HBO colleges and the IND are cracking down on foreign students who apply for a study visa and then disappear, reports NRC.

The paper claims there is evidence that some students apply to an HBO college, or hogeschool, without intending to study. Instead, they vanish.

According to the paper, this includes would-be students from countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, India and Nigeria.

The IND reportedly said that it had investigated reports about students from Bangladesh and Bengal in the past year.

The Vereniging Hogescholen, which represents the colleges, said it suspected human traffickers might be involved with the disappearance of the students. Arnaud Stadermann, international coordinator, told the NRC they could be looking for a ‘weak point’ in the system.

Colleges may not discriminate on the basis of nationality but are planning to increase pre-admission interviews to ensure genuine students are applying.