US fails to link international students with immigration, says IIE

Despite a growing desire to attract and retain the best students internationally, the United States is losing the ability to keep graduates in the country because of the lack of “a clearly articulated pathway between higher education and immigration”, according to a senior researcher in international education.

Rajika Bhandari, deputy vice-president of research and evaluation at the International Education Institute, was among the featured speakers at a session on keeping fresh talent in Australia, Canada and the US at the 64th NAFSA – Association of International Educators – conference held this year in Houston, Texas, from 29 May to 1 June.

Although 75% of international doctoral students plan to stay in the US, Bhandari sees more and more returning to their home countries.

“While the number of international students has grown over the past five years, the number of temporary work visas has not kept up,” even though the US economy is increasingly dependent on a foreign workforce.

Currently, international students must say they plan to return home in order to get a student visa in the US. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates are granted an extension of 12 to 29 months for practical training once they complete their coursework, but then may have to wait as long as 10 years for work credentials.

Meanwhile, competitor countries appear to be making things less difficult for international students when they graduate.

Recently, the Australian government streamlined its visa process for international graduates and established post-study work rights, which allow students to look for work in any field for two to four years following graduation.

Recent Canadian policies have encouraged international students to get a foothold in the workforce, offering flexible work permits for students and off-campus and postgraduate work permits.

Nevertheless, as in the US students often have to say they plan to leave Canada after their studies. “At the same time, they are being encouraged to stay,” said Timothy Owen, director of WES-Canada, the recognised international credential evaluation service of the government of Ontario.

“We want them to stay, but we’re not always sure how to get there.”

Even Latin America, which currently attracts only 1.5% of the world’s international students, expects its numbers to grow, according to Francisco Marmolejo, executive director of the Consortium for North American Higher Education. “Every university in Latin America wants to be international,” he said.

There is growing recognition among countries competing for talented students that they must do more to retain these students, according to Janine Knight-Grofe, research manager for the Canadian Bureau for International Education.

“Immigration is one of the best answers to a decreasing number of workers.”

For years Australia attracted huge numbers of international students – more than 600,000 – with an open immigration policy for skilled workers.

Although the government prohibits linking immigration and education, they are by nature closely related, said Brett Blacker, director of the international office of academic and global relations at the University of Newcastle.

Australia’s foreign student population peaked in 2009, when the government announced an end to its policy of issuing preferred visas for a wide range of “migrant occupations in demand”.

The country also moved to close trade schools that were producing too many graduates in areas that were no longer experiencing shortages. “We had 10,000 pastry chefs, but few bakeries,” Blacker said.

Institutions of questionable quality that had sprung up to take advantage of international interest were closed, and there were also some safety problems involving students on Australia’s east coast.

Canada is trying to learn from Australia’s experience, said Timothy Owen of WES-Canada. The country wants to avoid the quality issues Australia had and is also shifting immigration policies to train and retain international students.

It has had considerable success. In 2011, 98,000 students came from other countries to study there, bringing Canada’s total number of international students to 240,000.

“Canada has experienced 80% growth in international enrolment in the past 10 years,” Owen said. “These students contribute $6.5 billion to the Canadian economy.”

Canada needs trained international students to join its workforce, Owen added. As in so many Western countries, its population is aging. By 2030, all population growth will be due to immigration.

As these and other countries compete for the best and brightest, the US may find itself having to revisit immigration policies.

Nevertheless, the US remains the most popular destination for international students, with 730,000 currently enrolled in higher education institutions – and numbers continue to grow.