Universities fear further abuse of student visas for illegal immigration | Currently

Students from outside the European Union will have to deal with more stringent registration requirements for higher education. Universities of applied sciences suspect widespread abuse of student visas for illegal immigration to the Netherlands, reports say. Norwegian Refugee Council.

Students from different countries outside the European Union apply for student visas to universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands, after which they often quickly stop their studies until they end up illegally. It will mainly interest young people from countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, India and Nigeria.

Saxon University of Applied Sciences already suffered from “student disappearances” from Nepal and Bangladesh in 2017, but more and more universities of applied sciences are now saying they are struggling with it.

It is not clear how many students come to the Netherlands in this way, but universities of applied sciences have seen a sharp increase in the number of applications from high-risk countries in recent years. Sometimes it involved hundreds per institution per year. The majority of requests are now rejected.

The Consortium of Universities of Applied Sciences believes that people smugglers are active and helping students from countries at risk to the Netherlands. The IND has also received “signals about students in higher education leaving early, especially from Bangladesh,” says a spokesperson.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Education, the Consortium of Universities of Applied Sciences is working on new guidelines for visa applications from countries. For example, students must then transfer their full tuition fees in advance.