Rabat — Morocco’s Exchange Office has pledged to simplify travel regulations for students studying abroad.
The office released a circular on Thursday detailing measures to relax rules relating to foreign accounts as well as logistics to benefit students studying abroad.
The circular notes that one important change is to strengthen the relevant convertibility regime, facilitating measures to support individuals studying abroad.
Eligible individuals for these benefits include Moroccan nationals who are residents, those who are living abroad, and foreigners born to Moroccan fathers or mothers who do not possess a Moroccan passport or ID.
The measures also students studying abroad to open an account for their expenses related to travel and for pursuing education
The account must be closed by the end of the student’s stay, and the balance should also be repatriated to Morocco and exchanged on the foreign exchange market within 60 days.
Several other measures are included in the circular, which seeks to simplify study-abroad travel operations that are part of academic or training programs by both public and private education institutions abroad.
Thousands of Moroccans are studying abroad.
Statistics published by Statista report that the number of Moroccans studying abroad was estimated at 68,717 in 2021.
Studying abroad brings both positive and negative implications for Morocco. Although it is vital for the development of student’s education, it can directly contribute to the “brain drain” problem the country faces.
Many talented individuals either migrate to different destinations or choose not to return home after graduating from these foreign institutions.
Official estimates show that approximately 700 doctors, between 2,000 to 3,000 engineers in addition to 30,000 workers operating in the tourism sector emigrate annually for different reasons, but overall looking for better opportunities.
