Visa issues affecting Indian students to be discussed during PM Modi's Australia visit: MEA
By Sahil Pandey, New Delhi, July 3
India will raise concerns over delays in student visa approvals for Indian students during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Australia, with the issue set to figure in discussions between the two leaders, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.
Responding to an ANI query on whether discussions would be held regarding the visa cap on Indian students in Australia, Joint Secretary (Indo-Pacific), MEA, Vishwesh Negi said Australia continues to remain a preferred destination for Indian students and that India is actively engaging Canberra to ensure genuine students and professionals are not adversely affected by visa-related issues.
"Australia remains a very popular destination for Indian students... We are aware of the concerns of the Indian students facing delays in approval of the student visa applications, including various other aspects as part of the process of admission. We continue to remain engaged with the Australian government to ensure that the visa process for Indian students does not reduce opportunities for genuine students and also professionals to move from India to pursue their interests in Australia. We are engaged with Australia on this issue, and it will be part of the discussion between the leaders," Negi said.
Briefing the media on Prime Minister Modi's three-nation visit, Secretary (East) in the MEA, Rudrendra Tandon, said the Prime Minister will travel to Indonesia on July 8-9, Australia on July 10 and New Zealand on July 11.
Tandon said PM Modi will participate in the third India-Australia Annual Summit in Melbourne, where discussions will focus on strengthening cooperation in critical minerals, cybersecurity, supply chain resilience and emerging technologies.
"In Melbourne, the Prime Minister will participate in the third India-Australia Annual Summit process... The conversations will cover emerging areas of our bilateral relations, in particular the critical minerals, the cybersecurity domain, supply chain resilience, emerging technologies, and so on. After Australia, the Prime Minister will be in New Zealand, where he will hold discussions with Prime Minister Luxon... The visit to New Zealand will be the first visit by the Indian Prime Minister in 40 years," he said.
On a question regarding Khalistan supporters in Australia, Tandon said India consistently raises concerns relating to terrorism and violent extremism in all its international engagements.
"In all our international engagements, it's on record that we take very, very strong positions against terrorism and violent extremism. There is no doubt about that. We do feel that the international community has to be continuously reminded that terrorism and violent extremism remain a serious threat to international peace and security. We also have to repeat ourselves that terrorism is nothing short of a crime against humanity. These are discussions we have everywhere, including with our very close partners... I am quite confident that the countries the Prime Minister is visiting, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand, have equally strong views on the issue of terrorism and violent extremism," Tandon said.
Highlighting the outreach to the Indian community, Tandon said interactions with the diaspora would be part of the Prime Minister's engagements in all three countries.
"The demand from the Indian community is always so strong that it has become an almost standard feature of all his visits. Because there is a significant diaspora in all three countries that he is visiting, there will certainly be a diaspora component. It will be formatted differently in different countries," he said.
On the Indonesia leg of the visit, Tandon said PM Modi will visit Jakarta and Yogyakarta, where India and Indonesia will collaborate on conservation work at the Prambanan Temple complex.
"The Prime Minister will be visiting Indonesia on the 8th and 9th July. After that, he will be in Melbourne, Australia, on 10th July, and then New Zealand on 11th July. In Indonesia, the main place of engagement is the capital, Jakarta, but the Prime Minister will also be visiting the cultural centre or historic city of Yogyakarta, where he will go to the Prambanan Temple complex... India and Indonesia will be collaborating on the conservation work there... The focus has shifted to the eastern maritime zones of the Indian Ocean and our Act East engagement," he said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As an Australian, I completely understand the frustration. Our student visa system has become overly bureaucratic post-pandemic. It's great to see both governments prioritizing this - genuine students shouldn't be penalized by delays. Hope for concrete outcomes from the summit.
Honestly, it's about time! My sister is planning to go to Sydney for her masters and the uncertainty is killing us. Also liked that they're discussing critical minerals and cybersecurity - shows the relationship is maturing beyond just education. 👏
Interesting to see India also raising Khalistan extremism concerns with Australia. That's a smart move - linking student issues with security cooperation. Modi's diplomatic multitasking is impressive. Though I wish more attention was given to streamlining the actual application process.
Prambanan Temple collaboration sounds fascinating! India-Indonesia cultural ties are often overlooked. But coming back to visas - I really hope they address the 'genuine student' criteria. Many of my friends were rejected because they couldn't prove 'strong ties' to India. Ladkiyon ke liye aur bhi mushkil hai sometimes. 😔
Great diplomatic move by India leveraging the diaspora engagement. The Modi government has been smart about using NRIs as soft power. But I hope they also discuss the rising cost of living in Australia for international students - it's becoming unaffordable even with a visa.
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