Visa Trap Leaves South Sudanese Students Stranded from Going Home

May 24 , 2025. By BEZAWIT HULUAGER ( FORTUNE STAFF WRITER )

When Moses Akuei received his geology degree from Wolaita Sodo University, the 27-year-old from South Sudan imagined proudly returning home to his family. Instead, he now sleeps on friends' couches and relies on their generosity for food and shelter, trapped in Ethiopia due to unpaid immigration penalties totalling over 3,000 dollars.

For all he knows, he is stranded.

“I thought it would be easy after graduation,” Moses said. “But it's not easy to accommodate myself.”

Moses is among over 1,500 South Sudanese students in Ethiopia caught in a bureaucratic crisis over rising residency permit fees. For many, a previously straightforward residency process has become a severe financial burden, preventing students from returning home until they settle penalties owed to the Ethiopian Immigration & Citizenship Service (ICS).

The trouble began earlier this year following regulatory changes. International students previously paid 10 dollars a day for residence permits, a fee waived for scholarship students in February. Yet, in a sudden reversal, students were informed that they must handle their identification processes themselves, and the permit fee surged to 30 dollars a day, significantly raising their financial burden.

Daniel Nyok Guet, a medical student at Jimma University and president of the South Sudanese Students Union, described the escalating fees as financially devastating.

“The scholarship only covers tuition and accommodation,” Daniel told Fortune.

The residence fee was paid up until 2022. Back then, it cost 8,000 Br. Now, renewal alone costs students of foreign nationality 150 dollars, not including penalties.

Nearly 200 students due to graduate soon face mounting unpaid immigration fines reaching thousands of dollars, fearing they will be unable to return home and stuck indefinitely between the two countries. According to Daniel, the worsening situation is that graduates are forced to remain in Ethiopia and are increasingly vulnerable.

“Some of them are jobless and penniless,” he said. “They're being pushed into risky behaviours, some are turning to crime just to survive.”

Moses’s story illustrated the desperation many students face. After completing his studies, Moses attempted to renew his residency permit but discovered the waiver no longer applied. He repeatedly sought an exemption between March and June, unaware that daily penalties continued to accrue.

“The arrears were growing quietly, and by the time I realised I had to pay, it was too late,” Moses recalled.

Officials at the Ethiopian Ministry of Education say their ability to help is limited. According to Getu Abdisa, a senior international student expert, the Ministry has no formal obligation to cover these fees.

“It's the responsibility of the South Sudanese Embassy,” Getu told Fortune. “However, we're considering many variables. There is a possibility the Ministry might assist.”

Students' efforts to seek assistance from the South Sudanese Embassy and Ethiopian authorities have yielded little relief. Daniel said the Union submitted letters appealing for help but received only promises.

“We heard promises," he told Fortune. "Three months ago, we were told the penalty would be waived. But nothing has happened. Our appeals fell on deaf ears.”

Ethiopia recently accepted nearly 500 South Sudanese students on scholarship, facing similar confusion. This prompted the Education Ministry to allocate almost 20 million Br to cover student visa costs, representing a considerable budgetary strain. Yet, Getu maintained that the Ministry has received no official student requests about a fee waiver.

“According to the agreement, the scholarship covers only tuition and housing," said Getu. "Nothing more.”

Officials at the Immigration Office echoed similar frustrations. According to Gosa Demissie, deputy bureau head at ICS, the Agency enforces regulations.

“We're not policy makers,” Gosa said. “These students are treated like all others. We can't create exemptions unless the law allows.”

He acknowledged the seriousness of the situation but pointed out the lack of formal communications from student organisations. He said the ICS had received informal appeals but no official documentation that would enable them to address the issue broadly.

The latest immigration directive provides exemptions only in specific circumstances, such as for intensive care patients, minors, homeless individuals, government employees performing labour-intensive jobs, and political asylum seekers. Gosa said that some international students had previously abused the system, overstaying visas without renewing permits, complicating regulatory enforcement.

“We’ve seen foreigners drop out of school and continue staying without renewal," he told Fortune. "It's become difficult to regulate.”

Legal experts agree with the authorities and confirm that students are legally responsible for fees. According to Yared Siyum, founder and principal attorney at Yared Siyum & Associates Law Office, initial payments by embassies do not relieve students from future obligations.

“If the Embassy paid initially, that does not absolve the students from future obligations,” Yared said. “The host country has every right to enforce its residency laws.”

Yared advised students to seek formal administrative solutions through diplomatic channels.

“They can request a full or partial waiver,” he said. “But, it has to come through the appropriate channels, not through informal appeals.”

International scholarship agreements between sponsoring and host governments define the costs.

“If residency fees weren’t included, then the students should pay them,” he said.

However, students like Moses remain trapped in a limbo, unable to plan their futures or even return home.

“My family cannot send money. They can barely survive,” Moses said. “I don’t want to stay here illegally, but I have no way to leave.”

For Daniel and other student representatives, the immediate priority is securing a reprieve from the penalties, allowing their peers a chance to return to South Sudan.

“These students are not asking for extra,” Daniel said. “They’re asking to go home.”

PUBLISHED ON May 24,2025 [ VOL 26 , NO 1308]