The Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday introduced two special category visas for international students intending to pursue higher education in the country.
The ‘e-student visa’ and ‘e-student-x’ visa have been introduced by the Ministry. Students using any of the two visas, the ‘e-student visa’ and ‘e-student-x’ visa will have to use the ‘Study in India’ (SII) portal launched by the government.
Eligible international students registered on the Study in India (SII) portal can access the e-student visa facility, while dependents of e-student visa holders are eligible for the e-student-x visa, officials stated.
The SII portal facilitates the admission process of international students who wish to pursue either long-term or short-term courses in India.
To obtain a visa, students must apply through the portal at indianvisaonline.gov.in, where the SII ID will verify the authenticity of their applications.
Hence it is mandatory for students to apply to Indian higher educational institutions through SII website, the officials said.
Students may proceed with their visa applications only after receiving an admission offer from one of SII’s partner institutions.
The e-student visa will be granted to such foreign nationals who obtain admission to studying in India and who wish to pursue such studies, regular, full-time, courses of under graduate, post graduation, PhD and such other formal programmes at educational institutes duly recognised by the statutory and regulatory body in India, the officials said.
These visas are issued for durations of up to five years, depending on the course length, and can be extended. Holders of valid e-student visas can enter India through any immigration check post.
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The SII is a flagship initiative by the Ministry of Education, hosting over 600 partner institutions offering more than 8,000 courses across disciplines such as engineering, management, agriculture, sciences, arts, humanities, law, paramedical sciences (including pharmacy and nursing), and specialised fields like Buddhist Studies and Yoga.
