2024-04-27
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Study Abroad
The challenges of international student recruitment in 2024
Beyond the Pandemic: New Hurdles for Universities Attracting Global Talent
The challenges of international student recruitment in 2024
Governments are tightening their immigration rules related to student recruitment to address public concerns over the strain that significant student immigration can place on local housing, employment markets, and public services.
New restrictions have been placed on students bringing dependents to live in the UK for the duration of their course. This is partly to ensure that the primary reason a student is in the UK is to study and partly to counter the 930% rise in dependent visas since 2019. Further changes also prevent individuals from switching from student visas to work visas until their studies are completed.
In the Netherlands, a group of 14 universities agreed to curb the number of courses taught in English to prioritize local language courses, give full accessibility to Dutch-speaking students, and ease the pressure placed on student accommodation by large numbers of international students.
Measures are more wide-ranging in Canada, where new caps on international student numbers over the next two years will result in a 35% drop in permits over those issued in 2023. This is intended to tackle a severe housing shortage and provide a breathing space for universities to resolve accommodation issues. International students who study at some private institutions in Canada will no longer be eligible for post-grad work permits. Further, only the spouses of students in master's or doctoral programs will be granted work permits.
Australia’s government has tightened rules on incoming students to curb the practice of gaining student visas before switching from high-cost courses at prestigious institutions to lower-cost classes and colleges. Students will also be required to achieve a higher standard of English before qualifying for visas. The hours students are allowed to work have also been restricted, partly to address universities' concerns that students were spending too much time working and not enough studying, resulting in poorer outcomes for both the individual and the institution. Combined, these measures will limit the number of students who can study in Australia.
For universities, their objectives are much more of a balancing act. Institutions must strive to attract the highest quality international applicants to ensure that the university maintains or improves its place in the world rankings and, through this, attracts research dollars. At the same time, it must continue to generate sufficient revenue through the fees of well-funded international students to underwrite the undergraduate education of their domestic cohort.
Qualification Check’s verification solutions help universities recruit efficiently by streamlining admissions, maintaining visa-granting licenses, sifting out fraudulent applications, and diversifying into new regions.
New restrictions have been placed on students bringing dependents to live in the UK for the duration of their course. This is partly to ensure that the primary reason a student is in the UK is to study and partly to counter the 930% rise in dependent visas since 2019. Further changes also prevent individuals from switching from student visas to work visas until their studies are completed.
In the Netherlands, a group of 14 universities agreed to curb the number of courses taught in English to prioritize local language courses, give full accessibility to Dutch-speaking students, and ease the pressure placed on student accommodation by large numbers of international students.
Measures are more wide-ranging in Canada, where new caps on international student numbers over the next two years will result in a 35% drop in permits over those issued in 2023. This is intended to tackle a severe housing shortage and provide a breathing space for universities to resolve accommodation issues. International students who study at some private institutions in Canada will no longer be eligible for post-grad work permits. Further, only the spouses of students in master's or doctoral programs will be granted work permits.
Australia’s government has tightened rules on incoming students to curb the practice of gaining student visas before switching from high-cost courses at prestigious institutions to lower-cost classes and colleges. Students will also be required to achieve a higher standard of English before qualifying for visas. The hours students are allowed to work have also been restricted, partly to address universities' concerns that students were spending too much time working and not enough studying, resulting in poorer outcomes for both the individual and the institution. Combined, these measures will limit the number of students who can study in Australia.
For universities, their objectives are much more of a balancing act. Institutions must strive to attract the highest quality international applicants to ensure that the university maintains or improves its place in the world rankings and, through this, attracts research dollars. At the same time, it must continue to generate sufficient revenue through the fees of well-funded international students to underwrite the undergraduate education of their domestic cohort.
Qualification Check’s verification solutions help universities recruit efficiently by streamlining admissions, maintaining visa-granting licenses, sifting out fraudulent applications, and diversifying into new regions.
