Suspect Arrested in Fake Study Visa Recommendation Case; Committee Formed to Investigate Education Ministry Staff Involvement
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The Education Ministry and the Department of Immigration, investigating the issue of fake recommendations used to grant student visas to foreign nationals, have said they are currently examining 21 individuals.
A suspect arrested for submitting a forged letter under the name of Valmiki Vidyapeeth, affiliated with Nepal Sanskrit University, claimed to be a faculty member of the same campus.
However, the Department of Immigration’s investigation, starting from doubts regarding the authenticity of the document, asked the individual a single question which confirmed the suspicions of authorities.
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry has formed a committee to investigate the involvement of its staff in the incident, according to a statement from the Education Minister’s Secretariat.
Authorities from the immigration department went to Valmiki Campus after concerns arose regarding the eight individuals who had obtained visa recommendations from the Education Ministry and claimed to be students.
After the campus administration responded that both the recommendation letter and the students were not genuine, the person who filed the visa applications and facilitated the process—claiming to be a campus teacher—was interrogated, said Department spokesperson Tikaram Dhakal.
“At the start of interrogation, we asked for the campus head’s name. He was unable to provide it. When asked for a contact number, he tried contacting friends to get the information,” Dhakal explained.
Subsequently, the department arrested this person along with the Chinese nationals who had applied for visas together and handed them over to the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Department.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Sarat Thapa confirmed that an investigation is ongoing into the case.
Both Teacher and Students Found to be Fake
Image Source, nsu.edu.np
During the investigation, officials discovered that the individual facilitating the visa cases was not a teacher at Valmiki Vidyapeeth.
When contacted, Valmiki Vidyapeeth Professor Achyut Prasad Lamichhane confirmed that inquiries had been made about the person and the letter.
“That person does not teach here. When talking with our staff, he had said he teaches at Bishwabhāṣā Campus. Meanwhile, the staff at Bishwabhāṣā Campus said he told them he teaches at Valmiki,” Lamichhane said.
Both campuses are located less than 500 meters apart on Exhibition Road.
Authorities found that the arrested suspect still teaches part-time in the Sanskrit Central Department of Tribhuvan University, where his name is listed as a department member on the official website.
Departmental staff stated that he has been working as a partial faculty member for a long time.
According to Valmiki Vidyapeeth, the registration number and receipt number on the recommendation letter submitted to the Education Ministry are newer than those previously issued by the campus.
“The letter was made stating it was for undergraduate studies in Sanskrit literature. We do not offer that subject at our campus and these students are not enrolled here,” said Principal Lamichhane.
Valmiki Vidyapeeth often invites students from China and various other countries for study.
Currently, 23 students from China, the United States, Japan, Russia, and other countries are enrolled at Valmiki Vidyapeeth, he added.
10 More Visas Issued in Baishakh
After it was revealed that visas were obtained using fake letters, the Ministry of Education and Sports has sent a letter to the Home Ministry requesting further investigation, according to the Secretariat of Minister Sasmita Pokharel.
Following the arrest of two suspects, the Department of Immigration is investigating other individuals who applied for visas alongside them.
According to the department, the eight individuals who applied together received their visas on Jestha 21.
Of these visa holders, six are Chinese nationals, one is Korean, and one is Russian, department spokesperson Dhakal said.
On Friday, the department was informed by the Education Ministry that on a previous date, Baisakh 14, another 10 individuals had received similar visa recommendations.
Immigration officials said these individuals had already been issued visas as well.
“We are currently searching for those who have already been issued visas, and the process of canceling their visas has begun,” said department spokesperson Dhakal.
Previously, the Department of Immigration had stated that five Chinese, two Koreans, one American, one British, and one Swedish national had obtained such visas.
Committee Formed to Investigate Staff Involvement
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education and Sports has established a committee to investigate the potential involvement of ministry employees in the submission of forged letters and documents related to study visa recommendations.
According to a statement issued by Minister Pokharel’s Secretariat, the committee was formed under a ministerial decision, chaired by Undersecretary Chandrakant Bhusal. Deputy Secretary Gopikrishna Regmi and Section Officer Gunraj Bhattarai are members of the committee.
The committee has been directed to conduct the necessary investigation into the roles and responsibilities of implicated staff and submit their report within seven days.
Following this, the committee will also study procedural weaknesses in immigration and document verification systems.
The ministry called the incident “serious” and stated that further administrative and legal actions would be taken based on the investigation results.
Chinese Nationals Represent Largest Group of Deportees from Nepal
In the last five years, Chinese nationals have comprised the largest number of foreign citizens deported from Nepal.
According to the Department of Immigration data from 2021 through May 2026, Chinese nationals lead the statistics for foreigners deported annually from Nepal.
In 2021, out of 218 deportees, 34 were Chinese; in 2022, 191 out of 570; in 2023, 209 out of 458; in 2024, 141 out of 501; and in 2025, 120 out of 523 were Chinese nationals.
So far in 2026, among 267 deported foreign nationals, the highest number—26—are Chinese, equaled only by 26 Bangladeshi deportees.
Last week, 15 Bangladeshi workers employed at a Chinese-run scam center were deported simultaneously.
Data from Nepal Police shows that between Shrawan 2079 and Jestha 18, a total of 1,123 foreign nationals have been arrested in Nepal.
Indians constitute the largest portion, with 698 individuals arrested, according to the Nepal Police Headquarters.
Citizens from various other countries account for 425 arrests.
Following Indian nationals, Chinese nationals represent the second highest number of arrests in Nepal.
Police report that Chinese citizens account for the majority of cases violating visa regulations.
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