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From changes in study visas to increased work hours allowed to international students, a lot has happened in the study abroad domain this year. We will find out how some countries are making stricter visa rules to curb immigration while a few are easing norms to attract foreign students.
As per the data released by the Indian government in Rajya Sabha, over 13.35 lakh Indian students are pursuing higher studies abroad. The number of Indians studying abroad increased from 13,18,955 in 2023 to 13,35,878 in 2024. While the year-on-year has been slow this time, the number of students pursuing higher studies abroad has dramatically increased from pre-pandemic years. The number has gone up from 675541 in 2019 to 685097 in 2020, after which it jumped to 1158702 in 2021 but declined to 907404 in 2022. However, the number shot up to 13,18,955 in 2023 to 13,35,878 in 2024.
Interestingly, despite several ups and downs, popular English-speaking countries such as Canada (427000), the US (337630), Australia (122202), and the UK (185000) remain the top choice for Indian students hoping to pursue a degree abroad.Here are a few countries that have recently brought in changes in their immigration policy, especially relating to students:
New Zealand
In November this year, New Zealand announced that international students who study for a postgraduate diploma for 30 weeks and transfer to a Master’s degree immediately afterward are now eligible for a Post Study Work (PSW) visa.
“Students who studied a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) for 30 weeks and immediately progressed to a Master’s degree, but were not enrolled in the Masters for 30 weeks, are now eligible to apply for a Post Study Work visa (PSWV) based on their PGDip enrolment. This will give students more flexibility in their course of study and ensure they can remain eligible to work following their qualification,” the official notice stated.
Germany
In the 18th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany plans to increase the number of visas granted annually to skilled Indian workers to 90,000 from 20,000.
The updated dataset by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) also revealed that Indians continued to be among the top contributors to Germany’s international academic community, with around 49,000 students and 6,700 researchers from India enrolled at German universities. Interestingly, almost 80 per cent of international researchers in Germany work at universities – including around 4,000 professors – and around 20 per cent at non-university research institutions. Most international researchers came from India (6,700), China (5,900) and Italy (5,800).
UK
A dataset shared by the United Kingdom’s Home Office revealed there has been a fall of 23 per cent in Indian students going to the UK for higher studies, even as they continue to represent the largest group granted leave to remain on the Graduate Route visa which allows foreign students to work in Britain for two years after their degree.
Experts feared this decline in the number of Indian students is the first sign of the impact of stricter restrictions on most student visa holders’ right to bring along dependent family members, which took effect earlier this year. Meanwhile, while the former PM Rishi Sunak wanted to remove the graduate visa route, which permits international students to work or look for a job for two years after graduation, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) report recommended that the UK’s graduate visa route “remains in place in its current form.”
With the non-immigration friendly policies promoted by Rishi Sunak, the number of international students in the country declined in the past few years, leading to a possible financial crisis for some of the leading UK universities. Two recent reports — one by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the other by the Office for Students (OfS), the higher education regulator for the UK — predicted that 40 per cent of England’s universities face the danger of budget deficits this year. Following several reports, UK announced a rise in university tuition fees by £285 for the first time in eight years. This inflation-linked increase will now take the fees up to a record £9,535 per student.
Meanwhile, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), a charity and private limited company that provides a central service between applicants and universities, has decided to launch a new format for personal statement/ statement of purpose from the 2026 academic session.
Australia
Australian government has given several shocks and surprises to international students this year as the country announced a proposal of limiting the number of international student enrollments at 2.70 lakh for 2025, with the intention of capping the migration levels. However, as this proposal was blocked by the Liberals and the Greens in the final sitting days of Parliament, the Australian government has now announced that the federal government will attempt to reduce the international student numbers by ordering a “go-slow” on visa processing, once applications reach a target for each university.
The new Ministerial Direction 111 (MD111) will divide student visas into two categories now: ‘high priority’ and ‘standard priority’. All universities will receive high-priority processing up to 80 per cent of their cap, after which the ‘standard priority’ processing will begin.
Additionally, international students must show proof of savings of at least A$29,710 ($19,576) to get their visa, the second increase in about seven months. It was raised to A$24,505 from A$21,041 in October. In addition to this, English language requirements for student visas were increased in March and the government has been taking steps to end settings that allowed students to prolong their stay.
Australia also launched a new visa programme that can benefit Indian students — MATES. Australia and India are further strengthening ties with the new Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES). This scheme is being introduced from late 2024. On May 23, 2023, Australia and India entered into a Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement (MMPA). Under MATES, Indian university graduates and early career professionals from India’s top universities will be able to apply for the MATES stream visa under the Temporary Work (International Relations) (Subclass 403), giving them the opportunity to live and work in Australia for up to two years. However, MATES participants will not be eligible to take part in this scheme more than once.
Philippines
The Philippines government this year approved an amendment to the Philippine Medical Act allowing foreign nationals to practice medicine in the island nation. Now, international students, including Indians, will be able to practice medicine in the Philippines.
