Thailand's Immigration Bureau has recently launched a severe crackdown on foreigners who abuse student visas. Investigations have revealed that thousands of foreigners entered Thailand under the guise of "studying" but never actually attended any courses, rendering their visas essentially void.
Deputy Director of the Thailand Immigration Bureau, Major General Pantana Nuchanart, stated that some foreigners obtain documents through language schools or volunteer foundations to stay in Thailand long-term or engage in gray-area activities. Consequently, the Immigration Bureau, in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, has established clear regulations: those who enter with a student visa but fail to participate in studies will have their visas immediately revoked and their residence permits canceled.
According to reports, on August 22, the Minister of Higher Education, Sudawan, announced that nearly 10,000 foreigners with non-compliant visa statuses had their temporary residence canceled. This move marks a significant step in Thailand's efforts to strengthen immigration control and prevent the misuse of educational visas.
Indeed, signs of disorder have been evident for some time. In 2023, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) received 139,000 pages of police investigation reports involving 107 immigration officials suspected of facilitating Chinese nationals to obtain non-immigrant visas for gray-area businesses. Additionally, politicians have revealed that some universities and officials have accepted substantial bribes, with each visa approval costing between 100,000 to 300,000 Thai Baht.
More concerning is that some "fake students" have not entered educational institutions but have appeared on construction sites or in illegal industries. Some universities in northern Thailand have even been accused of issuing false visa documents to unregistered Chinese citizens, with related scandals exposed on social media.
Currently, Thai authorities have made it clear that they will continue to strengthen supervision and expel foreigners who misuse student visas for illegal residence, work, or other activities, showing no leniency.
