Indian professionals waiting to return to China will finally be able to do so.
For around two years now, several Indian professionals and their families have not been able to return to that country because of a halt on visas in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic.
A large portion of those affected was enrolled with medical colleges. These students—more than 20,000—have had to do with online classes which, they say, would not compensate for the loss of hands-on training.
The Chinese embassy in India will now accept applications from workers in all fields and their families. Indian students, however, will have to wait.
The fate of Indian students in Chinese universities
Indian medical students have faced a unique challenge: their credits are not transferable to medical colleges in India. Several such students have made representations to the Indian government and even organised protests given the two-year limbo. The demand is that they either be allowed to go back to China or take their training forward in India.
The Indian government has been trying to work out a way for them. In April, India’s Supreme Court directed the National Medical Commission, the governing body for medical education in India, to find a solution.
The Chinese embassy in India has been collecting details of such students but has not laid down the criteria for their visas. New visa applications, even for students, will need to navigate China’s strict zero-covid policy and harsh lockdowns.
China is also yet to resume flights from and to India.