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New Delhi: In a move to increase student exchange, India and Germany have mutually agreed to provide free visas for short-term educational programs such as college visits. This will not only encourage student exchange but also promote cultural and educational ties between the two countries. This will enable students who want to pursue short-term programs to bypass the financial hurdle.
Gratis visa is a type of visa that is granted to certain categories of travellers for diplomatic purposes and humanitarian purposes without paying visa fees. It gives a great boost to cultural and educational mobility by extending the Gratis Visa to Indian students.
Indian students who are aiming for a short-term educational visit to Germany will benefit from this free student visa scheme. The visa will have zero cost, which will allow them to choose their desired program without worrying about visa fees.
Undeniably, Germany is one of the favourite destinations for Indian students after the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. However, the trend has been changing slowly over the last year, after tightening the student visa rules and post-work issues.
Germany has now overtaken Canada as the most preferred study abroad destination for Indian students. According to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), more than 49,000 Indian students enrolled in German institutions in the winter semester of 2023-24. This is a 15.1 per cent increase over the previous year. According to the University Living European Student Landscape Report 2024 of Germany, more than 39,000 Indians are studying in Germany out of over 4.22 lakh international students. The sources suggest that the number of Indian students has doubled in the last five years.
Germany did not achieve this position easily. It has fostered strong cultural ties and started offering courses in English to attract Indian students. The recent move to provide free student visas for short-term programes is one of the best examples of this. Germany has also modernized its visa system, making it mandatory for students to submit their visa application digitally through the Consular Services Portal (digital-di.de).
