Re:Foreign students targeted by UK anti-migrant policies
by Symbiote on Saturday November 05, 2016 @08:11PM
(#12882649)
When I started university in 2004, many of the international (non-EU) students aimed to graduate, then get a job in the USA.
By the time we were graduating, the USA had mostly closed the normal routes for immigration for these students. It was possible, but far more difficult than simply staying in the UK, so most decided to stay in the UK. Of course, living there for 3-4 years helped, but the simple process for a skilled graduate to get a visa was also attractive.
Nowadays, my impression is a similar group of students would be looking to Canada or Germany.
These were graduates of Imperial College, and I had friends at Cambridge with the same experience. When immigration policy doesn't make it straightforward even for the top 0.1% (or whatever) of graduates to stay, the policy is seriously broken.
By the time we were graduating, the USA had mostly closed the normal routes for immigration for these students. It was possible, but far more difficult than simply staying in the UK, so most decided to stay in the UK. Of course, living there for 3-4 years helped, but the simple process for a skilled graduate to get a visa was also attractive.
Nowadays, my impression is a similar group of students would be looking to Canada or Germany.
These were graduates of Imperial College, and I had friends at Cambridge with the same experience. When immigration policy doesn't make it straightforward even for the top 0.1% (or whatever) of graduates to stay, the policy is seriously broken.