Indian embassy in China publishes FAQ for students about documentation process of degrees obtained from Chinese colleges

BEIJING: The Indian embassy in Beijing has published a comprehensive FAQ on its website for a large number of Indians studying in China to inform them of the procedures relating to attestation of their documents and degrees obtained from Chinese colleges.

The FAQ dealing with a host of questions about necessary documentation of their degrees obtained from the Chinese colleges was released on Wednesday as a large number of Indian students from the 2016, 2017, and 2018 batches are set to return to India in June and July after completing their studies.

The FAQ addresses questions including the fees charged by the embassy and Indian consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou for attestation of these documents, time taken for the attestation of documents including on fast track basis, whether attestation of documents from the Embassy essential for acceptance in India, procedure for verification of documents forwarded by various medical councils in India to the Embassy.

The FAQ was issued by the embassy after it held its first interactive session last month with the Indian students who suffered the most during the three-year COVID-19 period following China’s visa bans prolonging their academic periods for several years.

Indian Ambassador to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat and Counsellor Nitinjeet Singh interacted with the students and heard their grievances and experiences during the meeting.

Amit Sharma, Second Secretary (Education) of the Embassy, made a presentation on various services offered by the Embassy besides dos & don’ts for students while studying in China.

Until the coronavirus struck China in early 2020 over 23,000 Indian students mostly studying medicine in Chinese universities.

Currently, the numbers reportedly come down to around 8000 students, according to officials.

Chinese medical universities became preferred destinations in the past as private medical colleges in India charged exorbitant fees while admissions to government institutions became extremely competitive.

After they graduate from Chinese colleges, they have to take the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination in India to qualify for practice in India.

When COVID-19 struck China, most of the Indian students left for home at the height of lockdowns and could not return until 2023 due to China's visa bans and restrictions.

China started allowing the stranded students to come back after the Indian Embassy backed by persistent media reports highlighting the plight of students took up with the Chinese authorities calling for their immediate return to continue their studies.