Netherlands Ambassador to Bangladesh Joris van Bommel said the embassy is tightening scrutiny of student visa applications after observing that many applicants seek entry “to study, but not really to study,” instead attempting to use education as a pretext to remain in the Netherlands.
“We receive many applicants who cite education as their reason for going to the Netherlands, but whose real intention is not to study, rather to stay on,” the ambassador said, adding that the trend has led to stricter checks in recent months.
He said the embassy begins to doubt applications when an applicant does not speak English, cannot properly justify the purpose of study, or does not even know the university or faculty they claim to be joining.
Van Bommel said the stricter approach is aimed at ensuring that genuine students accepted by Dutch universities “have a better chance of approval and can move through the visa process much faster.”
He also advised prospective students not to rely on intermediaries. “You don’t need an agent. You apply to a university. If you’re accepted and your paperwork is in order, it will automatically come to the embassy for your visa,” he said.
The ambassador was speaking as the chief guest at a collaboration programme at BRAC University’s lecture theatre, jointly organised by the Netherlands embassy, the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development at BRAC University, and the Netherlands Alumni Association Bangladesh (NAAB).
BRAC University Vice-Chancellor Prof Syed Ferhat Anwar chaired the programme.
In his speech, van Bommel also underscored the long-standing ties between Bangladesh and the Netherlands, saying cooperation has been strong since Bangladesh’s independence, driven in part by shared realities as delta countries.
“We are both delta countries....fighting the water, working with the water, working on water management,” he said, pointing to longstanding institutional links and growing private-sector collaboration.
He said the relationship is evolving from a largely development-oriented engagement to one based on “mutual respect”, arguing that the Netherlands can also learn from Bangladesh.
He identified water, agriculture, circularity and sustainability in the garment industry, and the maritime sector as priority areas, and described cooperation across government to government, and knowledge to knowledge tracks.
Van Bommel also highlighted the Netherlands’ emphasis on challenge-based learning, saying education should focus on analysing and addressing real-world problems rather than “just learning facts”. He said most courses in the Netherlands are taught in English, which makes study options more accessible for international students.
On wider cooperation, the ambassador referred to work on the Bangladesh Delta Plan, saying a new research programme has been launched with “four different components” related to the plan. He also noted growing interest in AI and healthcare research, referencing collaboration opportunities involving institutions such as the Tropical Institute in Amsterdam.
