India announces three-year visa for Bangladeshi students

India today announced a three-year visa for Bangladeshi students willing to study in the country under a newly signed bilateral agreement, said a media report.

According to the High Commission, a revised travel deal signed during the July 13 15 visit of Home Minister Rajnath Singh has relaxed student visa, the bdnews24.com reported.

They (students) will immediately get a minimum three-year visa, said Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, while inaugurating a two day education fair here.

Shringla said Bangladeshi students wishing to study in India and their parents will get three-year visas immediately after their enrolments.

Large number of Bangladeshi students take admissions in Indian universities every year for studies at different levels and in varied courses.

Encouraging new students to apply to Indian universities and other institutes, Shringla said India is an important destination for higher education.

It has more than 800 universities and 3,800 colleges, and is the second largest English speaking country in the world and offers world-class higher education with modern facilities, Shringla said.

Over 1.4 million visas were issued in 2017, which was double the previous year. During Singh's visit, India inaugurated it's biggest visa centre in Dhaka.

The ongoing education fair itself is witnessing participation of over 50 leading institutions, the report said.

Under the Study in India scheme -- initiated by the India's Ministry of Human Resouce Development-- 19,000 seats are offered to foreign students in the 100 best universities of the country.

There are about 9,500 fee waivers or scholarships under this scheme.

India offers 200 scholarships to Bangladesh nationals under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations programme.