In New Zealand, Jaishankar raises visa delay issue

With delays impeding the study plans of some Indian students who are trying to enter New Zealand, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar voiced his worries over visa delays to his New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta.

During his visit to New Zealand, S. Jaishankar urged the country to treat individuals who have been affected by the pandemic “more sympathetically” and “fairer.”

“I also raised with the minister the concerns that some of our students have faced, students who had to leave New Zealand during the Covid period and who didn’t have the opportunity to get their visas renewed,” S Jaishankar said.

I urged a fairer and more sympathetic treatment for them, also students who are waiting to come to New Zealand to pursue their studies and whether the visa process for them could be hastened,” he further said during a joint press interaction with his New Zealand counterpart.

India ranks second among the countries sending students to New Zealand to pursue higher education in a range of fields.

S Jaishankar said, “There are perhaps demands in New Zealand which could be met out of India, and we have a mobility understanding with many countries, so the possibility of those could serve as guidance for progress between us.”

Along with the country’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, S Jaishankar will honour members of the Indian community in New Zealand for their contributions.