What Is Student Migration?

In an increasingly competitive global environment, international students have emerged as a key human resource for governments seeking to augment their labor force and offset their aging populations through the recruitment of young, host-country educated, work-ready, “tried and tested” individuals. This report traces the evolution of the link between international study and skilled migration, outlines some of the policy methods Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries are using to recruit and retain international students, identifies policy challenges, and predicts how the economic recession will affect future international student flows. Student migration is the movement of students who study outside their country of birth or citizenship for a period of 12 months or more.[1] During the period of globalization, the internationalisation of higher education increased dramatically and it has become a market driven activity. With the rapid rise of international education more and more students are seeking higher education in foreign countries and many international students now consider overseas study a stepping-stone to permanent residency within a country.[2] The contributions that foreign students make to host nation economies, both culturally and financially has encouraged major players to implement further initiatives to facilitate the arrival and integration of overseas students, including substantial amendments to immigration and visa policies and procedures.