India: New e-Visas for International Students and PIO Card Conversion Extension

In our Spotlight on APAC series, we round up the latest developments across the Asia Pacific. In this post, we look at the recent updates on India’s immigration processes.

1. New e-Visas for International Students

India has launched two special category visas for international students intending to pursue higher education in Indian academic institutions.

• e-Student Visa – eligible for foreign students registered on the SII Portal.

• e-Student-x Visa – designated for the dependents of e-Student visa holders.

All interested students are required to register on the Study in India (SII) Portal launched by the Ministry of Education, that facilitates the admission process of the international students who wish to pursue either long-term or short-term courses in India.

Key details about e-Student visa

Eligibility: e-student visa is for foreign nationals enrolled in a full-time Undergraduate, Postgraduate, PhD, or other formal programmes at institutions recognized by India’s regulatory bodies.

Student can apply for the visa once they receive an admission offer from an SII partner institute.

Application Process: After registering on the Study in India (SII) Portal, students must apply for the electronic student visa separately (and dependant visa) through the government online portal (https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/). This process will eliminate for a consular visit for the students.

The processing time is expected to be 24-78 hours (as with other electronic visa applications in India).

Duration: Valid for up to 5 years, with extension available on a case-by-case basis.

Visa holders may enter India through any authorised immigration checkpoint.

The Indian government is streamlining immigration to attract foreign students to stay in India.

2. IPO Card Validity Re-Extended

The government of India has extended the validity for the conversion of the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cards to Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards until 31 December 2025 for entry and exit, provided the cardholders has a valid foreign passport. This includes both handwritten and machine-readable cards.

Indian Officials have advised individuals holding to PIO cards to convert to OCI cards before the extended deadline in order to continue to preserve their travel and to ease the transition. However, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) may declare handwritten PIO cards invalid at any time, requiring affected holders to obtain a visa.

For more information on the process or any assistance you require on global immigration matters please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] or [email protected].

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