The Directorate General of Immigration, in collaboration with Universitas Gadjah Mada and several universities in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, has launched an Education Visa for foreign nationals seeking education in Indonesia.
The launch of the Education Visa coincided with the 2023 Immigration Festival (IMIFEST) themed “Shaping the Image of Indonesia’s Gateway,” held at Grha Sabha Pramana on Thursday (October 12).
The new Education Visa will simplify the process for students, as they will no longer need recommendations from relevant ministries to obtain a visa. Under the new regulations, they only need to provide proof of acceptance from their educational institution.
“The Education Visa can also be used by foreigners who will become instructors in Indonesia,” said Heru Condro, Director of Immigration Stay Permit.
Director Condro explained that international students could be sponsored by either individual Indonesian citizens or their educational institutions. This differentiates the new Education Visa from the previous visa regulations.
“This ease is implemented to support Indonesia as one of the destinations for international students, given Indonesia’s rich and unique culture, which holds a special place in the world’s civilization,” Director Condro stated.
Through this Education Visa, Director Condro mentioned that it will provide easier access for prospective students to pursue their education in Indonesia.
Several education visa options are available for students pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Applications for the education visa are made online through evisa.imigrasi.go.id.
During the event, Director Condro provided an illustration using the example of neighboring Singapore, a destination for many international students.
Various visa options are available to facilitate international students’ pursuit of further education and employment in Singapore.
“We hope this new version of the Education Visa will open up opportunities for Indonesia to become one of the global higher education destinations,” he hoped.
The UGM Vice-Rector for Education and Teaching, Professor Wening Udasmoro, expressed her appreciation for the launch of the Education Visa at Universitas Gadjah Mada.
She stated that the Directorate General of Immigration is a key gateway to the smooth mobility of international students at all Indonesian universities, making it a key success factor in internationalizing higher education in Indonesia.
“UGM expresses its gratitude for the support and collaboration of the Directorate General of Immigration in holding the 2023 IMIFEST at UGM and for the trust to continue working with UGM in providing immigration office services,” she said.
Professor Udasmoro expressed her gratitude for the existence of the Immigration Office at UGM, which has been operating since 2020 and is located in Bulaksumur F12.
With the Immigration Office at UGM, obtaining passports for all UGM academic communities has become easy, fast, and convenient. This is the first immigration office in an Indonesian university and has served as a model for others.
To date, the UGM Immigration Office has successfully processed 1,110 residence permits for international scholars at UGM and has issued 5,712 passports.
“In this context, I would also like to express my highest appreciation to the Director General of Immigration for the innovation and launch of the Education Visa, which will undoubtedly help facilitate the study of international students and raise the enthusiasm of international scholars to study in Indonesia,” the vice-rector added.
“With this Education Visa, the educational bureaucracy will be more accommodating and effective.”
Also present at the Education Visa launch were Yani Firdaus, Head of the Yogyakarta Immigration Division; Is Edy Eko Putranto, Head of the Central Java Immigration Division; Najaruddin Safaat, Head of the Class I Immigration Office in Yogyakarta; and Winarko, Head of the Class I Immigration Office in Surakarta.
The event was also attended by the Rector of UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta; the Rector of the Indonesian Institute of the Arts Yogyakarta; the Rector of Yogyakarta State University; the Rector of UPN Veteran Yogyakarta; the Secretary of Yogyakarta; the Director of Partnerships and Global Relations, Professor Puji Astuti; and the Head of the UGM Office of International Affairs, Dr. Alfatika Aunuriella Dini.
The 2023 IMIFEST, held at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, is the festival’s closing event this year. Previously, it was held in Denpasar, Bali. In addition to the public expo, IMIFEST at UGM featured a talk show, passport issuance, and various forms of entertainment.
Author: Agung Nugroho