The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) issued a statement on Sunday expressing its concerns over what it called “unjust measures” targeting Syrian students in Egypt.
The statement said that these measures could jeopardize their academic future and undermine the credibility and esteemed reputation of Egypt’s educational system.
The commission said it had received numerous complaints from Syrian students in Egypt and abroad. According to the organization, “many Syrian students were recently surprised by arbitrary dismissal decisions issued by Egyptian universities on the grounds that they do not possess student visas.”
“This, despite the fact that they were previously accepted into these universities using tourist visas,” it added.
These students had been registered under Egypt’s “Study in Egypt” program, overseen by the Ministry of Higher Education, which allowed them to pay tuition fees in US dollars, similar to other foreign students.
The commission said Syrian students were being prevented from converting their tourist visas into study visas—or from obtaining study visas in the first place—due to alleged directives from the Ministry of Higher Education.
The organization highlighted several categories of affected students, including new enrollees based abroad who had registered on the ministry’s platform, paid tuition fees, and received confirmation, only to be denied a study visa with no refund mechanism.
There are also students already in Egypt who have been barred from continuing their studies and from sitting exams. According to the statement, “these students were instructed to go to the passport office to convert their tourist visas into student visas. However, at the passport office, they were told they must leave Egypt and apply for a student visa from an Egyptian embassy abroad.”
“The embassies, in turn, refuse to issue student visas to Syrian nationals—meaning those who leave Egypt will not be able to return,” the statement added.
Furthermore, students with Gulf residency who were visiting their families and are now unable to return to Egypt due to the Egyptian embassies’ refusal to issue student visas, in contrast to previous practice.
Syrian doctors enrolled in the Egyptian medical fellowship program were similarly affected. They had secured approval to participate in the program but were denied visas and unable to recoup the $300 certificate equivalency fee.
The Ministry of Higher Education has denied issuing any such directives, a position that, according to the commission, contradicts the reality faced by numerous affected students.
The commission said the situation amounts to “a direct targeting of Syrian students and a blatant violation of international student rights, humanitarian principles, and the shared values between the Egyptian and Syrian peoples.”
It warned that the crisis threatens the futures of hundreds of Syrian students who chose Egypt in good faith, believing in the fairness of its institutions.
The statement also called on the Ministry of Higher Education to review its decisions and clarify the study visa process for all foreign students without discrimination. It urged Egyptian universities not to expel students who had been officially admitted and had paid tuition, until these legal and administrative issues were resolved.
The commission also appealed to human rights groups and international bodies to monitor the situation and protect the rights of Syrian students. It called for an end to discriminatory practices, and for setting measures that ensure the safe and voluntary return of Syrian students, stressing that returns should be carried out in a dignified manner free from coercion or threats.
In a separate development last week, Nour Khalil, director of the Refugees Platform in EGypt (RPE), wrote on Facebook that approvals and entry visas for Syrians had been suspended, and that the duration of stay for Syrians arriving in Egypt had been reduced from three months to just one month without renewal.
Khalil also noted that fines for overstaying had been lifted for Syrians wishing to leave Egypt or travel elsewhere, and that the UN refugee agency had ceased offering assistance for Syrians seeking to return home.
