While studying in Singapore, you should not only focus on academics, but also pay attention to some accidents, such as being deported. It is not uncommon for international students to be deported every year, and the reasons for deportation are also varied. There are six common situations in which international students are deported.
1. Carrying contraband
The inspection of contraband is quite strict in all countries.
And border enforcement officers have considerable discretion. Even if the items you carry are compliant, but the law enforcement officers suspect you and think that your purpose is impure, they have the right to decide on the spot to deny you entry.
If you accidentally carry prohibited items, you may even be imprisoned.
For example, some medicines with special ingredients may be commonly used drugs in your country, but may be contraband in other countries. A foreign student was sentenced to two and a half years in prison because he brought two boxes of New Contac when he entered New Zealand.
In addition, carrying counterfeit products is also risky. If you only wear one or two pieces of counterfeit products for your own use, it might be okay, but if you carry too much, you may be suspected of selling pirated copies by the customs and face the consequences of being repatriated. Of course, pirated videos and books are a red line that cannot be touched.
2. Electronic devices with sensitive information
In recent years, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries have introduced new regulations to strengthen the inspection of electronic equipment.
Before passing through customs, law enforcement officers will conduct a primary inspection of photos, chat records, search history and other information in the electronic devices of international students.
If suspicious information is found, you may be further interrogated and an advanced search of electronic equipment may be conducted. That is, through scientific and technological means, the information in your electronic device is reviewed, copied and analyzed.
For political reasons, some countries will also adopt an “overly sensitive” attitude and strictly review content that may involve espionage activities, such as suspicious photos, videos, academic papers, research materials, and experimental data.
Therefore, students are reminded to sort out the contents of their electronic devices in advance before passing through the customs, without any illegal contents.
Moreover, pay attention to the sensitive words in the chat content. Before going through the customs, the chat records should be cleared of the following sensitive words, such as affiliation, part-time job, identity registration, fake marriage, tax avoidance, paying cash, private work, part-time jobs, etc.; not to mention some banned words: marijuana, hacking, guns, terrorist attacks, explosions, etc.
Also, in order to avoid seizure of electronic devices, charge them well in advance, because if the device is inaccessible, customs has the right to confiscate your device and detain you.
3. Academic disqualification
Do you think everything will be fine after entering the country?
Wrong! After entering the country, it is also possible to be deported, and academic failure is one of the reasons for deportation.
1) Too much absenteeism
Universities in Singapore have strict requirements on student attendance and stronger supervision of international students. Many universities will emphasize in the student guidance that absenteeism must be taken off. Unexcused absences may result in failure to renew student visas or direct dismissal.
2) Too many failed subjects
Universities in Singapore are often easy to enter, difficult to graduate, and the academic pressure is very high. If students’ academic performance is not good – there are too many failed subjects, and do not meet the minimum requirements of the school, they will generally be placed on school probation.
3) Exam cheating/paper plagiarism
Studying abroad, the most taboo thing is to cheat in your studies, and writing essays, plagiarism or cheating in exams. These are all very serious behaviors. If cheating or plagiarism is found out, the student may be dismissed directly, and the study abroad career will be terminated early.
Foreign colleges and universities attach great importance to credit, and schools will also strictly examine whether students have dishonest behavior in their studies. Papers without citing sources, excessive citation ratios, and identical answers are considered cheating.
Some situations caused by carelessness may be forgiven after explanation, and those with serious circumstances will be severely punished. If it is serious enough to be expelled, the international student’s study path will be terminated immediately and must leave the country.
4. Illegal crimes
Another reason for deportation is criminality. The illegal and criminal acts mentioned here are not limited to criminal cases, but also include some acts in violation of immigration laws, such as fraudulent visa application materials, illegal work and the like.
In order to reduce the burden on their families, some international students may choose to work part-time abroad, or start “purchasing on behalf of others”. But these are likely to be behaviors that seriously affect school regulations. After all, not all countries and schools can accept students working outside.
For example, in Singapore, it is clearly stipulated that you must be a full-time student of an institution recognized by the Ministry of Education and hold a Student Pass issued by ICA (within the validity period) before you can apply for part-time work, and the working time cannot exceed 16 hours a week.
In addition, if you have a history of drinking and driving in your country, you will also be refused entry. Of course, not all friends with records will be rejected, and customs will decide on a case-by-case basis. When asked about relevant criminal records, you must answer honestly, let the customs know that you have corrected yourself, and you are more likely to be allowed to enter.
5. Visa expired
The most frequent deportation is that students forget the validity period of their student visas and fail to renew their visas within the validity period in time.
Whether studying abroad or traveling, overstaying is prohibited, ranging from fines to imprisonment. Once there is an experience of overstaying, subsequent visa applications will be difficult to pass, or even no longer able to enter the country.
Therefore, students must pay attention to the validity date and update it in time before the pass expires.
6. Forged passports and visas
In addition to damaged passports, visas, and graffiti, there is another situation that will make customs officers suspect that you are trying to enter the country with fake documents. This is the PS ID photo.
In order to beautify the image, some students will use PS photos as ID photos. This is fine in normal times, but if used in passports and visas, it is not a small risk.