Hundreds of Bahraini students living in the Indian city of Pune will soon benefit from a dedicated support office.

The office is due to open after Ramadan and will represent Bahraini students living in the  city in Maharashtra, which is a popular destination for students from the Gulf, said a report in our sister publication, the Gulf Daily News.

The Cabinet approved the Parliamentary proposal after over 200 Bahraini students landed in hot water last year for living in India illegally.

Some had only acquired a one-year visa or a tourist visa to enter the country. Others had been granted a three-month residence permit, but failed to submit required documents to the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in India to extend it for the period of their course.

The problem was later resolved with the help of Indian authorities and the Bahrain Consulate in Mumbai.

However, it is hoped the new student support office will help avoid similar problems in future.

The office will be operated by the Bahrain Education Ministry through the cultural attache at Bahrain's Embassy in New Delhi.

"There are about 500 Bahrainis studying in Pune," an embassy spokesman told the GDN from New Delhi.

"The new office will help Bahrainis studying in Pune and nearby areas as they may find it difficult to approach the embassy in New Delhi.

"The office will deal with registration, immigration and visa papers," the spokesman said.

Indian Ambassador Balkrishna Shetty welcomed the move and said it would attract more Bahraini students to India.

"There are about 1,200 Bahrainis studying in various universities and institutes in India," the ambassador added. - TradeArabia News Service