Archive

Ministries Join Hands To Check Student Visa Abuse

PUTRAJAYA, March 14 (Bernama) - The Home and Higher Education ministries are joining hands to curb any abuse of student visas among foreigners, particularly Bangladeshis, Home Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said Tuesday.

He said that in discussions with Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed yesterday, the latter pledged to rescind the permits of colleges found to have flouted visa rulings.

"We don't want people to make a fool of us by finding ways to circumvent our regulations," Radzi told reporters after attending his ministry's monthly assembly here.

"From now on, we will re-examine all the procedures and see how we can lessen the possibility for abuse of visa rulings," he said.

Radzi commented on Sunday that many Bangladeshis had been coming into the country with student visas to work and the Immigration Department was now monitoring several private colleges in Kuala Lumpur due to the low attendance of their Bangladeshi students for classes.

Malaysia stopped hiring foreign labour from Bangladesh in 2002. But foreign students, including from that country, are allowed to work a maximum of 20 hours a week only during semester breaks at petrol stations, kiosk stands as well as hotels and restaurants.

Radzi said Malaysia encouraged foreign students to come to its shores as it aspired to be an education hub but promoters must give the correct information on the conditions for studying here.

"Maybe some of them have conveyed the wrong information by saying that students can work while pursuing their studies whereas they can only work during semester breaks," he said.

Radzi added that the age of Bangladeshi students was also a ground for suspicion.

"I mean, for example, of 300 students, say two or three are 25 years old, it's okay.

But if 180 of 200 students are aged 25, it's a bit difficult. On top of that, they are just taking one subject. So we have to look into this," he said.

-- BERNAMA