Immigration Bureau cancels 10,000 student visas in crackdown
The Immigration Bureau has cancelled the temporary stay permits of nearly 10,000 foreign students after their applications were found not to meet strict new criteria set by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI).
The action, announced on 22 August, forms part of a wider effort to address the long-standing misuse of education visas by foreign nationals looking to stay in Thailand for extended periods or work without proper authorisation. For many years, foreigners who did not qualify for other types of visas have used the education visa as a way to remain in the country.
In numerous cases, individuals signed up for Thai language courses but either never attended the classes or were enrolled in programmes of questionable legitimacy. Hua Hin Today is aware of at least one university in the north of Thailand that has issued education visas requiring little more than logging in to an online course, with no further participation necessary.
Years of education visa abuse targeted
MHESI Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol said the ministry has worked closely with the Immigration Bureau to tighten the regulations for non-degree and short-term courses offered to foreign students. The new rules, which took effect on 14 May 2025, require institutions to submit detailed information about enrolment, attendance, and academic progress to a centralised database shared with the Immigration Bureau.
Under the updated system, only institutions that comply with these reporting requirements will be permitted to enrol foreign students eligible for education visas. The Immigration Bureau said that many schools and universities failed to meet the new standards, resulting in the cancellation of nearly 10,000 visas so far.
Stricter monitoring and reporting introduced
Assistant Permanent Secretary Dr. Panpoemsak Arunee confirmed that MHESI and the Immigration Bureau will hold a joint meeting in September to guide higher education institutions on how to properly report data and comply with the updated regulations. The goal, he said, is to prevent further misuse of education visas while ensuring legitimate students are not affected.
The crackdown marks one of the most significant enforcement actions in recent years, signalling the government’s determination to close loopholes that have allowed some foreigners to stay in Thailand indefinitely without fulfilling the requirements of their visas.
The news comes after The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) and the Immigration Bureau said earlier this year they planned to tighten their oversight of foreign students in Thailand, focusing particularly on non-degree programmes.
Minister Supamas Issaraphakdee said universities were now required to seek ministry approval for all non-degree courses before admitting foreign students. The framework aimed to ensure that course content, teaching formats and duration were appropriate and transparent. Once approved, the Immigration Bureau issued visas only for the duration of the programme.
At a meeting on 30 April, attended by senior officials from both agencies, authorities agreed to introduce measures including stricter screening of courses and random checks on class attendance. Universities that failed to comply with the procedures were barred from nominating students for visas.
Under the system, non-degree programmes were assessed against three main criteria:
- Course content – to confirm it matched the programme’s stated objectives.
- Teaching format – requiring a clear breakdown of on-site, online or blended instruction.
- Duration – ensuring the course length was proportionate to its content and did not exceed six months.
Prof. Dr. Supachai Pathumnakul, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said random inspections were being conducted to verify student attendance and completion rates. Universities were also required to submit annual reports detailing the number of foreign students who had completed their courses.
For online programmes, the proportion of remote instruction had to be declared to ensure transparency. The ministry already required degree programmes with over 60% online teaching to report this for monitoring purposes.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Phanumas Boonyaluck, Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, added that universities were also obliged to verify student attendance, assess the number of foreign students they could supervise effectively and ensure course quality aligned with recognised standards. Institutions that failed to meet these requirements or neglected reporting obligations risked further investigation or enforcement action.