Report Thailand Cracks Down on Foreign Students Working Illegally

[webfact]

Minister Supamas Isarabhakdi. File photo courtesy of NXPO

 

The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) is clamping down on foreigners exploiting short courses as a way to work illegally in Thailand.

 

As of now, all educational institutions are required to submit detailed curricula for their short courses to ensure compliance with these new regulations. Minister Supamas Isarabhakdi emphasised that the measures are intended to align foreign students with legal standards and existing agreements with the Immigration Bureau.

 

Institutions wanting to offer short courses will now face stringent scrutiny. They need to prove their expertise, competence in instruction, and present clear learning outcomes.

 

Each course must ensure 60% of learning is onsite with no more than 40% online, assuring robust Thai educational standards are maintained. Detailed course information is mandatory, including various academic and logistical details like course name, duration, and student qualifications.

 

Aside from academic accreditation, institutions must also manage administrative responsibilities related to foreign students.

 

This includes issuing certificates and securing temporary residence permits strictly based on the course's needs, limited to 180-day periods.

 

Institutions are also tasked with maintaining detailed records and reporting to MHESI, including student attendance and academic progress, ensuring transparency and lawful compliance.

 

Failure to adhere to these regulations could lead to course cancellations enforced by MHESI. Minister Supamas expressed confidence that these guidelines will enhance Thailand’s reputation in the international education sector, offering a transparent and efficient system that attracts foreign learners while preventing illegal employment practices.

 

In summary, these initiatives mark a significant push towards integrating foreign students into Thailand's educational framework legally and ethically. By enforcing these measures, Thailand hopes to foster an environment of trust and excellence for international students seeking learning opportunities within the country.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok POst 2025-05-16

 

 

[JoePai]

Ed Visas always were a fiddle

[Pouatchee]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

assuring robust Thai educational standards are maintained

 

Since when is this even possible?

 

Should read "No fail lax policy similar to silly putty in which all can pass"

[thenewgoo]

So people have been getting 'Student Visas' for online courses? Sounds like an inventive loophole.

[Hakuna Matata]

In Phuket and Pattaya, 70% of Russians who are below 50 years of age are living in Thailand for a long term on purchased illegal Student ED visas. Many of them are working in Thailand illegally as well. A massive crack down is required on those language schools in Phuket that are selling ED visas to anyone who can afford paying THB 50,000 per year to the school.

 

 

[ronster]

Me can teech engish too studnt good 👍

[hotchilli]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

As of now, all educational institutions are required to submit detailed curricula for their short courses to ensure compliance with these new regulations

I would have thought attendance records would have been better.

[wensiensheng]

52 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

I would have thought attendance records would have been better.

Yes, it’s hard to see how a properly vetted course via submitted curriculum documents does anything to ensure that foreigners don’t enroll and then simply not turn up.

 

Seems to be a case of doing something, anything, whether or not it is relevant or effective to resolving an issue.

[factual monk]

Every loop hole has a big hole...

[Caldera]

15 hours ago, webfact said:

assuring robust Thai educational standards are maintained

 

I've never seen any evidence of "robust Thai educational standards", it's more like there's a complete absence of those.

 

Which makes foreigners who want to come to Thailand to study even more suspicious though. 555

[NorthernRyland]

Can't you just apply for a cooking class and get a 5 year DTV? I would think that new visa would kill the need for the education visa fraud.