The Government Bets on Foreign Students: The Program to Attract Them Will Continue to Be Funded 0 7

The initiative coordinates the cooperation of universities and government institutions, ensures unified quality standards, and contributes to the improvement of immigration policy. Minister of Education and Science Dace Melbarde noted that "Study in Latvia" is an international brand, similar initiatives are being implemented by many countries. At the same time, she urged careful selection of official online resources, as alongside official websites, there are pages with similar names created by private individuals.

It is expected that from 2026, up to 324,000 euros per year will be required for the implementation of the program. For this purpose, the Ministry of Education and Science plans to redistribute funds from a priority activity of the higher education program subprogram, which provides for the development of competencies in innovative state digital governance. Melbarde also reported that guidelines for good practice have been developed in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and an agreement has been signed with universities to comply with them.

Currently, 15 out of 44 Latvian universities and colleges have joined these principles, considering that not all work with foreign students. At the same time, the minister acknowledged that some educational institutions accept students from abroad but refuse to sign these principles.

It should be noted that just before the consideration of this report, the government approved the proposals of the Ministry of the Interior to improve the regulation of the stay of third-country nationals in Latvia. Among the planned measures is a requirement for first-year students from third countries at all universities to make a financial contribution, which will cover the costs of returning the foreigner in case of visa or residence permit cancellation. The Ministry of the Interior believes that this measure will attract students who are genuinely focused on studying, confirm the seriousness of their intentions, and reduce the risks of abuse of entry and stay rules.