According to an ongoing QS survey of study abroad aspirants, close to 90% of respondents wish to study overseas despite the Covid-19 pandemic. It is scary enough to think about studying in a foreign country when questions like 'Will I be safe?', 'Will I get all medical help?'keep pushing you to a dilemma. However,you are not alone, and international students from all over the world are also trying to find out whats best for them.
As Covid-19 cases continue to peak in countries such as India and Brazil, many leading study destinations like the US, Canada, UK, and so on have suspended entry of international students from various countries. The following is a list of countries that have banned international students, including from India for the 2021-22 academic year.
List of Countries Which Have Banned Indian Students in 2021
Indias second wave of Covid-19 infections has seen single-day record-highs over the past two months. However, numbers have dropped to a huge extent as of June 2021 and Indian states have started to log the lowest daily cases. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, here are the countries which have banned students from India amid the second wave of Covid-19. The same is subject to change as and when the ministry updates based on the current Covid situation in the country.
Country |
Restrictions |
Announced on |
USA |
It has issued a travel advisory for US citizens visiting India. For those travelling to the US, the government has announced that entry of all non-citizens and non-immigrants who were present in India 14 days prior to their date of travel would be restricted and suspended. |
April 30, 2021 |
UK |
India has been added to the UKs Red List of countries which have been banned from crossing UK borders. Those who have been in India in the 10 days before the date of travel and are not a British or Irish national, or a third world country citizen with residency rights, will not be permitted to enter England. |
April 23, 2021 |
Canada |
All flights from India have been restricted. |
April 22, 2021 To be effective until June 21, 2021 |
All commercial flights have been banned although some repatriation flights may be allowed to operate with the permission of the Government of India. |
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All flights have been banned from India as it is currently being considered a very high-risk country. Only New Zealand citizens, their partners and dependent children or parents of dependent children will be allowed to return to New Zealand. |
April 23, 2021 |
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Entry from India into Germany from India is restricted with certain exceptions in place for German citizens, transit persons only staying at airports, person travelling due to urgent humanitarian reasons, permanent residents, person travelling by the order of IAEA/UNO, cargo flights. |
April 26, 2021 |
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It has banned all flights from India except Cargo flights. However, passengers exempted from this ban include UAE nationals, UAE Golden Visa holders and members of diplomatic missions. |
April 25, 2021 (To be effective until June 14, 2021) |
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Only residents will be allowed to enter Italy. They must also have a negative Covid-19 test report. |
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The country has banned all short-term visitors and long term pass holders who have been in India 14 days prior to the date of travel. |
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Qatar |
All commercial flights have been banned to travel to Qatar from India. |
April 25, 2021 (To be effective until June 14, 2021) |
Hong Kong |
All flights have been suspended. |
- |
Israel |
All flights from India have been restricted to enter Israel. |
April 26, 2021 |
List of Countries Which Have Banned Other International Students in 2021
Here is the list of other countries from which international students have been banned as of June 2021:
Country |
Countries Banned |
USA |
China Iran European Schengen area Brazil South Africa United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) Republic of Ireland |
UK |
Argentina Afghanistan Angola Bahrain Botswana Bangladesh Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Burundi Cape Verde Costa Rica Egypt Eswatini Democratic Republic of Congo Ecuador Guyana Kenya Ethiopia French Guiana The Maldives Mozambique Lesotho Malawi Oman Pakistan Namibia Nepal Peru Philippines Panama Paraguay Seychelles Somalia Qatar Rwanda Sudan Suriname South Africa Sri Lanka Venezuela Zambia Tanzania United Arab Emirates (UAE) Trinidad and Tobago Turkey Uruguay Zimbabwe |
Canada |
Pakistan |
Australia |
Borders closed with some exemptions in place. |
New Zealand |
Brazil Papua New Guinea Pakistan |
Germany |
Entry is possible only from EU member states, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein and other countries from which entry is possible amid Covid, as assessed by the EU. |
UAE |
Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh |
Italy |
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka |
Singapore |
Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka |
How Should International Students Deal With the Current Travel Ban?
Yes, these are uncertain times, with no right answer to this question. However, it is not a bad idea to keep moving forward and enrol yourself at a foreign university of your choice and wait for things to get back to normal. Countries will keep modifying their Covid-related travel guidelines depending on the current situation and until they reopen their borders, you can certainly start your semester with online classes. If not that, you can also defer your admission to next year.
Another thing that a number of international students stuck in their home countries are doing is finding a country with no travel restrictions. Some of these countries are Ukraine, Russia, Egypt, Turkey, the Netherlands, etc.
Also, you can focus on getting yourself fully vaccinated before travel restrictions are relaxed or lifted in order to avoid future hassle.
In case you change your mind and decide not to go ahead with your study abroad plan this year, you can emphasise on enhancing your subject knowledge and English language proficiency, or talking to education counsellors and discussing the right college/university and/or the right study destination.
Disclaimer: Information mentioned in the article has been sourced from government websites.
You can write to us at abroad@collegedekho.com in case you still have doubts about studying abroad in 2021 or seek admission to the top foreign universities.