By Kristina Karlonė, Jokūbas Naglinskas, LRT TV, LRT.lt.

Lithuania’s Migration Department is urging universities to step up oversight of international students after finding growing cases of abuse in which study programmes are used as a pretext to obtain residence permits.

Foreign students in Lithuania now number more than 9,000. Their presence is increasingly visible on campuses: at Klaipėda University, they make up about 12% of the student body. Students from countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have surged in recent years, according to the Migration Department.

“I looked at a map showing countries that offer undergraduate degree programmes in English,” said Prathmesh Shah from India. “This is where I saw Lithuania.

Most foreign students are motivated by academic goals. “I want to gain experience, practice, and achieve my goals,” says Shah. “Others come here with different intentions, they start working right away and skip lectures.”

A recent inspection revealed that some institutions admitted students who spoke no English or allowed them to continue studies without earning any credits, while still helping them renew residence permits.

More read: LRT.LT