Op-Ed: “International Student Migration: hunting Talent or abusive Intent?: Perle (C‑14/23)”

This case is highly relevant for legal scholars and immigration authorities dealing with migration and asylum cases alike. Moreover, it is relevant for international students and the ‘industry’ of international higher education. The Court makes this a case of a general principle of EU law, being that EU law cannot be relied on for abusive or fraudulent ends.

What happened? On 6 August 2020, a young Cameroonian woman named ‘Perle’ applied for a study visa for Belgium. This application falls within the scope of Directive 2016/801/EU on the admission of third-country national students, amongst others (‘SRD’).  Perle finished high school in Cameroon in 2018. For the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 academic years, she enrolled in a