Pol Maj Gen Panthana Nuchanart, the deputy commissioner of the Bureau, said recent investigations by his staff found several thousand individuals had entered the country under the guise of education but failed to attend classes.

“If someone enters Thailand on a student visa but doesn’t actually study, it’s standard procedure to revoke that visa,” he said.

“This is not a new practice. We’ve been coordinating with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation to ensure compliance.”

Any student found not genuinely enrolled will face immediate cancellation of their visa status, he said.

The move reflects Thailand’s broader efforts to tighten immigration controls and prevent misuse of educational channels for unauthorised residency or other illicit activities, he added.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) in March 2023 was given a 139,000-page police report into 107 immigration officers accused of helping Chinese nationals involved in “grey” businesses to obtain visas. The NACC has not yet concluded its investigation.

The accusations first surfaced after former politician Chuvit Kamolvisit alleged that three Immigration Bureau commanders in Khon Kaen and Chiang Mai were accepting bribes of between 100,000 and 300,000 baht for each non-immigration visa approved.

In many cases, documents issued by language schools or volunteer foundations were used to support applications for visa extensions.

On Friday, Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, the higher education minister, said the Immigration Bureau had revoked temporary stay permits for nearly 10,000 foreign nationals whose visa status failed to comply with the regulations.

Source: Bangkok Post.