Karnataka: Visa delays worry Ukraine returnees looking to continue studies in other countries

A student who did not disclose his name told indianexpress.com, “There was no hope and many thought it was just a false promise. When the Union government informed the court in September that Ukraine students could not be accommodated in Indian medical colleges, it became clear for us.”

Mangaluru-based Anaina Ann, who was in her fourth year of medicine, returned to India when the war broke out. A student of VN Karazin Kharkiv National University, she is planning to shift to Georgia, another former Soviet Union republic. “I took online classes for a while but cannot afford to continue them because clinical practices are crucial. There is an agency that helps students to change their universities and if everything goes well, I will be continuing my studies in Georgia.” She said she had spent $1,500 (about Rs 1.23 lakh) just for the transcripts for the visa.

Tushar Madhu, a fourth-year student at Bukovinian State Medical University, is planning to shift either to Hungary and or Poland. “I am waiting to get my documents and once I receive them, I will continue my studies in Europe. Hungary has student scholarship programmes but if I have to go to Poland. Yes, it will cost me more,” he said.

Amit Vaishyar, a final-year student, said he would shift to SEU Medical University in Georgia next month. “Under the academic mobility programme, I will be shifting to Georgia to continue my studies. Though my education will continue in Georgia, the parent university, VN Karazin Kharkiv National University, will issue the graduation certificate. I am hoping to take up the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE) soon after the completion of my education.” It would cost him about $1,000 (about 82,000). About 2,000 Indian students have plans to join colleges in Russia, Kyrgyzstan and other countries, he said.

Vaishyar, from Chalageri village, was a close friend of Naveen S G, a medical student who was killed by Ukraine after Russia invaded the country.

In September, the National Medical Commission said the medical students who returned from Ukraine could continue their education in 29 countries, but not in India, as part of the academic mobility programme.
Vaishyar’s brother Suman Sridhar, who has completed medicine and is preparing for the FMGE, said there were a lot of students still going to Ukraine. “The majority of them are the students who are in their final year and are not getting a response from the university. They are going to Ukraine. The students get visas to Moldova and then enter Ukraine to attend college,” he said.

By way of explanation, Sridhar said that getting visas to the 29 countries was really hard. “For instance, there are about 3,500 students studying in VN Karazin Kharkiv National University alone, and Georgia gives only 10-15 visa appointments a day. Imagine the waiting period. It has been nearly 9 months and the students are depressed. They have no choice but to risk their lives to complete their education,” he said.