A Post-Pandemic Guide for Indian Students Going to Study Abroad

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic changed life as we know it in myriad ways. The impact it has had on the study abroad dreams of many Indian students is not little by any means. As countries and universities around the world have started to open up their doors for welcoming international students, they need to set their expectations straight about a post-pandemic world. From hybrid modes of teaching to restarting offline classes, universities have adopted various teaching methodologies to adhere to the demands of this new normal.

In this article, we seek to give you a post-pandemic guide for Indian students who are going to study abroad on a country to country basis. If you are an aspiring student from India seeking to pursue higher studies abroad, take a look at what every country has in store for you in this post-pandemic world

United Kingdom

Indian students going to study in the UK to pursue higher education can apply for a Student Route visa to study there. As per the latest guidelines, if you have taken both doses of any of the UK approved vaccines, you can travel to the UK as a student. You may need to quarantine on arrival or until your covid test turns out to be negative, depending on the guidelines in place at the time. The UK approved vaccines are:

• Oxford/AstraZeneca
• Pfizer BioNTech
• Moderna
• Janssen
• Sinovac-CoronaVac
• Sinopharm Beijing
• Covaxin
• AstraZeneca Covishield
• AstraZeneca Vaxzevria
• Moderna Takeda

The UK had recently introduced the graduate immigration route system for international students wherein they will be permitted to stayback for a period up to 2 years after graduation. Indian students can make use of this opportunity in finding a well paying job and gaining much needed experience and skills.

Canada

If you seek to study in Canada, first and foremost you need to apply for a student visa for Canada. You need to be fully vaccinated to be able to study in Canada. Starting January 15, 2022, international students will only be allowed to enter the country if they are fully vaccinated with one of the vaccines approved by Health Canada. Vaccines accepted by the Government of Canada are:

• AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD (ChAdOx1-S, Vaxzevria, AZD1222)
• Bharat Biotech (Covaxin, BBV152 A, B, C)
• Janssen/Johnson & Johnson
• Moderna (mRNA-1273)
• Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty, tozinameran, BNT162b2)
• Sinopharm BIBP (BBIBP-CorV)
• Sinovac (CoronaVac, PiCoVacc)

International students who study in Canada are permitted to pursue part time work during their course of study. Some of the most popular part time job options for Indian students in Canada are retail workers, cashiers, waitressing, tutoring, etc.

Australia

The international flights for Australia are not fully resumed, but they will resume very shortly. Indian students can apply for their higher studies in Australia, but the classes are conducted online. Once students complete their course, they will provide stay back up to three years.

Germany

Germany has opened its doors for students from India looking for taking up their higher studies from the universities therein. Indian students who have taken both doses of the Covishield vaccine are permitted to enter Germany. They can apply for a D Visa, a nationwide visa valid for 3 months. With this visa, you can enter Germany and apply for a residence permit which is valid for 1 year and can be renewed/extended until the end of your course. International students in Germany can pursue part-time jobs such as cashier, Babysitter, Waiter/Waitress, lab assistants, tutoring assistants etc. while undergoing their university education.

New Zealand

The borders of New Zealand for international students, especially from India are presently closed off. As the country is on high alert with the Covid-19 spread, students are not allowed to enter the country and the imparting of education remains restricted to the online mode. However, the New Zealand government has come out with border exceptions for 100 odd students expected to arrive by mid-2022 for them to complete their education.