France has made it easier for students from outside the European Union to obtain visas and work in the country after they graduate, in a bid to attract more international students to the country. Students will no longer have to renew visas annually and can stay in France for up to a year to find work after graduation.

India and China market entry specialists Sannam S4 and Grok Education Services have announced a strategic partnership to support educators trying to break into Asia. The move will give educators access to a wider range of services and markets (Grok has flagged Malaysia) via a "single relationship".

Non-European Union undergraduate applications submitted by the June deadline have climbed 6%, in a sign that toughened visa policies are not deterring students at tertiary level. However, Dominic Scott, CEO at UKCISA, said that the figures only represented a proportion of the overall market, and that the sector continued "to hold its breath" about enrolments in the autumn.

Singapore's Council for Private Education (CPE) and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) have signed a Memorandum of Co-operation (MOC) to enhance standards of private education in both countries. NZQA has already visited Singapore to explore CPE's EduTrust Certification scheme.

The last two German states charging university tuition fees are to stop, in a move reinforcing Germany's low-cost appeal as a study destination. However, some say the move will make little difference to international student decision making and is anyway unaffordable. Bavaria will make the change this summer and Lower Saxony in spring 2014.

British PM David Cameron signed a number of education agreements with Kazakhstan last week, extending opportunities for UK providers. UK Trade and Investment said that the oil-rich country offered opportunities in vocational education and skills development.

A leaked memo reveals UK PM David Cameron is keen to develop an industrial strategy around education exports, which could include universities actively helping international graduates to find a job; swifter routes to citizenship; more foreign universities in the UK and extending access to the secondary school system to internationals.

The international pathways operator ELS has launched its first centre in Europe through a partnership with SKEMA Business School in France, and says it now plans to expand on the continent. The company now wants to explore further partnerships in France, as well as Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.