulatory bodies of India.
2- Students will be able to register on the SII portal. This includes entering basic information like name, country, date of birth, mobile number and e-mail address.
3- The authenticity of the application of foreign students will be verified with their SII ID. It is mandatory for students to apply to Indian higher education institutions through the SII website.
4- Students will be able to apply for visa after receiving an admission offer from one of the partner institutions listed on the SII portal. E-student visa will be given only to those foreign nationals who want to come to India for studies.
Unique SII ID will be mandatory for studies
Students wishing to pursue higher education in India through SII will have a unique SII ID. This will allow them to access their dashboard, track the status of college and course applications, visa processing and other related processes. Foreign students will not be able to study in India without SII ID.
Can enter through immigration checkpoint
E-student visas will be issued for up to five years depending on the duration of the course. Visa can be extended while in India. E-student visa holders will be able to enter India through any immigration checkpoint.
More than 13.35 lakh students of India abroad
13,35,878 students of India are studying abroad. This number was 13,18,955 in 2023. According to the data of the Ministry of External Affairs, the highest number of 4.27 lakh students of India are in Canada. America and Britain are at second and third place respectively with 3,37,630 and 1.85 lakh students. Apart from these, Australia has 1,22,202 Indian students and Germany has 42,997 Indian students. Thousands of Indian students are also studying in China, Georgia, Uzbekistan and Philippines.
‘e-Student Visa’ is primarily for students registered on the SII portal while ‘e-Student-X Visa’ is for their dependents. The SII portal eases the admission process for foreign students in India. After registering on this portal, students can track their application status, college, course information and visa process. Every student is given a unique SII ID on the SII portal which is required for all further processes.
How to apply
- The student has to apply by visiting the visa application portal https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/.
- The authenticity of the application will be verified through the registration ID from the SII portal.
- In the application process, details like name, country, date of birth, mobile number and email have to be entered.
- Visa can be applied for only when the student gets an admission offer from the institutions listed on the SII portal.
- ‘E-Student Visa’ will be given to those students who take admission in full-time courses in India, such as undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD, and other recognized programs.
- This visa will be valid for a maximum of five years and can also be extended while staying in India.
- Visa holders can enter the country from any immigration checkpoint in India.
- The SII program is a major initiative of the Government of India which includes more than 600 institutions and more than 8,000 courses. Students can study in different fields like engineering, management, agriculture, arts, language studies, and yoga.
- This initiative gives students the opportunity to study in top colleges in India and the option to select the course of their choice.
