PH eyes easing of visa rules on Indian students, retirees

NEW DELHI—The Philippine government is mulling special visa arrangements for Indian nationals, particularly students and retirees, to encourage them to study, live and invest in the country.

A delegate of the Philippines to the Delhi Dialogue VII said there were ongoing joint consultations between Philippine and Indian officials for visa facilitation schemes and other issues.

Julito Vitriolo, executive director of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), said this was meant to attract more Indian nationals to study in the Philippines.

“We can relax some of the stringent rules as long as we don’t sacrifice quality. It will be good for the Philippines,” Vitriolo said in an interview.

The Delhi Dialogue is an annual meeting of stakeholders to explore new ways to enhance cooperation, not just in trade but in connectivity, etc. between India and member states of the Association of South East Asian Nations.

During his speech, Vitriolo spoke of the joint consular talks between India and the Philippine government on proposed visa facilitation schemes for students, businessmen, professionals, investors and retirees from India.

He noted that there are now more than 2,000 Indian students enrolled in health-related and medicine programs in schools in the Philippines, compared to only 300 five years ago.

The CHEd official attributed the upsurge to the cheaper cost of education in the country, not to mention that the curricula of the country’s medical and health schools are patterned after those in the United States.

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