Ministry of Interior: changes to the rules for foreign school students are not a migration amnesty

The Ministry of Interior stated that the amendment published the day before in the Official Gazette does not constitute an amnesty, but is aimed solely at resolving a technical issue faced by foreign students under the age of 18.

The ministry commented on media reports about an alleged “migration amnesty for students”, explaining that the change concerns an amendment to the Regulation on Residence Permits and Visas adopted under the Aliens and Migration Law.

The new provision — paragraph five of Article 12, which regulates exemptions — applies exclusively to foreign school students under 18 years old studying in primary and secondary educational institutions registered with the authority responsible for education.

What is the issue:

As explained by the Ministry of Interior, the school year ends in June and resumes in September. During the summer period many students:

• remain in the country,

• or travel abroad and return.

As a result, they formally violated visa or residence permit deadlines and could be subject to administrative fines, despite the absence of any real violation.

The purpose of the amendment, the ministry stressed, is to prevent such cases so that student movements during summer holidays do not lead to sanctions.

The Ministry of Interior emphasized that, contrary to circulating claims, no migration amnesty has been introduced. The amendment is of a narrowly technical nature and concerns only minor foreign students, with the aim of protecting them from unjustified fines.