All international students wishing to come to India, whether self
financing or under a scholarship scheme, are required to obtain a
student’s visa from the High Commission of India in the UK.
For students on Government of India scholarships, the Indian High
Commission is advised by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)
to issue a regular student visa after the student's admission in
an Indian university is confirmed. Students coming on a self financing
basis should produce confirmed letters of admission from their institution
in India to obtain the regular student visa. Students who do not
have firm letters of admission from approved institutions will be
issued a provisional student visa by the Commission which will be
valid for three months. Within these three months, admission will
have to be confirmed otherwise the student is required to leave
India. Extension of a provisional student visa is not permitted.
A student applying for a regular or provisional student visa will
need to indicate the name of the university or college or institute
where the admission has been arranged. The name of the institution
is then mentioned in the visa. A subsequent request for change of
institution cannot be considered. ‘Change of purpose’
of visit of international students to India is not allowed once
they arrive in India. Therefore, students coming to India on tourist
or any other type of visa cannot get their visa changed to student
visa status once they are in India. To avoid this situation, all
self-financing international students are advised to obtain a regular
or provisional student visa from Indian missions abroad by producing
confirmed or provisional letters of admission from an approved educational
institution.
The Commission holds ‘visa surgeries’ at various locations
around the UK. For more information on dates and location of these
surgeries, please call the visa section on 020 7836 8484.
Overseas students are required to register at one of the Foreigners
Registration Office in India upon arrival. These offices are located
in all major Indian cities; they can also be contacted for any further
information regarding visa regulations. |
