Student Visa Rules and Regulations in India for US Students!

September 20, 2017

For people who wish to stay and visit in India, there are a number of options available. And when it comes to Visa requirements, you need to follow several rules and regulations attached to it to make your visit to India soothing and stress-free.

There are various types of Visa in India and you can choose the one as per your requirements and needs. Talking about the student visa rules and regulations, this type of visa is delivered to students going to India to study at a university on an exchange program or to complete an internship in an Indian company.

Basically, to go to study or complete an internship in India, every foreigner needs this visa before his/her departure.

The Embassy of India has been instructed not to accept this Visa application earlier than 20 days before the start date of the course or internship.

WHAT IS STUDENT VISA?

A student visa is a kind of special endorsement which is added to a passport that governments issue to students who are enrolled at qualified educational institutions. But these visas are non-immigrant visas and they do not require the holder to obtain citizenship.

A Student Visa is the type of multiple-entry visa which is given to bonafide students to pursue their regular studies at recognized institutions in India. Moreover, this visa is a type of multiple entry visas and is valid for the period of study as approved by the educational institution in India.

This type of visas is granted to people who wish to come to India and study at an officially recognized educational institution. It involves subjects like the study of Yoga or Indian system of dance and music. All you need is your main document which includes your admission or registration papers from the institution.

HOW TO APPLY FOR A VISA TO INDIA?

You can easily apply for the India student visa online application but before that, you must be aware of the 3 main things which define the whole visa process.

You are required to fill online visa Application here. After that you need to visit their nearest embassy with printout of the online filled application and required travel documents.

Firstly, you need to review the requirements in order to apply for your visa.
After that, you need to gather all the important documents and complete the required forms.
Lastly, you have to ship your documents to the office.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

Indian Missions grant this specific visa for a period of 5 years or for the duration of the course of study of the applicant; whichever is less is consider. Some other significant details are as follow:

Foreigner students coming to India to pursue regular and full-time academic studies in India are totally eligible for this visa.
Foreigner students coming to India for the purpose of Industrial training, summer project, an internship.
The provisional visa is valid for six months for the students taking admission tests.
The applicants who are applying for this Visa need to present the proof of admission to a full-time regular academic course in a recognized educational institution in India along with an evidence of financial support.
The applicants also have to present a “No Objection Certificate” from the Ministry of Health in the case of admission in case, they are applying for a medical or Para-medical course.
In case, spouse and dependent family members accompanying the applicant, then they need to apply for an Entry Visa.

DOCUMENTS YOU REQUIRED:

There are several documents required for the Visa proceedings in a country like India, so any foreigner needs to know the stuff they need to take with them while traveling to India. It includes:

The Passport with the validity of at least 6 months and 20 days after the application date at the Embassy of India is required. Plus it must include three blank pages and needs to be in an excellent state so that your visa application should not be refused.
The next thing you need is the Indian Embassy application form which must be signed on both pages.
Next, you require is two photo IDs with a very special format which should be of dimensions 5 x 5 cm. The photo of yours must be without glasses and should be zoom on your face and shoulders. It must be a colored photograph.
You will also require a copy of your passport.
You need to have a proof of adequate funding.
In case, you are going on an exchange program then you need to provide two documents i.e.

An official document showing the name of the applicant from the US higher education establishment.
An official letter confirming the admission of the applicant into an Indian university or school. You need to be engaged in a full-time course. Plus there must be a detailed description of the study program and the time it includes. No scans or fax are accepted for this document.

In case, studies are only taking place in India then you need to provide the following documents:

You will require submitting a motivation letter (written in English) which will explain the reasons why you wish to study in India. Plus you need to give full details of your previous education.
Next, you need an official letter confirming your admission into an Indian university or school or any other higher education establishment. Your course must be a full-time course. And you need to describe your whole study program and its duration.

In case you are going on an internship, you require to present the following documents:

You need to present an exchange agreement (written in English) which should be signed by both the US higher education establishment as well as the Indian company.
You need to have an invitation letter from the Indian company.
In case you are doing an internship with an NGO, you will require a copy of the registration certificate of the NGO along with the profile mentioning their activity.

LIST OF OTHER DOCUMENTS:

If the applicant is a minor:

Photocopy of the birth certificate.
Photocopy of an ID proof of both the parents.
The authorization letter for a minor must be signed by both parents in consider with the traveling.

PROCESSING TIME:

Talking about the processing time of the this Visa, it includes a standard delay of 4 to 10 working days from the time you receive your full Indian visa application. It also includes an express delay of 48 hours to 4 working days with the urgent delay of 24 hours.

VALIDITY:

Basically, this visa is issued for a period of five years depending on the duration of the course. Along with that, this can also be extended in India. Being multiple entry visas, its validity is for the period of study or the internship and it should be approved by the educational institution in India. Along with that, it depends on the Indian Embassy decision.

After completion of their GME education, USA students may be granted an ‘Intern Visa’ to pursue internship opportunities in India.

USA candidates can pursue a summer internship between the end of Year 1 and the beginning of Year 2 in case it is part of the curricular requirements for the GME program. No permission is required for the same, the student visa is adequate.

FEES STRUCTURE:

Before applying for this visa, you must be aware of the India student visa fee and other finance related requirements.

For US Applicants, in addition to the visa fee, they also need to pay an additional processing service fee which will be charged per application and per passport.
For US short-term visa holders, there is a fee of $20 as a reference fee along with the other fees.
For US green card holders and applicants, they don’t need to pay the reference fee.
In the case of US applicants, the duration of the visa is 1 year or 12 months and it involves multiple entries. The overall fee for this type of visa, after including the consular fee, ICWF fee, Reference fee and service fee is around $102.

Can USA students work in India?

Foreign passport holder students are not allowed to work during their study period in India. Besides that Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) are exempt from this rule and they can work and study in India. International students are allowed to take up internships and training in India.

Entry Points

Any student having a valid Student visa can enter India from any desired port of immigration check post (Airport, Seaport).

REQUIREMENTS FOR DIFFERENT CITIES OF USA:

These are some important guidelines that you need to study before applying for student Visa in India.