Immigration authorities to limit entry of non-EU students

The National Immigration Office has tightened the issuing of entry and temporary residence permits to non-EU foreign students for Hungarian study programmes in several cities, a regional director of the office told a press conference in Pecs (S Hungary) on Tuesday.

Receiving permits has become especially difficult for students seeking to study in Pecs and Miskolc (NE Hungary), as non-EU students admitted to universities there disappeared several times in the past, said Tibor Dobra of the service's south-western branch office.

He said that last year 46 Chinese students received permits out of 146 who applied for a preparatory English course at the University of Pecs. Twenty-six of those admitted shortly after disappeared, he said.

Dobra said foreign students can enroll in most preparatory courses without having to pass an exam, therefore it is difficult to tell who will abuse the possibility to study in Hungary. In case the suspicion of any possible migration intent arises, Dobra added, they reject the application.

According to a recently adopted system, head of the national immigration office, Zsuzsanna Vegh said, the representatives of the universities involved meet applicants in their home countries to learn about their plans and their preparedness to enroll in a course.

She said the number of "run-away" students is gradually decreasing.

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