Over 1,300 Indian students get Chinese visa after two years of strict visa ban

NEW DELHI: Thousands of students were at a halt for over two years due to China's strict COVID-19 restrictions. Over 23,000 students currently enrolled in Chinese medical colleges have been stuck at home. However, over a thousand Indian students have received their visas recently.

"More than 1,300 Indian students have received visas to return to China to resume their courses, after waiting for over two years due to Covid travel restrictions" said Asian affairs DG, Liu Jinsong to Indian Ambassador Pradeep Kumar Rawat on Tuesday to DD India. Apart from this, around 300 Indian businessmen have successfully taken chartered flights to China's Zhejiang province added Liu in a meeting with Rawat.

In August, The Chinese Embassy in Delhi announced the issue of X1-Visas to newly-enrolled and previously-enrolled students who gave not been able to travel to China to pursue their higher education. According to official sources, thousands of students expressed gratitude on being able to get back to their education.

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As of October 2022, direct passenger flights are still unlikely to restart in the near future. Unless the Beijing government does not modify policies that cancels flight every time a passenger is tested positive of COVID on arrival at the airports in China. This policy leads to constant disruption in flight services between India and China. These disruptions are likely to become a major barriers for Indian students in travel after the Beijing lifted its visa ban after more than two years.

Indians are currently travelling in connecting flights to China through Hongkong, Sri Lanka, Nepal or Myanmar. Passengers will have to undergo a seven-day mandatory quarantine after entering China.