German University students in Bangladesh waiting for visas have sought urgent attention of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take necessary measures for speeding up the student visa process of the German Embassy in Dhaka.

The students hold a press conference at the National Press Club on Wednesday to press home their demand.  

In a press release, they said, “Thousands of Bangladeshi higher education dreams are on the verge of extinction. Just imagine, a student booked his appointment at the embassy in July 2021, and by the time he already finished two semesters online, sent block money (living cost) and tuition fee. Now he has been asked by the university to be presented physically on campus by October 2022. After waiting and studying for one year, his studentship got canceled because he could not manage a visa by October 2022.”

“Moreover, most universities are conducting their final exams in physical presence. So, it is not possible for most of the students to participate in the final examinations. Bangladeshi students are also being deprived of research-based studies due to a lack of access to the library. In this situation, only due to visa complications students from Bangladesh are lagging in competition with students from other countries of the world,” the release added.

The students also urged the German embassy in Bangladesh to take a constructive decision to resolve the long student visa waiting period issue and take effective action through expeditious arrangements.