14-03-2011
The number of students being potential illegal migrants to EU countries has decreased in western Ukraine. Such are the results of operation “Student” which is yearly carried out jointly byBorder Service and MOI.
This year studying at institutions of higher education in Lviv, Chernivtsi and Transcarpathian regions was not started by 12% of foreign students that entered Ukraine on this purpose.The head of press-service of State Border Service of western region Volodymyr Sheremet in the interview taken by Deutsche Welle reported that this percentage was in two times higher last year. The border guards suppose that such kind of decrease happened due to strength of control on check in and departure of students.
Institutions of higher education of Ukraine legislatively are not obliged to meet at the border persons arriving in the frames of international student exchange. If universities are accountable for the invitation of the foreigners for the studying so the number of wishing to get illegally to EU through Ukraine would be less. According to the words of Sheremet, out of thousand invitations issued by Western Ukrainian institutions for this studying year almost a half was received by young people from the countries of migration risk. Potential migrants are not stopped before the advance payment for the year of study.
At the same time during the last six months the number of students crossing the border illegally has reduced. More often students from the east of the country and Kyiv region try to cross the border on EU countries. Egypt, Pakistan, India, Tunisia stay the countries of migration risk, but there are already no students from China and Vietnams among trespassers, however particularly Chinese students who are among the biggest group of students studying in Ukraine. Expenditures on forced banishment of the trespasser reaching thousands dollars is partially compensated by institution of higher education and on condition that this student was registered.
A little difficult is situation with students who were expelled and they did not leave the country. Such statistics, for example, has worsened in Chernivtsi region where 16 students did not go out of the country – border guards report. In general, in the frames of operation “Student” 20 institutions of Lviv, Transcarpathia and Chernivtsi were checked.