The Thai government has cancelled the student visas of almost 10,000 foreign citizens. The visa holders, according to the authorities, did not meet the new criteria adopted for this type of legalization, which entered into force on May 14, 2025.
In this way, the authorities are reportedly fighting the abuse of student visas for illegal employment in the country.
The Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the immigration authorities, has developed a comprehensive database system for monitoring international students enrolled in short-term educational programs. The system requires all higher education institutions offering short-term courses for international students to provide regular reports on their educational programs.
"This database of students will be transferred to the immigration police to help in making decisions on issuing visas and to prevent the use of student visas for illegal employment," the ministry said in a statement.
According to the new rules, educational institutions must develop protocols to confirm that foreign students attend classes and submit monthly reports to the Ministry.
According to officials, these measures are aimed at closing loopholes that allowed people to obtain student visas without a real purpose of study.
Source: Khaosod
