Why are hundreds of Indian students facing deportation from Germany?

Much has been written about Indian students in the US facing deportation under the Trump administration. But a similar crisis is now unfolding in Germany.

Hundreds of Indian students studying at the private International University (IU) in Berlin are facing possible deportation after German authorities ruled that their courses no longer meet student visa requirements.

Many had taken out massive loans to cover the cost of tuition and living and are now staring at an uncertain future. So, what went wrong?

Why Indian students are facing deportation

First, let’s take a brief look at the International University (IU) of Berlin. It was founded in 1998 in Bad Honnef, Germany. By 2020, it had become one of Europe’s largest private universities. In 2021, it rebranded as IU International University of Applied Sciences.

Today, IU has more than 130,000 students across its campuses and online programmes from over 190 nations. It offers Bachelor’s degrees, Master’s degrees and MBA programmes. It is slated to open a new campus in Cologne. According to reports, IU has around 4,500 Indian students. They comprise around a fifth of its international students.

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At the heart of the crisis are IU’s hybrid programmes, which combine online learning with in-person classes. German authorities recently began scrutinising IU’s hybrid offerings after anonymous complaints alleged poor in-person attendance and weak oversight. Then, a court ruling backed the Berlin immigration authority’s view that many of IU’s sessions did not qualify as “on-campus” study under German law.

This led to hybrid programmes being reclassified as distance learning. The problem is that this does not qualify for a German student residence permit, which left students stranded. The situation worsened in 2025, when Germany abolished its informal “remonstration procedure” — a mechanism that had previously allowed students to challenge visa rejections quickly and at low cost.

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With its removal, affected students were left with limited and expensive legal options, effectively pushing many into limbo without an easy path to appeal or regularise their status.

The impact has been devastating. Deep Shambharkar, a 25-year-old from Maharashtra, told Euronews that he had already spent around $21,000 (around Rs 18.87 Iakh) on his education after moving to Berlin in July to complete a master’s degree in business management.

He had taken out loans to fund his studies. Under the programme, Shambharkar did the first part of his degree in India. He then moved to Germany to finish his course. Shambharkar said his student visa was due to be extended in the summer.

Then, a yellow envelope from the Berlin Immigration Office appeared in his post box. Shambharkar was ordered to leave the country by November 3 or face deportation. He says he knows of at least 300 similar cases.

“I don’t think the university will pay me back,” he said. “Most of the students have since left. Many have changed universities, at least those from wealthy families. Others have gone back home. They were helpless.”

What IU says

The university told _Euronews_ that it “regrets” that students must leave. It claimed that the Berlin Immigration Office (LEA) changed its evaluation of hybrid degree programmes “without informing IU International University”.

It described the LEA’s change of visa policy for students “who have entered the country under different conditions” as incomprehensible. It added that it will allow some students to finish their studies at home free of cost.

The IU says it is no longer accepting international students at the Berlin campus. “Due to the ongoing legal and administrative uncertainties with the LEA, IU will suspend all new student admissions to the Berlin campus until further notice,” it said. It also mandated full in-person attendance from October and launched a free visa assistance service.

However, these steps have done little to help students already enrolled, many of whom remain in legal limbo. Students have now taken to Reddit and social media to warn others against enrolling at IU. Immigration lawyers are now advising affected students to apply for Duldung — a temporary tolerated stay — as a last resort.

Experts say such situations can be an eye-opening experience for many about the realities of international education. “Situations like these highlight the complexity of international education pathways and the importance of alignment across academic delivery, regulatory interpretation, and visa compliance frameworks,” Mayank Maheshwari, Co-Founder and COO, University Living, told India Today.

“Over the course of an academic programme, regulatory interpretations or compliance requirements may evolve or be applied differently. When this happens without adequate clarity or transition mechanisms, it can create uncertainty for students who have otherwise acted in good faith,” Maheshwari added.

With inputs from agencies