ICA takes abuse of Student’s Passes seriously

MyPaper
25 November 2008

I REFER to the letter, “Review conditions under which student visas are issued” (my paper, Nov 7).

The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) regularly reviews the criteria for the application and issue of Student’s Passes to foreign students to ensure that they remain relevant and are not subjected to abuse.

The ICA takes a serious view of foreign students who abuse their Student’s Passes to work here illegally or engage in criminal and vice-related activities.

Those found to be doing so may be charged in court, and have their passes cancelled and security deposits forfeited. They would also not be allowed to remain in Singapore upon conviction or cancellation of their Student’s Passes.

The admission of foreign students into Singapore’s educational institutions is based primarily on their individual merits and their meeting the institutions’ admission requirements.

Educational institutions are hence the first line of checks as they screen all applications by foreign students before submitting them to ICA for further consideration.

Once the applications have been approved and the students are enrolled in the schools, ICA continues to work with these educational institutions to ensure that the students attend classes regularly.

ICA also works closely with government agencies like the Ministry of Manpower and the Singapore Police Force to conduct inspections at places like KTV lounges, entertainment outlets, food courts and restaurants to ensure that the workers there hold valid work passes.

Mr Jerald Koh
Senior Public & Internal Communications Executive
Immigration & Checkpoints Authority


Review conditions under which student visas are issued

My Paper
7 November 2008

I REFER to the letter, “Restrict foreign-worker inflow to curb crime” (my paper, Nov 6).

I couldn’t help but smile at the fact that someone shares my sentiments.

Besides restricting the issuance of work permits, the authorities should also look into restricting the issuance of student visas.

In my line of work, entertaining clients at KTV lounges is the norm. I understand from male colleagues that the hostesses at such places are mostly on student visas, and they go beyond just drinking, singing and partying with patrons (I won’t elaborate further to protect young readers).

Recently, my parents were shocked to witness a mainland Chinese woman soliciting on a street in Geylang while carrying an orientation bag from a local university.

Perhaps it is time the authorities reviewed the criteria for the granting of student visas.

Singapore doesn’t need such “students” to come here and create more social problems.

One way of addressing the problem is to issue student visas only to foreigners in a certain age group, such as those seeking entry to primary schools.

For older individuals, proof of a good family background and financial stability should be required.

This will undoubtedly affect schools and the income of whose who depend on rental from foreigners for their income, but what is more important in the long run?

Madam Theresa Ee