Twenty young people from India came to Montenegro to study economics in English, paying 3.500 euros per year, but instead of thinking about lectures and exams, they have been burdened for months with the basic question - whether they have legal residence in the country where they are studying.
According to information from "Vijesti", after arriving in Montenegro, the students expected to receive temporary residence in about a month, but the process, according to sources, has not been completed even after several months. They also claim that due to their unresolved status, students rarely leave Podgorica, fearing that, in the event of a check, they could be treated as persons without regulated residence.
The Faculty of Economics of the University of Montenegro says that the students are regularly enrolled, that they have been provided with support within the jurisdiction of that institution, and that the procedure has been extended due to procedures before several institutions. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP), however, has not responded to whether these students have a legal basis for residence in Montenegro.
The Ministry of Interior did not respond to questions from "Vijesti" about when the students submitted their applications for temporary residence, what stage their cases are in, whether the documentation is complete and, if not, what is missing. Questions about whether the students have a legal basis for staying in Montenegro while they are waiting for a decision, how the Ministry of Interior acts when foreign students' visas expire before they receive a temporary residence permit, and when their status can be expected to be resolved also remained unanswered.
Full-time students, but without a residence permit
The Faculty of Economics told "Vijesti" that 20 students from India are currently studying at that university unit with the status of full-time students.
"All students who enrolled at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Montenegro at the beginning of the 2025/2026 academic year, including international students, have the status of full-time students until the end of the current academic year," the Faculty responded.
Students from India are enrolled in the undergraduate academic studies in Business and Economics in English, or the MONTEB program. The Faculty of Economics explains that this is a self-financing program for all students, regardless of citizenship, and that the tuition fee is 1.750 euros per semester.
According to them, the tuition fee includes the right to attend classes and take exams within an accredited study program.
The Faculty states that MONTEB is the first English-language undergraduate study program at the Faculty of Economics and the University of Montenegro. It was accredited and launched in 2023, in accordance with the Internationalization Strategy of the University of Montenegro.
As they explained, the first two generations of the program were dominated by students from Montenegro and foreign students who had already resided in the country, primarily from Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine. After more active promotion on the international education market, the Faculty says, the first group of students from India has also enrolled.
Program in English, late arrival
That group, however, arrived in Montenegro late.
"Given that the visa procedure took several months, students from India arrived in Montenegro in November 2025, while classes in this study program began in September. For this reason, lecturers at the Faculty of Economics made an effort to help these students through additional consultations so that they would not fall behind in the material," the Faculty announced.
When asked about accommodation, the Faculty of Economics responded that they did not organize or arrange private accommodation for students, nor did they have the legal authority to monitor the conditions in which they reside.
"The initial accommodation was organized by the organization that recruited them to study in Montenegro, while some students later, of their own choice, moved to other private accommodation," the Faculty stated.
They added that the students could not apply for accommodation in student dormitories because they arrived in Montenegro at the end of November, while the competition for admission to dormitories lasted from September 22 to October 6, 2025.
When asked what information the students received before and after arriving in Montenegro, the Faculty of Economics said that, based on communication with the relevant institutions, they were provided with information about the procedure for regulating temporary residence, documentation, and steps to be taken.
"It was also explained to them that, according to previous practice, temporary residence permits, in cases where the documentation is complete and correct, are most often issued within about a month, with the note that each individual request is decided exclusively by the competent authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs," the Faculty responded.
The institution emphasizes that since the arrival of international students, they have provided all the support within their jurisdiction. They claim that they promptly issued the documentation necessary for enrollment, study, and procedures before state authorities, and that they responded to any subsequent request for additional documentation without delay.
Procedure between multiple institutions
At the same time, they emphasize that issuing visas, approving temporary residence, and deciding on the status of foreign citizens is not within the jurisdiction of the Faculty of Economics, but of state authorities.
"The extended duration of the procedures for regulating temporary residence was not a consequence of a single cause, but rather the complexity of the procedures that, in accordance with the laws of Montenegro, are carried out before multiple competent institutions," the Faculty stated.
They claim that during the process it was necessary to obtain and harmonize accommodation documentation, record changes in the place of residence of individual students, submit additional documentation at the request of the competent ministry, obtain and certify certain documents from the students' home country in cooperation with diplomatic and consular missions, as well as harmonize documentation with formal requirements that arose during the procedure.
The Faculty of Economics also says that, before and after the arrival of the students from India, they had continuous communication with the relevant institutions in Montenegro. They stated that in addition to the governing bodies of the University of Montenegro, they communicated with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the National Security Agency and the Embassy of Montenegro in the United Arab Emirates.
When asked who provided the students with legal or administrative assistance for regulating the documentation and on what basis was that person hired, the Faculty of Economics responded that they were not an adequate address.
They did not specify when they expect the status of students from India to be resolved.
They announced that they will continue to provide support to international students within their jurisdiction, from preparing and issuing necessary documentation to communicating with students and cooperating with institutions.
The Faculty also announced that, based on the experiences from this enrollment cycle, they will initiate discussions with the relevant institutions about improving procedures for regulating the status of foreign students, so that administrative procedures are "simpler, more predictable and more efficient."
"The internationalization of higher education represents an important development goal of the University of Montenegro and we believe that through joint action by all competent institutions, we can further improve the conditions for studying for international students in Montenegro," concluded the Faculty of Economics.
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