Stricter guidelines on Chinese student visas

The processing of visa applications from Chinese English-language students is to come under more rigorous guidelines.

The move follows the drowning of six Chinese and Mongolian illegal immigrants off the coast of Sicily in Easter, which had fuelled suspicions that Chinese people were obtaining visas to study English here with the sole intention of using the island as a springboard to Europe.

Last month, the police concluded an investigation into the way Maltese diplomats in China processed visas. Although they had found no irregularities, the Foreign Ministry had established that administrative procedures could have been followed more strictly by embassy staff.

Feltom, the body representing English language schools, yesterday said agreement on the new guidelines had been reached in a meeting on July 18 between Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg, Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, Commissioner of Police John Rizzo and the president of Feltom, John Dimech.

Under the guidelines, interviews at the Maltese Embassy in Beijing will be conducted by more than one person, Feltom said in a letter to its members released to the press yesterday.

The vetting of the applicants by the police immigration branch will be carried out prior to the interview, so that interviews will not be meaningless, The immigration branch and the embassy will maintain records of Chinese agents and English language schools in Malta. Keeping a profile of agents and schools will enable them to take the necessary action and blacklist those who do not comply with the procedures and obligations.

Feltom quoted Dr Borg as saying that language schools should be more selective and recruit students from preferred regions in China, since there was a problem with Chinese students coming to Malta to learn English and not returning to their country.

All language schools will be required to submit weekly reports to the immigration branch about students who absent themselves from studies.

For this purpose, surprise inspection visits will be carried out by the immigration officers at language schools.

Language schools will be required to inform the immigration branch of the students' departure details at least a week prior to the termination of their studies. Extensions will only be granted upon confirmation that students have attended their studies regularly and that students have sufficient funds for their stay in Malta.

Mr Dimech expressed his satisfaction with the new guidelines and hoped that such measures would not just bring the situation back to normal but enhance it.

He reminded the ministers that Feltom firmly believes Malta should introduce a student visa, as the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand have had for several years.

The ministers agreed to look into this, Feltom said. Following the police investigation, all the diplomatic staff at the Beijing embassy were to be recalled because the credibility of visa processing has been "irreversibly prejudiced", the Foreign Ministry had said.

The investigation had been launched following allegations about irregularities in the issuing of visas made in Parliament last year by Labour MP Leo Brincat and claims about the behaviour of a diplomat made in The Malta Independent on Sunday in March.

Throughout their investigation, the police had refused visas to most Chinese nationals.