Among the specific measures suggested are granting long-term visas to foreign students already in India, setting up a Coordination Committee to clear research proposals in a speedy manner, residence permits on arrival and creating a “Green List” of countries or courses for immediate grant of visas.

Calling for a Secretary-level meeting to rapidly implement the required steps, Menon has said that the current practice for student and research visas “projects the wrong image of India.” Also, it is not “consistent” with India’s policy “approved at the highest political level,” of “building constituencies abroad” — in fact, Menon pointed out that “we even compare unfavourably with China.”

Beijing has been actively encouraging prominent scientists, academics, scholars and think tanks from all over the world to visit China for research, with a view to promote its global profile.

The Foreign Ministry had received several complaints about “delays and difficulties” in the issue of long-term visas, clearances of research proposals and visa renewals. The US government had also raised the issue with India, especially in the context of US scholars selected under the Fulbright programme, implemented under an inter-governmental agreement. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had placed “high importance” on the need to simplify administrative procedures.

Even though the Home Ministry recently changed its regulations to grant long-term visas to foreign students, students who had come to India earlier still have to seek periodic extensions for their visas. While the Home Ministry has agreed to look into the issue, the Foreign Secretary has suggested that the ministry may delegate powers to the Foreigners’ Regional Registration Offices (FRROs) to renew visas on their own, in the interim period.

At the same time, the Home Ministry has been asked to do away with the need for foreign students to register with FRROs. Instead, it has been suggested that Indian missions abroad and Indian universities could independently inform the Home Ministry about visas issued. Here are the other suggestions made to make foreign students’ life easier in India:

• A co-ordination committee with representatives from Home, HRD and MEA, to meet once a month and speed up pending research proposals’ clearance, including those proposals on which security agencies have not responded within time.

• A ‘Green List’ of countries and courses, that will be pre-cleared and students would get immediate visas.

• Residence permits to foreign students on first arrival in their town of residence, without requiring students to visit the FRROs.

• Allow foreign students to stay with Indian families for short duration under the aegis of a ‘home stay’ programme, similar to the ‘Bread and Breakfast’ scheme recently launched by the tourism ministry.

In order to rapidly implement the required steps, Menon has suggested that a meeting of concerned ministries’ secretaries be called soon.