In late 2025, the LEA sent a multi-page deportation notice to nearly 300 students of the IU.
The reason cited by the State Immigration Office was not related to a lapse in documentation or academic irregularities, but the hybrid structure of his programme. IU is one of the largest universities in Germany with more than 1,30,000 students, out of which 4,500 are Indians. The university provides hybrid undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in collaboration with an Indian placement agency upGrad. This structure has come under scrutiny recently. The initial part of the degree programme is done online from India, and then students move to Berlin to finish the degree.
For 25-year-old Deep Sambhalkar, a university student, life has turned upside down after receiving a multi-page deportation notice, just five months ahead of his graduation. He is one of the students whose passport was seized by the authorities. The clock is ticking for many students like him who have to obtain a visa extension before March 8. Less than a week from now! When these students received a deportation notice for the first time, they were asked to respond within 30 days, while some of them received the notice after 20 days of release due to changed addresses, and even some of them were not in the city.
“My visa appointment had gone well. The officer was positive. I was given a one-year temporary residence permit and told to just finish my course,” Deep said. The problem arose because of the way Berlin visa authorities interpreted the hybrid or blended-learning programmes. While earlier these formats were accepted, authorities now ruled that they are not eligible for the students’ residence permit.
The deportation letters repeatedly mention that self-study modules, online components and non-mandatory presence at the campus do not satisfy the conditions for getting a visa. This resulted in visa cancellations at the time when students were planning to seek visa extensions rather.
Seeking help from the university has been difficult initially, students say. “Communication is slow and indirect”, said Deep. Considering the burgeoning number of students affected, IU agreed to cover legal costs for appeals, students told CNBC-TV18. “I never speak with my lawyer directly. Everything goes through multiple layers, and replies are delayed,” a student said.
The European lawmakers have criticised the policy. Germany’s approach towards international students possesses the risk of undermining its own economic needs, argued Damian Boeselager, Member of the European Parliament from Volt Europa. “Germany desperately needs immigration to be able to not shrink economically and to have any chance of somehow financing a failing pension and health insurance system. It is ridiculous that we stop hybrid master programmes from working,” he said. The university should have been aware of visa issues pertaining to their students, he added.
For the long term, he believes, “Germany should revamp its labour and student migration system to be as friendly as possible and serve the immigrants who want to study and work in the country.” This crisis also puts a spotlight on how international students are channelled into private universities through ‘overseas pathway programmes’. The students were also allowed to take an additional year, if needed, which Deep did take. “At no point were we warned that this structure is under scrutiny”, he mentioned.
The educational cost in a German private university is significantly high. In cities like Berlin, the cost of living further adds on to the financial burden. Most of the master’s students invest over Rs 20 lakh in such hybrid programmes. And majority of them rely on educational loans.
“This reveals first of all a contradiction: while our Chancellor Merz is in India looking desperately for talents, the authorities here are starting deportation without any serious reason,” said Frank Beckmann, Founder and CEO of CVI Investment Advisory, who works closely on Indo-German relations. While highlighting the situation as “deeply serious”, he added that there is an urgent need for clarity and fairness in Germany’s immigration policies for international students.
Beckmann called the sudden shift in interpretation by Berlin visa authorities “a systemic failure in communication and policy consistency”. Penalising students who enrolled in a German university in good faith under previously accepted guidelines is not only “unjust” but also damages the country’s reputation as a welcoming destination for international students, especially from India, according to him. In the long term, he said, “Germany needs to formalise and standardise its visa guidelines for hybrid and online learning components.”
This problem is not limited to the master’s students. Some of the bachelor’s students at the same institution, who have paid much higher amounts, have also received similar notices. According to the students, over 189 students remain enrolled in the course but have appealed in the court. Some students were also lucky to have secured the post-study visa. But nearly 30 students, who have completed their studies, have not received any updates on the post-study visa. “Many students, who could afford it, have changed their university,” said Deep while talking about students’ response to the crisis. “They not only lost money but also time and, in some cases, their entire degree plan,” he added.
Students pursuing a master’s degree have to appear for six on-campus exams and write a thesis. If their case is rejected in March, they would not be able to complete the course here. They would have to explore options to finish the course online. While some students suggested that the Indian Embassy in Berlin helped them in pushing the university to provide the legal support, the email sent by CNBC-TV18 remained unanswered.
