ALL Foreign Students, Higher Education Institutes need to register on EducationlNdia: NMC

New Delhi: In order to regularise the medical admissions of foreign students into Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in the country, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has now mandated that every international student who desires to take a seat in Indian HEls will have to register at the EducationINdia Portal. The HEIs have also been directed to register at the portal and upload the offer of admission issued in favour of students.

The notification to this effect was released on the official website of the NMC notifying all medical colleges that the Department of Higher Education (DoHE), in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has developed the EducationINdia Portal, which is ready for use and will be made mandatory from the academic session 2023-24 for every international student who desires to take admission in Indian HEls.

As per the NMC directive, the concerned foreign student will have to register on this portal. After registration on the portal, the student will get a unique ID (UID) which may be used for all purposes, including the issue of a student visa. The visa issuing authority will issue a student visa only after checking/verifying the student's credentials on this portal. This will be applicable to all students who desire a student visa, irrespective of the duration of the course.

The HEls will also have to register on this portal and upload the offer of admission issued in favour of students on this portal. The offer of admission should specifically mention that the student has to register on the portal and generate TAD.

All Medical HEls/Medical colleges are directed to immediately register on the above portal and also sensitise the international students in this regard by the apex medical regulator.

The mandate was observed during a meeting held on 07.02.2023 under the chairmanship of the Secretary (Higher Education) wherein all the Ministries/Departments, including the Reserve Bank of India, which administers Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), were invited to discuss the modalities for implementation of EducationiNdia portal.

It was noted that a Nodal Officer has to be appointed by the concerned Department/ Body for verification of contents/ details of HEIs on the portal, and the details of the nodal officer should be shared with DHE at the earliest.

Secretary (HE) informed the participants that this portal is ready for use and will be made mandatory for admissions for the academic year 2023-24. The portal has undergone several updations in consultation with MHA and security audit. UIDs issued to students will be shared with FRRO, visa office, and MHA for further processing. He further informed that Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) will also use this portal and sponsor scholarships only through it.

Based on the UID, Visa office/ FRRO will process the visa on the basis of information available on the portal. He emphasised the importance of every educational institution as well as every foreign student registering on this portal. He also clarified that the details of the students should be regularly updated by the compliance officers to be appointed by the HEIs offering courses to international students.

A detailed presentation of the portal was made by INFLIBNET, explaining the design and the information required for registering on the portal.

To view the NMC notification, click here

Recently, standardising the Electives and Observership programmes offered to Foreign Nationals at medical colleges across the country, the NMC issued guidelines for the grant of a Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) to such medicos. These guidelines set the duration, allocation of seats, processing fee and overall mandate for the Electives and Observership programmes for Foreign Nationals.