The Chinese Embassy on Monday has announced visa relaxations for Indian students stranded at home for over 2 years due to the Covid-19 restrictions at China’s capital, Beijing. The announcement came as a sign of relief for Indian students wishing to return to China and resume their studies.
Ji Rong, counsellor, Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China tweeted, “Warmest congrats to #Indian #students! Your patience proves worthwhile. I can really share your excitement & happiness. Welcome back to #China!” The tweet came simultaneously with the announcement of relaxation of visas for students, businessmen and the families of those already working in China.
The Chinese Embassy in India has updated the "Application Procedures and Material Requirements of China Visa", that is supposed to be implemented from 24 August 2022. More than 23,000 Indian students, mostly studying medicine, are reportedly unable to return to their universities due to the visa ban.
The X1 Visa, meant for those candidates who intend to study in China for a period of more than 180 days will now be issued to newly enrolled students and the ones who want to return to China to recommence their studies. The announcement was made on Monday by the officials of China. Soon after the declaration, India submitted a list of China returnees immediately wanting to go back for their studies. Students from other countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Russia and a few other countries have already moved back in recent weeks.
The newly enrolled students were also requested to produce their original admission letter issued by the concerned universities in China. The old students, on the other hand, will have to submit a ‘Certificate of Returning to Campus’ issued by the university in China. According to reports, more than 1,000 Indian students have expressed their intention to resume their studies at China.
Since the International flight ban is still in place, there are no direct flights between India and China. This had prompted a chartered flight to fly to the Chinese city of Hangzhou recently, for the first time in two years. The arrangements were done by Indian businessmen for their families to arrive at China.
The officials from both the countries are in talks to resume flight operations. In the past, several family members of Indian professionals living and working in China have had to take alternate routes through other countries, paying a lot more than the usual ticket rates in the process. The category of visas which the Chinese embassy in India announced on Monday included C-visa, M-Visa, F-Visa and Z-Visa, in addition to the X-Visa for students.