Thailand student visa: 5 new rules introduced
In response to growing concerns over the misuse of student visas, Thailand's Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), in collaboration with the Immigration Bureau, has introduced five new measures aimed at tightening regulations for non-degree international students.
During a joint meeting on April 30, Pol Lt Gen Panumas Boonyaluck, Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, and MHESI Minister Supamas Isarabhakdi outlined the following key measures:
- Program Disclosure Requirement: Educational institutions must provide comprehensive details about their programs, including curriculum content, instructional formats (online vs. onsite), program duration, class schedules, and appropriate student capacity.
- Monitoring and Compliance Measures: Institutions are required to ensure student attendance and participation align with curriculum standards, implementing guidelines for supervision and verification.
- Monthly Status Reporting: Schools must report student enrollment statuses monthly through an electronic system, facilitating timely decisions regarding visa revocation if necessary.
- Consequences for Non-Compliance: Institutions failing to adhere to these regulations may have their programs revoked and face challenges in obtaining approval for future programs.
- Data Sharing and Investigation Cooperation: MHESI has requested that any suspicious or irregular data identified by the Immigration Bureau be shared for further investigation.
These measures follow recent incidents where educational institutions were implicated in visa scams, including a case involving a Buddhist university linked to fake student enrollments. The Thai government aims to uphold the integrity of its education system and immigration processes through these enhanced regulations.