Misuse of Study Visas by Foreign Students in Nepal
Foreign students who have come to Nepal on study visas have been found involved in illegal activities.
After such involvement was detected, the Department of Immigration has sent many foreigners back to their home countries and has also warned educational institutions not to admit foreign students only for the purpose of collecting fees.
Foreign nationals can obtain visas quite easily after submitting documents stating that they have come to study in Nepal.
Most of these students enrol at various universities and educational institutions in Nepal, stating that they will pursue higher education or study Nepali language, culture, arts, literature, music and other disciplines.
However, it has been found that, although they enrol as students, some are selling goods, secretly operating hotels and restaurants in partnership with Nepalis, and engaging in other illegal activities.
According to the Department’s spokesperson, Tika Ram Dhakal, many foreign students are found enrolling at Bishwa Bhasha Campus to study Nepali language and at Balmiki Vidyapeeth to study Sanskrit.
He added that investigations have also shown foreign students enrolling at various institutions outside the Kathmandu Valley to take skill-based training.
Foreign nationals wishing to study in this way must submit documents to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology together with a recommendation from the educational institution where they intend to enrol.
After examining those documents, the ministry recommends the Department of Immigration to provide a study visa.
The Department has stated that, among the students coming in this way, some are admitted by certain educational institutions only from the perspective of their own income.
According to the Department, its monitoring has revealed that some educational institutions admit foreign students even when they already know those students will not regularly engage in academic activities.
The Department’s study has also found that some students enrolled at certain institutions leave their studies before completion.
“On the issue of encouraging and facilitating foreign students who genuinely wish to study in this way, the Department of Immigration is committed,” Dhakal said.
“However, it has been found that some foreigners who want to obtain a study visa as an alternative way to stay in Nepal for a long period, and who are involved in activities prohibited by law, are also being recommended for study visas.”
Investigations have further revealed that some foreign nationals holding study visas do not attend classes regularly, submit fake documents to extend their study visa period, and are unable to submit academic certificates after completing their course of study.
“Even when some foreign students are seen to be involved in illegal activities, it has also been found that the concerned educational institutions do not inform the Department or the local administration,” Dhakal said.
Dhakal also informed that a French citizen who enrolled at Bishwa Bhasha Campus claiming to study Nepali language has been running a bakery in Thamel and a traditional hotel in Lalitpur.
He added that, some time ago, four Chinese citizens who had been similarly staying in Nepal in a concealed manner were sent back.
Dhakal stated that when a visa obtained for one purpose is used to engage in other activities, it not only poses a risk to national security but also harms the country’s image in the international arena.
He said that educational institutions should not admit foreign students only to secure visas for them and for income purposes.
He further said, “We have instructed monitoring committees in all 77 districts to verify whether the students enrolled in their institutions are regularly involved in teaching–learning activities before recommending visas, and to immediately inform the Department of Immigration or the local administration if information is received that they are engaged in suspicious activities beyond their studies.”
