China to resume student visas for Indians after over two years

India

oi-PTI

Beijing,
Aug
22:
China
on
Monday
announced
plans
to
issue
visas
to
hundreds
of
Indian
students
stranded
at
home
for
over
two
years
due
to
Beijing’s
strict
COVID
restrictions,
besides
various
categories
of
travel
permits
for
Indians
including
business
visas.

“Warmest
congrats
to
#Indian
#students!
Your
patience
proves
worthwhile.
I
can
really
share
your
excitement
&
happiness.
Welcome
back
to
#China!”
Ji
Rong,
Counsellor,
Department
of
Asian
Affairs,
Ministry
of
Foreign
Affairs,
China
tweeted.

Her
tweet
cited
a
detailed
announcement
by
the
Chinese
Embassy
in
New
Delhi
announcing
the
opening
of
visas
for
students,
businessmen
and
families
of
those
working
in
China.

As
per
the
announcement,
X1-Visa,
will
be
issued
to
students
who
intend
to
go
to
China
to
pursue
long-term
study
for
higher
academic
education,
including
newly-enrolled
students
and
students
who
return
to
China
to
resume
their
studies.

Over
23,000
Indian
students,
mostly
studying
medicine,
are
reportedly
stuck
back
home
due
to
COVID
visa
restrictions.

India
had
submitted
a
list
of
several
hundred
students
after
China
sought
the
names
of
those
wanting
to
return
immediately
to
pursue
their
studies.

Some
students
from
Sri
Lanka,
Pakistan,
Russia
and
several
other
countries
have
already
arrived
on
chartered
flights
in
recent
weeks.

Monday’s
announcement
posted
on
the
website
of
the
Chinese
Embassy
in
Delhi
said
student
visas
will
be
issued
to
the
newly-enrolled
students
and
the
old
students
who
could
not
travel
to
China
due
to
COVID
visa
bans.

While
the
new
students
should
produce
original
admission
letter
issued
by
a
university
in
China,
the
old
students
need
to
submit
a
‘Certificate
of
Returning
to
Campus’ issued
by
the
university
in
China.

According
to
official
sources,
over
1,000
old
Indian
students
have
expressed
wish
to
return
to
re-join
their
studies.
It
is
to
be
seen
whether
the
universities
which
are
processing
their
requests
would
issue
the
certificates
for
them
to
apply
for
visas.

Another
big
problem
was
that
there
are
no
direct
flights
between
the
two
countries.
For
the
first
time
in
over
two
years,
a
chartered
flight
engaged
by
Indian
businessmen
and
their
families
arrived
in
the
Chinese
city
of
Hangzhou
recently.

In
July,
China
had
permitted
the
family
members
of
the
Indian
professionals
working
in
China.
Several
of
them
arrived
through
the
third
country
routes
paying
several
times
higher
than
the
normal
ticket
rates.

Indian
and
Chinese
officials
say
that
talks
are
on
between
the
two
countries
to
resume
flight
operations.
The
category
of
visas
which
the
Chinese
embassy
in
India
announced
on
Monday
included
C-Visa
issued
to
crew
members.

Other
categories
of
visas
announced
by
the
embassy
included
M-Visa
issued
to
those
who
intend
to
go
to
China
for
commercial
and
trade
activities,
F-Visa
issued
to
those
who
intend
to
go
to
China
for
exchanges,
visits,
study
tours
and
other
non-commercial
activities
and
Z-Visa
for
those
who
intend
to
work
in
China.

Other
category
permits
included
visas
for
the
dependents
of
those
working
in
China.