Indian Students Allowed To Return To China After 2 Yrs Of Covid-19 Pandemic — Conditions Apply

The decision follows a meeting on March 22 between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

Representational Image. (Source: Getty Images)

New Delhi: Indian students who were forced to leave China two years ago due to the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic are now permitted to return and complete their education, according to the Indian Embassy in China.

The decision follows a meeting on March 22 between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

Press Release: RETURN OF INDIAN STUDENTS TO CHINA

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— India in China (@EOIBeijing) April 29, 2022

This gives solace to thousands of Indian students who have been left in the lurch as a result of the disturbance in their academic journey.

However, those acquainted with the situation stated that this is not an open-ended procedure and that there is no certainty that all students would be permitted to return to their classes according to the process's restrictions.

The students' return will be assisted on a need-based premise, with the embassy compiling a list of such students who must return to their colleges and institutions immediately.

The list will then be shared with the Chinese side for review. To get the process started, the embassy has urged Indian students to fill out a Google form by May 8.

"Once the collated information is shared with the Chinese side, they would consult relevant Chinese departments to verify the list and indicate whether the identified students can travel to China to complete the course. The coordination process would be carried out in a time-bound manner," Indian Embassy in China said.

"In order to facilitate this (return), the Indian Embassy intends to prepare a list of such students which will be shared with the Chinese side for their consideration. Therefore, Indian students are requested to provide necessary information by filling up the Google Form at this link, latest by 08 May 2022," it said.

In recent months, China has let students from friendly nations such as Pakistan, Thailand, the Solomon Islands, and, most recently, Sri Lanka to return, but has stayed mute on allowing Indian students and hundreds of family members of Indians working in China to return.