Student Debt Burdened Them, So They Moved Abroad and Stopped Paying

Post by throwuttfj » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 9:45 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #45

throwuttfj wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Passport Blocks: Arrears exceeding €5,000 can result in registration in the passport alert system, making it impossible to receive a new passport, I would say that is pretty serious violation of human rights, for relatively small infraction. Soviet countries used similar system to prevent people from leaving their communist paradise. How are you supposed to pay your debt, if you are not allowed to find new job abro…

> that is pretty serious violation of human rights I don’t think it’s that hyperbolic. But I agree that the existence of debts shouldn’t invalidate one’s right to a passport. (The counter argument is that passports are a privilege and citizenship a bundle of privileges and duties. Why should the country have the burden of passporting someone abroad who as abandoned it.)

Post by ceejayoz » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 9:50 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #50

ceejayoz wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I find this deeply frustrating. Interest rates are supposed to reflect the level of risk, and student loans are deeply low-risk to the lender.

> student loans are deeply low-risk to the lender Based on the other comment, they absolutely reflect that.

  7/1/21–6/30/22  3.73%
  7/1/20–6/30/21  2.75%
  7/1/19–6/30/20  4.53%
  7/1/18–6/30/19  5.05%
  7/1/17–6/30/18  4.45%
  7/1/16–6/30/17  3.76%

Post by throwuttfj » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 9:50 PM UTC

retired wrote: post #48

throwuttfj wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Passport Blocks: Arrears exceeding €5,000 can result in registration in the passport alert system, making it impossible to receive a new passport, I would say that is pretty serious violation of human rights, for relatively small infraction. Soviet countries used similar system to prevent people from leaving their communist paradise. How are you supposed to pay your debt, if you are not allowed to find new job abro…

They only do this if communication with the debtor is impossible. If this happens to you, you can contact the government, schedule a payment plan for your debt and then they give you a passport with a 12 to 24 month validity.

Post by JumpCrisscross » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 9:51 PM UTC

throwuttfj wrote: post #61

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> that is pretty serious violation of human rights I don’t think it’s that hyperbolic. But I agree that the existence of debts shouldn’t invalidate one’s right to a passport. (The counter argument is that passports are a privilege and citizenship a bundle of privileges and duties. Why should the country have the burden of passporting someone abroad who as abandoned it.)

Education is also a privilege. And universities should have no power to block people from leaving a country. It is like Emirates preventing people to go home, because of unpaid speeding tickets. Or Qatar confiscating passports of Indian workers.

Post by binarynate » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 9:52 PM UTC

reenorap wrote: post #41

Paying your debts is a business decision, not a moral decision. There is nothing moral about paying your debt to a bank and nothing immoral about not paying your debt to a bank. Businesses do this ALL THE TIME. Businesses can do this, and will walk away from debt the second when the math makes sense. If it's okay for businesses, then the exact same behavior should be okay for us humans to do. I walked away from my ho…