Foreign-bound students face hurdles at airports in Europe, US. A travel policy helps

Insurance companies are reporting a rise in travel insurance claims as many Indian students who have secured admissions to universities in the US, the UK and Canada are grappling with delays and chaos at airports abroad.

The academic sessions across many universities begin in September yet several students are still scrambling to reach their study destinations on time, even leading to trip cancellations.

Visas are delayed as the processing centres in India are clearing a huge backlog due to the post-COVID-19 pandemic rush for travel.

In fact, the Canadian High Commission in India recently issued a statement saying it was working on reducing processing delays. However, at the same time, it advised Indian students to touch base with the Canadian universities where they have secured admissions to ascertain the course of action in case they failed to reach before the start of the semester.

Also read: Visa nightmare, mounting delays and the rush of student visa applications

Monetary losses due to missed connecting flights, baggage loss and delays

Airports across many countries have not resumed the pre-pandemic level of operations, which means that travellers have to endure long queues at security check counters, prolonged wait for baggage and also inadequate resolution of lost baggage complaints.

Some insurers are reporting an increase in travel insurance claims related to baggage loss or delays, missed connecting flights and trip cancellations. “Due to the prevalent situation at airports across several countries, we have seen a rise in claims for such travel inconveniences,” says Nikhil Apte, Chief Product Officer, Product Factory (Health Insurance), Royal Sundaram General Insurance.

In fact, Apte says he experienced the chaos at London airport recently. “Due to issues at the airport ground staff’s end, my security checks were delayed. Moreover, the connecting flight was rescheduled, forcing me to spend more time at the airport. The process of retrieving baggage was not smooth either,” he says. For student travellers and also others, he recommends factoring in such delays and booking flights with longer layovers.

“The visa processing delays are due to the backlog post-pandemic. The paucity of time has pushed many students to book flights that are easily available instead of preferred airlines and optimal routes. This, in turn, has left many with less time to board connecting flights, leading to missed flights,” says Arindam Sengupta, Co-founder, Edufund India, an education advisory firm.

Also listen: Why students going abroad need an overseas student travel insurance cover

Do not rely only on university-recommended health covers

Many universities, particularly in the US, insist on students buying health insurance policies from local insurers they may have tied up with. Many simply do not accept Indian general insurers’ policies even if they meet all their requirements.

“Even in such cases, it makes sense to buy overseas student travel insurance policies from Indian insurers before you fly out. The health covers bought via universities will only work in the destination countries. They will not come to your aid if you happen to lose your passport or baggage while in transit. Likewise, baggage delays, missed connecting flights and trip cancellations due to logistical issues at airports will not be covered either,” explains Apte. Overseas student travel plans come with a tenure of one year and are renewable.

Also read: All about overseas student travel policies: Understand what is paid for, what is not covered

Budget permitting, you can consider buying a travel policy with a larger sum assured as the internal limits for travel inconvenience compensation are higher.

For instance, under Royal Sundaram’s overseas student cover ‘gold’ variant (global one-year cover, sum assured of $100,000), the maximum cover offered under in case of loss of checked-in baggage is $1,000, while it is $2,500 under the premium variant that offers an overall cover of $500,000. The latter is costlier by around Rs 8,000 per annum.