New System for Foreign Students in Mauritius
Starting September 30, 2026, international students will be required to use the NELS for their residence applications.
Starting September 30, 2026, all foreign students wishing to pursue higher education or training in Mauritius will be required to submit their Student Residence Permit applications through the National e-Licensing System (NELS). This initiative has been implemented to centralize and simplify the immigration process for international students.
Currently, residence permit applications can be made directly at the Passport and Immigration Office. However, with the implementation of this new rule, applications submitted outside the NELS platform will no longer be processed by the relevant authorities. This means that students will need to register and complete their procedures through the online portal available at business.edbmauritius.org.
This measure could have significant implications for Mauritius’s attractiveness as a study destination for international students. Indeed, the requirement to use an online system could pose a challenge for some candidates, particularly those who are not familiar with digital administrative processes or who face difficulties accessing the Internet.
The Mauritian authorities hope that NELS will facilitate the tracking and management of applications while enhancing the security of immigration processes. However, it is still too early to assess the actual impact of this requirement on the number of foreign students choosing Mauritius as their study destination.
In summary, this new regulation marks a turning point in the management of residence applications for foreign students in Mauritius, and its effectiveness will need to be monitored in the coming years.
L’équipe éditoriale de ZotNews. Une rédaction indépendante qui vérifie et cite ses sources pour informer l’île Maurice.
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