Work rights

UK Prime Minister David Cameron said last week that the Migration Advisory Committee will be suggesting to the government how to cut down the number of non-EU migrant workers.

The growing demand for global internships has spurred stakeholders to search for a universal definition of an internship in order to gain support globally and facilitate the expansion of internship provision into non-traditional markets.

France is introducing a two year post-study work residence permit for Indian graduates, during Indian Prime Minister Modi's visit. The bilateral agreement will also enable 250 French graduates to remain in India for two years working for French companies.

Four months after changes to its International Student Programme came into effect, many of Canada’s language teaching institutions have repositioned themselves to adapt to new regulations banning them from offering “co-op” programmes that combine tuition with professional internships.

The UK Home Office's decision to suspend the licences of 57 private colleges and circumvent international recruitment at three universities has sent shockwaves through the industry. Universities Minister, David Willetts, underlined this is "reputation-reinforcing" action as many impacted colleges are contesting the suspension.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services have received sufficient petitions for the 'highly-skilled' H-1B visa to fulfil its statutory cap within five days of starting to accept applications for the second year running. The visa is a key route to post-work study for international students and is used by businesses to employ STEM graduates.

After outcry from educators about its strict post-study work laws, Sweden is set to extend the period for which international students can stay and look for work after they have graduated. The government also plans to make it easier for foreign PhD students to gain permanent residence.

Despite the familiar "no cap" mantra, minutes from the latest meeting of the UK's International Education Council (IEC) reveal that there is in fact a clear government commitment to removing barriers to enhancing international education exports.

UK immigration rule changes were announced last week by new Immigration Minister, James Brokenshire, which include the rubberstamping of a 12-month internship scheme for Chinese students in the UK at the top 211 universities. Nationals from UAE, Oman and Qatar are now also deemed low-risk.

SEVP has not adequately monitored the 100,000 students working temporarily during or after their studies in the OPT programme, says the USA's Government Accountability Office. It calls for a complete overhaul of regulation with schools providing more information on students' employment.

New regulations have been published in Canada confirming language teaching institutions will no longer be able to offer "co-op" programmes. Other key changes are more positive, including automatic work rights for many international students.

A new regulatory policy "is coming" that will pave the way for parity of policy between UK HE institutions and Alternative Providers (APs) from the private sector. Universities Minister David Willetts addressed Study UK members this week, whose members represent the "voice of independent education". He also spoke about student number controls at APs.

Unlimited work rights for PhD and Masters students; relaxed work rules for English language learners and a pilot fast-track visa scheme are among bold changes announced this week in New Zealand. The changes also sharpen the quality oversight of education providers by preventing the lowest quality providers from recruiting internationally.

A new entrant to the UK internship market is confident that more businesses will be keen to pay for a non-EU intern to work with their company, given the global mindset and new language skills they can bring with them. "Employing from overseas is a great way to internationalise a brand," says the company's founder.

A new study from the European Migrant Network has underlined the positive economic impact international students make on countries across the European Union in the form of direct fees, taxes or employment. It also notes the growing prevalence of national recruitment strategies.