Policy

The Canadian government has closed six visa offices abroad. Critics say the move complicates foreign relations and will affect Canada's ability to attract foreign students, given the sudden closure of visa issuing offices in Malaysia, Bangladesh, Germany, Japan, Iran and Serbia.

Australia's Minister for Schools, Peter Garrett, is on a mission to increase awareness of Asian culture and the study of Asian languages in Australian schools. He has announced AUS$4.6m in funding to further this aim.

The US State Department has announced major reforms to tackle abuse of its J-1 Summer Work and Travel Program, which brings over 100,000 students to the US each year. Working in "goods-producing" industries or in a job with primary hours from 10pm to 6am will be banned, since an investigation found the scheme had been abused by wily employers.

Thirty-five per cent of tuition fee income at UK universities came from non-EU students last year, according to new figures from HESA. Of the total £8.3 billion taken in fees by universities in 2010-11, £2.9 billion was paid by students from outside the EU. This is up from £1.5 billion five years ago.

Canada – an active player in the roundtable on international education – has spoken to The PIE News about why it has not signed up to the London Statement.

Indian education ministers toured community colleges in the US and attended the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) annual convention last week, to gain insight on the American community college sector.

Former UK prime minister Tony Blair has stressed the importance of international education to the British economy in a recent interview sponsored by LSBF. “The truth is that we’re up there now with the best in the world at attracting students from all over the world," said Blair.

A landmark trip to Brazil by the Governor-General and a record 30 university presidents has proved fruitful as Canadian institutions announce 59 new scholarships, partnerships and student mobility programmes yesterday. The long-term collaborations established will increase Canada's number of foreign students and strengthen research programmes.

A landmark statement on ethical recruitment by education agencies has been issued by four countries: the UK, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. While the Statement of Principles will largely be used for informing best practice and has no actual policy ramifications, the fact that four countries have agreed on quality principles for education agencies is in itself quite a milestone.

The Canadian Governor-General, accompanied by 30 university presidents, will meet with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia as part of a week-long tour to further foster education ties. Governor-General David Johnston is with the biggest delegation ever sent abroad to promote Canadian education.

Stricter immigration rules for foreign students and new UKBA rules have caused the number of businesses going bust in the education sector to soar by 44%, according to research from a British accountancy firm. 169 educational institutions became insolvent in 2011, up from 117 in 2010. Corporate insolvencies as a whole rose by just 3% in the same period.

Singapore's Ministry of Education is to issue new advertising rules for private education institutions prohibiting them from using promises of employment to attract international students. Private operators that promise salaries or allowances for work placements will face challenges under the new rules as only students at selected universities can work.

A group of MPs has warned that the British Council risks losing its “soft power” abroad and becoming predominantly an “international language school”, due to government cuts forcing the organisation to boost its commercial activity. Subject to the 2010 Spending Review, the Council's FCO funding will fall from £185 million to £154 million by 2014-15, a 26% reduction.

Highly-skilled temporary foreign workers in Canada may find it easier to obtain permanent residency under a new, flexible visa scheme outlined this week by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. This will impact international students choosing to stay in Canada via the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) visa category.

New Zealand’s tertiary education minister, Steven Joyce, is visiting the Gulf states of Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to raise New Zealand’s profile as an international study destination. He will also support education companies as he meets with local ministers and attends IECHE, a major international education fair in Saudi Arabia.