KUALA LUMPUR: Foreigners seeking to study in Malaysia must soon apply for their study visas before entering the country.
As such, the Home Ministry would stop giving out Journey Performed Visa to foreigners who later applied to change their social visit passes to study visas.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusof said that this was a move to curb crimes by foreigners claiming to be students from institutions of higher learning in the country.
“They will only be allowed to enter the country after their study visa has been approved,” he told Datuk Ismail Mohamed Said (BN-Kuala Krau) during Question Time in parliament.
Ismail had asked what steps the ministry had taken to ensure student visas for foreign students were not abused to carry out crime activities.
Abu Seman said that a foreign student from high-risk countries would also need to produce a certificate of no objection' similar to those that had been imposed on students coming from African countries.
“These are among the steps taken to reduce the rising number of cases involving foreign students. We will continue to monitor with other relevant agencies to ensure that they are not abusing their student visas,” he said.
According to the Immigration Department, in 2009, 54 people were detained for abusing their study passes, said Abu Seman. African nationals topped the list with 24 - 11 from Algeria, six from Nigeria, two from Botswana, two from Libya, one from Lesotho, Kenya and South Africa.
In 2010, 23 people were arrested, including four Nigerians, and one each from Sudan, Yemen and Zimbabwe, he added.
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