Going to India
This is a certificate a type of legal certificate issued by any agency, organization, institute or, in certain cases, an individual. It does not object to the covenants of the certificate. The certification is a requirement at most government-based departments predominantly from the Indian subcontinent. For getting NOC a person has to apply to the concerned authority except in cases where the NOC is being issued by an individual. Format of a NOC can be downloaded here.
Email info@winstepforward.org if you are unsure who should sign it, but a professor or department head is a reliable source.
Students have received their IUSSTF Govt. of India issued stipend in various ways. If you are researching at an Institute close to Delhi, you may need to visit IUSSTF to pick up your stipend check from Ms. Pushpa Iyer. If you are not in the Delhi vicinity, your stipend check should be mailed to your institution, either by your arrival or shortly after. Please take some spending money with you in case you do not receive your stipend upon your arrival. Sometimes the stipend checks are administered in two allotments: the first time, shortly after your arrival and the second allotment is sometimes given upon departure.
The whole process of getting a Research visa can take 2-3 weeks. One student suggested waiting 5-6 weeks before you plann to travel before starting the application. (Reasoning behind this was that for the Indian Research Visa you have to enter the country within 4 weeks of receiving an approved visa, and she did not want to get her visa before she was ready to go.) First you have to fill out an online application which does not require any forms or documents to be sent separately. Then there are more online forms you have to complete which eventually need to be printed and sent in. These forms ask you for more explicit information, like employment, past travel, etc. It is VERY important to write down and keep track of all of the ID codes you are given because they allow you to exit and reopen your application as you work. It does not all have to be completed in one sitting. The application requires that you have an Indian contact, so we would suggest being in good contact with your mentor and have details about the work that you will be doing. When assembling the package of forms to be sent to the Indian consulate, please follow the checklist that was provided alongside the second set of online forms. Pay special attention to the different amount quantities of each item you need to supply (for example one student needed to send 8 passport images. She almost missed this detail, which surely would have slowed down the processing of her visa) I submitted the last of her visa forms with her passport approximately 4 weeks before she wanted to travel. You should get some updates about the processing of your visa via email, and once you hear that it is on its way back you can book your flight.
You can arrange trips with other U.S. Bose Scholars, by creating a facebook page for your group. WINStep Forward will also provide suggestions for tour companies that have been used and well-rated by past U.S. Bose Scholars. We will also put you in touch with U.S. Bose Scholar Alumni so you can ask them directly about tours, etc.
In addition, most Universities have REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) programs, which are like Khorana-Bose programs within the US. Ask your professor if you could be included in the REU program of the University. REU programs arrange for lectures, visit around the city and cultural programs. You will get the opportunity to interact with other REU students. The U.S. State Department also offers a Critical Language Scholarship program whose recipents study Hindi for the summer in Jaipur, India. UW Madison also offers students an Indian cultural immersion program based in Varanasi, India. WINStep Forward is trying to find a way to connect these groups of American Scholars so they can maintain contact with one another while in India.
It is possible to move your arrival and departure dates by a week or more in some cases.
Plug adapters and your personal toiletries and cloths. I would recommend bringing cash with you that you can exchange and use before you get your first stipend check. Many students have mentioned that international credit cards did not work, so make sure you have cash in case your card doesn’t work.
This is a list of emergency/rescue contact numbers currently in operation in India:
We would suggest sending it in at least 4 weeks prior to your departure date to give yourself enough time to get it processed.
You should put your mentor/host down because they will be in the area that you will be spending most of your time in.
Medical services are provided at all campuses, and if necessary, students can be transported to a hospital. Students are provided with medical insurance in case they need medical attention.
Each institution will provide a person who will be there to help answer any questions. Once the student chooses an institution, they will be given contact information for their resource. In addition to local hosts, IUSSTF staff at the national level, and Winstep Forward team members from the US will be accessible 24/7 during the internship via email or phone.
Your son/daughter will be provided with emergency contact numbers by the host institution. There may also be former Khorana/Bose scholars who are currently doing their Ph.D.s at your son/daughter’s host university. They also have been valuable resources for past Khorana and Bose scholars.
There are buses that are arranged and provided for students to get to and from their institution and living quarters. More information on transportation will be given to the student at their site specific orientation when they arrive in India. The types of transportation provided to students for personal or general travel will be local taxis and local bus services. The student orientation will provide this information to students.
In India, transportation will be provided to and from the airport to the institution. A point contact person will be provided for each institution that will arrange pick up and drop off with your student.
Students can come on B-1 B-2 F-1 and J-1 VISAs
You will receive health insurance from IUSSTF.
Please try and bring a minimum of $300-$500 cash with you. This amount is outside of the stipend which will be provided to you.
Lab members are expected to be in lab by 9:00 and stay until 6:00. You can come in earlier or stay a bit later to finish an experiment. Please do not stay so late that you are in the lab by yourself, or that you will be walking home too late at night. Please always take safety into consideration first. It would be best to come in and stay during the times when the sun is up and many people are still either in the lab or walking around on campus.
Living conditions are location specific. Some institutions provide campus housing, while others provide community housing such as hostels. Please contact info@winstepforward.org or IUSSTF NBopana@indousstf.org for campus specific housing accommodations.
Please contact info@winstepforward.org for specifics based on location. Some institutions provide more than others. For example, one Scholar who researched at IISER Bangalore needed to find a mattress. Some scholars did not have refrigerators. Others did have refrigerators, stoves, and mattresses.
The living situation will depend on the institution and what the student is able to find on his/her own. Some students live on their own in the dorms and other students need to share an apartment with one to two other people.
You will be provided emergency contact numbers from IUSSTF, WINStep Forward, and also the host institution. It might also be a good idea to get emergency contact info from lab mates as well as fellow scholars. Please also call 9-1-1 from your cell phone. An emergency operator will answer the phone and try to help you.
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/index.html
Click this link and once you go to this website, click “Regular Visa Application” and then you can start to fill it out. You can save your document and come back to it, so you can leave it partially done.
(The response below is from 2015 U.S. Bose Scholar Daniel Howard who did his internship at TIFR in Bangalore, India. Although many of details apply to Bangalore, much of the information provided can apply to any campus/city in India. Thanks to Daniel for his detailed response!)
“Not the answer you’ll like but probably not. My experience was that it’s only possible to set up an Indian SIM in India. But here’s some advice.