Italy
Although a small change, but starting from January 10, 2025, Indian applicants of type D visa will be required to schedule individual appointments for fingerprinting at Italian consulates. Type D visas are eligible for long-term stay. The study visa also falls in the ‘type D’ visa category. This visa option is for applicants who wish to study or do research in Italy for a duration of more than 90 days — this includes both undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
Canada
This year was a particularly difficult for Indian students aspiring to pursue higher studied in Canada. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on September 19 announced a reduction in the intake cap on international student study permits for 2025. “Earlier this year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced a decrease in the number of temporary residents — from 6.5% of Canada’s total population down to 5% by 2026. To achieve this goal, the federal government is taking action to manage the increase of temporary residents and hold employers misusing the system accountable. We are reforming the International Student Program, tightening eligibility requirements for temporary foreign workers, enforcing employer compliance more strictly, and making labour market impact assessments more rigorous to mitigate fraud, and more,” an official statement said.
As the diplomatic ties between India and Canada worsened this year, Indian students were hit with another shocker from the Trudeau government as they suddenly announced the termination of the Student Direct Stream (SDS) and Nigeria Student Express (NSE) initiatives. This marked a major change for Indian students benefiting from expedited study permit processing through the SDS, which was introduced in 2018. With the termination of SDS, prospective students from India will now be required to apply for study permits through the regular study permit stream.
On November 1, Canada also implemented changes in post study work visa. As per the updated requirements, candidates will now have to provide proof of language ability to meet the language requirements for the PGWP when they submit application. Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) will be used as proof of language for English, and Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) for French. Candidates will still need to complete a study programme at a PGWP eligible designated learning institution.
The candidate will have to demonstrate skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking sections. The test results must be less than two years old when the candidates submit application. IRCC will accept language test results from Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP), IELTS and PTE Core for English. TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français and TCF Canada: Test de connaissance du français will be accepted for French. Many more such changes were implemented.
In addition to this, Canada also announced that eligible students can now work up to 24 hours per week off campus while their classes are in session. International students will have to apply and be approved for a new study permit before changing learning institutions. “This change is in line with the important work we have been doing to strengthen the integrity of the International Student Programme,” said Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
USA
For the first time since 2009, Indians have surpassed the Chinese as the largest cohort of international students in the US, according to the Open Doors 2024 report released in November. As per the report, in 2023-24, there were 3.31 lakh Indian students in the US, making up 29.4 per cent of its 11 lakh-strong international student population. It was 25.4 per cent the previous academic year.
Also, the number of Indian postgraduate students in the US — 1.96 lakh or 59 per cent of the total — saw an 18 per cent rise against the previous year. The increase in the number of Indian undergraduates was 13 per cent.
The report also showed that engineering is no longer the only top choice of Indian students in the US now. Going by the data, in 2023-24, about 24.5 per cent Indians in the US pursued engineering, which is nearly a 5 per cent drop of 29.6 per cent in 2021-22.
Meanwhile, math or computer science are the most popular fields drawing Indians, with 42.9 per cent pursuing these in 2023-24.
Additionally, with Donald Trump returning to the White House this January, several US universities have advised international students to return to the country before Trump takes oath in January. The universities have sent out the advisory as Trump, during the presidential election campaign, had pledged to implement the largest deportation operation in the history of the United States and even take the aid of the US military to actualise the operation. As per the Higher Ed Immigration Portal, in the higher education of the US, more than 4 lakh undocumented students are enrolled, as reported by BBC.
Some experts are also concerned that a second Trump administration may introduce stricter changes to Optional Practical Training (OPT). During his first term, White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller proposed eliminating a programme that allows international students with degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to work in the US for up to three years on their student visas, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Additionally, in one of the podcasts during his election campaign, Trump floated — though never promised — the idea of easier access to a green card. “…It’s so sad when we lose people from Harvard, MIT, and other great schools,” he said in the All-In podcast hosted by Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, and David Friedberg. “What I want to do and what I will do is—if you graduate from a college, I think you should get a green card automatically as part of your diploma. A green card to be able to stay in this country. And that includes junior colleges too,” he added.
While there have been visa policy changes in Canada, Australia, the UK and the US, experts are confident that opportunities remain abundant for genuine and high-calibre students, as destinations compete to draw the brightest minds, Piyush Kumar – Regional Director, South Asia, Canada and Latin America, IDP Education said.
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Additionally, there has been a noticeable change in the students’ preferences in terms of popular study abroad destinations. IDP claims that Indian students have shown growing interest in destinations like New Zealand and Ireland. In 2023, 17 per cent of the 69,135 international students enrolled in New Zealand were from India, making them the second-largest group of international students after China. Similarly, Ireland has witnessed a 28 per cent increase in Indian student enrolments compared to 2023.
“These trends underscore the evolving aspirations of Indian students, who are increasingly aligning their academic choices with global opportunities, leveraging destination-specific advantages, and solidifying their position as a driving force in the international education landscape,” said Piyush Kumar.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/education/study-abroad/how-policy-changes-in-us-uk-canada-australia-new-zealand-germany-will-affect-indian-students-9734738/
