The law is the same for everyone: a meeting for international students

On 29 January, an important informative and explanatory meeting was held between representatives of the university administration, law enforcement and state authorities with students and supervisors of study groups of foreign students. The event was dedicated to strict compliance with the legislation of the Republic of Belarus, rules of residence and migration registration.

The meeting was opened by Vice-rector for Ideological and Educational Work Lyudmila G. Soboleva, she emphasized the need to strictly follow the rules of internal order, living in hostels and behavior in public places.

Deputy Chairman of the Court of Zheleznodorozhny District of Gomel Svetlana F. Andreeva paid special attention to control of conduct of foreign citizens by the state. She gave statistics on increase of offences and described in detail legal consequences of crimes and offenses: detention in a temporary detention facility, judicial proceedings, which most often end in arrest or deportation. She specifically warned against any attempts of «easy earning», including drug-related ones (up to 15 years of imprisonment) and the high rate of disclosure of such crimes.

«I hope that everyone will leave the Republic of Belarus having completed the main aim of staying in the country – graduation and obtaining a diploma», - she summarized.

Ivan V. Shkurko, Assistant Prosecutor of Gomel, discussed in detail specifics of administrative and criminal liability for foreign citizens. He noted that even violations such as being intoxicated or causing bodily harm can lead to immediate deportation. In 2025, significantly more foreigners were deported from Gomel than in the previous year. 

"Foreign citizens are essentially subject to two main types of punishment: arrest and deportation," - the prosecutor's office representative noted.

Inna M. Kononovich, Senior Inspector of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Zheleznodorozhny District Department of Internal Affairs of Gomel, explained to international students key rules for residing in the Republic of Belarus. The most important of these is the obligation to reside strictly at the place of registration. Violating the registration procedure entails administrative liability.

The event was concluded by Ekaterina N. Shcherbakova, Dean of the Faculty of International Students, who shared specific and unfortunate examples from her work experience and cautioned students against rash actions.

The meeting was a serious and open discussion, the purpose of which was not to intimidate, but to warn, to protect students from fatal mistakes, and to help them successfully complete their studies.