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Motivated by migration
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Immigration policy is a strong influence on the success a country has in recruiting international students. Jane Vernon Smith discovers the different migratory pathways available.
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Australia has seen an upturn in its international student enrolments, as reported in the January 2009 issue of Education Travel Magazine, following changes to its migration policy that has facilitated permanent migration. Other countries too have policies that give advantages to those who have studied for a period in the country prior to applying for permanent residence.
In New Zealand, foreign students who have been educated and trained in the country are acknowledged as having, not only the knowledge and skills pertaining to the country’s unique business environment, but also familiarity with the national way of life. This makes them the “right migrants and ideal future citizens”, says Freddy Variava, Marketing Manager at Auckland-based AIS St Helens.
Job search visas are available for graduates, and the pathway from study to work to migration is well recognised and promoted by Immigration New Zealand. Variava comments that, although removal of the MBA qualification from the official skills shortage list earlier this year has hampered the school’s efforts to recruit more students for its MBA programme (especially from China), its graduate diploma in information technology is “particularly popular”. Included, crucially, on the national skills shortage list, this programme also offers the opportunity to complete a ‘work-based project’ as part of the assessment.
In Canada, a new immigration route, the Canadian Experience Class, has recently been introduced for certain temporary foreign workers and foreign student graduates with professional, managerial and skilled work experience. “Unlike other programmes, the Canadian Experience Class allows an applicant’s experience in Canada to be considered a key selection factor when immigrating to Canada,” explains Sherry Yuan Hunter of the University of Toronto in Toronto, ONT.
She points out that Canada has a need for migration in order to maintain its population growth and economic well-being, and the new system will support this need. The change received an enthusiastic reception from international students who were already in Canada and enrolled in degree studies, she reports, and she expects a resulting increase in numbers wanting to study in the country. “For many international students, study went hand-in-hand with the intent to work, then [migrate]”, she says. In New Zealand, Variava recognises a similar trend, especially in respect of students from India.
According to agent reports, many institutions, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, highlight the availability of migration pathways in their marketing. As a language school promoting academic pathways, Variava confirms that AIS ST Helens also draws attention to these possibilities, as well as emphasising its own role in supporting students in finding and taking advantage of available work opportunities.
While many agents see little evidence that migration options are influential for clients in selecting a study destination, others believe future migration possibilities can be important. Ghana-based agent, Nelson Akwasi Asante, states that he believes as many as 50 per cent of clients have migration in mind when planning their study abroad vacation, although he notes that the majority now look to return home upon graduation, because of the opportunities available on the African continent.
At Study Experience, a higher education consultancy in France, Mark McHugo notes that “a few of our clients have taken this approach when organising their studies, especially for Australia”. Meanwhile, for Marie-Claude Saliba, Managing Director of Educom Overseas based in Lebanon, the aim of permanent migration appears to be a growing trend, which she has noticed over the past year, with the majority of clients targeting those more receptive to immigration pathways – Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
“The favoured option,” recounts McHugo, “is to choose an area which is in demand by local immigration, then they enrol in a relevant short course with the objective of obtaining enough points for permanent residency.” While, as McHugo points out, the global financial crisis has reduced Australia’s official skills-in-demand list, there remain many areas of work that are sought after, from computer professionals, accountants, medical specialists and engineers to carpenters, plumbers and cooks. Although some plan migration from the outset, many more students decide to stay in the country once they have finished their studies, McHugo ventures. “In Australia, once again, students are allowed an 18-month graduate visa once they have completed two full years of study. These students usually go on to find a job and sponsorship for a permanent visa.”
By comparison, the UK and USA are less accommodating to post-study migration. While the UK Border Agency has introduced new regulations to allow higher education students in all UK colleges and universities to remain in the UK for up to two years on a post-study work visa, this is not permanent migration, as Fiona Jurk of Dundee College points out. Nevertheless, the college makes the most of these opportunities by promoting them widely at seminars and workshops. “Students are faced with a range of choices, which all seem very similar, apart from the country, language and climate,” comments Jurk, “so any advantage or additional ‘offer’ or benefit given by one country or education system is critical to the income of colleges and universities within that country.”
Ronald Cushing, Director of UC International Service at the US University of Cincinnati is clear that the opportunity to work after graduation is a key factor in helping students to select where they will study, both in terms of country and of institution. He reports that 50 per cent of the university’s international students hope to work, at least temporarily, in the US, following graduation. Here, there are employment visas and avenues to permanent residency (Labor Certification), Cushing reports. However, he says, federal regulations limit the number of foreign employees that can be hired temporarily on an annual basis, and make the process by which employers can sponsor permanent residency for foreign employees both complex and expensive.
The best opportunities for permanent residence in the US are currently available to students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and particularly for those who complete a doctoral degree, “since there simply aren’t enough US students to meet the demand”, he comments. While there has been discussion over the past decade around creating a new visa category for students in these fields to facilitate the transition from student to permanent resident, these have so far come to nothing – leaving Canada, Australia and New Zealand as prime destinations for migration-intent students.
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