Immigration police will tackle student visa fraud
More and more foreigners cheat with Thai language studies in order to obtain a student visa. The schools help them by granting a certificate, but they fail if the visa has to be extended.
Last week, the fraud came to light during Operation X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner. The police found out that many foreigners with an expired study visa were walking around in Thailand and they searched 74 international language institutes. Especially African 'criminal elements' make use of the visa trick, says deputy commander Surachate of the tourist police.
They sign up for a language course but do not attend the lessons. They exchange their tourist visa for a student visa that has a longer stay. The school issues a registration certificate that must first be legalized by the provincial education office before the 'student' receives his visa.
This system is maintained by corrupt police officers who charge 40.000 baht brokerage fees. This week, the tourist police will meet with the Department of Consular Affairs and the Ministry of Education about measures.
The recently detained foreigners mainly come from Nigeria, Cameroon, Guinea and India. They were involved in 'romance scams' (swindling women by entering into a relationship), credit card skimming and drug trafficking.
Surachate thinks that there are currently 100.000 foreigners in Thailand with an expired visa, the so-called overstayers. Many of them are involved in crime.
Immigration Bureau spokesman Choenrong says his agency is tightening checks at airports and border posts. Foreigners who leave and re-enter the country through so-called overland visa runs are especially suspicious. They are stopped and are only allowed to enter the country with a correct visa. Fingerprints are checked at international airports to see if the person is blacklisted. A facial recognition system is also used to check whether the face matches the passport photo.
Source: Bangkok Post
I have indeed often heard that this is more strictly controlled.
Those claiming to be studying the Thai language will be asked questions in Thai at their extension, or will be required to read a Thai text. The level will of course depend on how long they claim to have been studying.
There must also be a compulsory attendance in the lessons. Think at least 3 days. The school must provide proof of this. In addition, the school is also visited once.
These checks have been going on for several years, but they may be tightened up.
The E-visa is one of the most abused visas. Usually this is done by people who do not meet the immigration requirements because they are 'too young' for a long stay. They then register in a language school, pay the school fees and receive the necessary documents. They just don't go to language classes. The school is of course complicit in the violation, but they are often only interested in the proceeds. I already know of several people who were able to last a year here in this way. When renewing the visa, things often went wrong because they were addressed in simple Thai by the immigration officer and were there for Piet Snot.
That there is fraud with these types of visas is not the Thai. It occurs everywhere, even in the Netherlands.
Schools were checked in Amsterdam, where Chinese young people of wealthy backgrounds, among others, had registered as students. The study costs were considerable, but were paid by the parents. Black people worked or led a lazy life. We then checked the language knowledge, because it was English lessons that were followed. Depending on having had 1, 2 or 50 years of education, we spoke the verifiable Chinese in simple English and it was pitifully bad what was produced there. The school management washed its nose in innocence. XNUMX% of the students were untraceable and wandered around Europe or were working somewhere.
The fact that work is now being done in Thailand on the criminal group that is taking up residence in this way and is busy, can only be welcomed. Of course, that corrupt group of police officers must be tackled, otherwise it will be mopping with the tap open. You cannot rely on a passport for the criminal Nigerian. They often have several that are used inappropriately and inappropriately. Fingerprints should therefore be checked and recorded as standard. There are wealthy organizations behind them that provide them with what they need and they go all over the world.