$31 million lost in revenue from foreign students

AROUND $31million have been lost due to the government’s introduction of draconian new procedures for the granting of student visas to foreigners, the Association of Private Tertiary Education Institutions (PASISTE) said yesterday.

College owners yesterday renewed their call to the government to ease student visa procedures, which they said had cut enrollment by up to 87 per cent.

PASISTE claimed that just 1,884 foreign students had enrolled this year, compared to over 7,000 in 2003.

The Association stressed that the decrease translated into a huge loss of income for the Cyprus economy.

In 2004, over $42 million flowed into the economy from foreign students, compared to $11,304,000 this year, PASISTE said.

Association chairman Demetris Christophorou warned that those colleges, which did not have Cypriot students, faced closure or would have to dismiss staff if they did not succeed in enrolling a minimum number of students for the new term next February.

PASISTE warned that foreign students from China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were now opting for universities in the occupied north.

“Information we have from our representatives in other countries says that as soon as students are rejected by us they are snatched by representatives of the universities in the north,” Christoforou said.

He added that countries like Britain, Greece, Italy and Ireland were trying hard to attract students from the same countries “we are fighting for”.

In February, the Interior Ministry introduced a new regulation requiring students coming from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, China and Sri Lanka to acquire a visa from the Cyprus consul in their country of residence following an interview with a unit of policemen sent from Cyprus to the country.

The measure was introduced as a means to control the number of foreigners seeking political asylum, which has grossly escalated.

Police believe a large portion of asylum seekers initially posed as students to gain entry into Cyprus and be allowed to work during the time it took the government to assess their asylum applications.

Yesterday, colleges suggested that the government should allow foreign students to work part-time in order to attract larger numbers.

The government said it would look into that issue but no bill has been submitted to date.

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