The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) and Immigration Bureau issue stricter rules on education visa programs with five measures to curb student visa abuse.
Pol Lt Gen Panumas Boonyaluck, Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, and bureau executives jointly met with Supamas Isarabhakdi, Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) and concerned officials.
The conference centered on visa approvals of non-degree international students in an effort to avoid student visa misuse, and led to the following five critical measures:
1. Programme Disclosure Requirement
MHESI will make a ministerial public notice mandating every educational institution to submit detailed information regarding their programmes. These include programme title, host institution, content of the curriculum, teaching mode (ratio of online and onsite classes), duration of the programmes (class timing, days and hours per day), and student capacity that is suitable per programme.
2. Monitoring and Compliance Measures
Institutions need to guarantee attendance and participation by students according to curriculum requirements. There are to be guidelines for supervision and ensuring compliance.
3. Monthly Status Reporting
Institutions need to report monthly the status of enrollment or withdrawal of students from programs through an electronic system. This will facilitate timely decisions on revocation of visa in case a student's activity does not meet program requirements.
4. Consequences for Non-Compliance
Institutions that do not comply with the announcement of the minister will have their intended programs withdrawn. Failure to comply could also affect future program approval.
5. Sharing of Data and Cooperation in Investigations
MHESI invites the Immigration Bureau to, if it finds suspicious or irregular data from educational institutions, share such information with MHESI for investigation.
