Foreign student surge due to PH’s branding as education hub–BI

INQUIRER file photo / ALEXIS CORPUZ

MANILA, Philippines — The rise in the number of foreign students in the Philippines was due to the country’s branding as a quality education hub in Asia, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Wednesday.

According to BI Spokesperson Dana Sandoval, the agency observed a rise in the number of foreign nationals coming to study in the Philippines.

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“There really was a rise in the number of foreign nationals, particularly Chinese, because the country was aggressively marketing the Philippines as an education hub in Asia,” Sandoval said in a forum.

Sandoval added that this was also part of the government’s move to invite students to study in the country.

“There are efforts, really, by the national government in general to invite because China is the biggest source of students worldwide,” she added.

In an earlier report, the BI said it issued more than 16,000 student visas to Chinese nationals in 2023.

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Meanwhile, some government officials have expressed concern about the security issues that the influx of Chinese students may bring to the country, particularly in Cagayan Valley.

The schools in Cagayan Valley then responded in a joint statement in April that these allegations were based on racism and Sinophobia.