5 Most Immigration-Friendly Countries For Studying Abroad

Students choose to study abroad for a plethora of reasons ranging from a global academic community, the focus on interdisciplinary land experiential learning, industry training opportunities, and prestigious universities. The one thing that stands out, especially from a ‘return-on-investment’ perspective is how immigration-friendly a host country is.

This Story also Contains

1. What Makes A Country Immigrant-Friendly?
2. Immigrant-Friendly Countries
3. Canada

Now, many students would prefer to come back to India soon after completing their undergraduate studies, or even perhaps a few years after doing so. However, the security of benefiting from higher paying jobs, and in many cases more secure socio-cultural environments makes immigration an important determinant of the decisions surrounding studying abroad.

What Makes A Country Immigrant-Friendly?

Despite being linked with higher education, immigration policy is something that has far wide-reaching consequences.

• Education becomes one of the many locus points of international and intercultural engagement that is facilitated by immigration-friendly policies. Trends are visible and noticeable across sectors – Canada, for example, has witnessed a huge influx of Indian immigrants over the past two decades. This growth is reflected in the percentage of Indian students who have occupied positions in universities and colleges in Canada.
• Immigration policy however is not the only determinant of how immigrant-friendly a country is. Often, countries with friendly policies tend to have some of the most unfriendly environments and dull economies. This is to say that the broader socio-cultural environment determines how welcomed immigrants feel there and how equal growth and prosperity opportunities are for people coming from diverse nationalities and cultures.
• Lastly, to be classified as immigrant-friendly in the context of undergraduate education, a country must also be home to universities with global repute and recognition.

Given how important immigration is in the context of studying abroad, it becomes important to understand which countries offer the most lucrative opportunities to Indian students in this regard.

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Immigrant-Friendly Countries

Here is a list of some of the most immigrant-friendly countries in the world.

Australia

Australia has long enjoyed a vibrant economy, a healthy democracy, and a representation of diverse cultures and ethnicities.

What Makes Australia Immigrant-Friendly?

A few factors that make Australia immigrant-friendly are:-

• Australia emerged as a hub for immigration when it changed its policies at the dawn of the twenty-first century. It has since then witnessed a huge influx of immigrants from South Asia and South East Asia, so much so that it has emerged as one of the most socially diverse developed nations in the world.
• Australia is proud to be home to G8—a group of eight universities in the country that not only lead the national rankings but are also renowned as some of the leading academic institutions across the world.
• International students who complete their undergraduate or postgraduate education from universities in Australia can apply for permanent residency through the SkillSelect Migration programme, which is an online system used by the government to register permanent residency Expressions of Interest (EOI).

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Australia Has Long Enjoyed A Vibrant Economy

Canada

Drawing from the example above, Canada has undoubtedly emerged as one of the most welcoming nations for Indian students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

What Makes Canada Immigrant-Friendly?

A few factors that make Canada immigrant-friendly are:-

• Affordable education and the presence of different universities and colleges that offer a wide range of diplomas, degrees, and certificate programmes which more often than not culminate in industry training and job opportunities draw immigrants from all over the world—but most from India.

• Canada allows international students a work permit of up to three years, depending on the duration and specialisation of their coursework.

• What makes Canada stand out, however, is its seamless permanent residency system, which allows students who have obtained jobs after completing their degrees to have the security of settling down in the country. The longer the duration of the academic degree and subsequent work experience, the easier it is to get permanent residency.

Whilst the Comprehensive Ranking System which determines the road to permanent residency varies from region to region, Canada has one of the most seamless immigration systems in the western world. This accompanied by the presence of a sizable South-Asian community, which has already made a strong mark in the country’s economy, politics, and culture makes Canada stand out amongst other developed nations.

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Germany

Germany is one of the very few countries where English is not a dominant language and yet would qualify as an immigrant-friendly country for Indian students, given how important language is in the context of settling down in a foreign country.

What Makes Germany Immigrant-Friendly?

A few factors that make Germany immigrant-friendly are:-

• Germany stands out due to a wide range of reasons, the foremost of which is the low cost of education in public universities, even for international students.
• Germany also enjoyed a long era of stable economic growth and development, which has been guided by prudent policymaking and social security measures undertaken by the government.
• From a socio-political perspective too, Germany sets itself apart. Its communities are becoming more diverse and it has taken one of the most pro-immigrant stances among all countries in western Europe.

The path to immigration in Germany is through Residence Permit/EU Blue Card from the Foreign Nationals’ Registration Department. The Residence Permit allows students to stay in the country after completing their undergraduate/graduate education for eighteen months so that they are able to get industry experience relevant to their coursework and qualification. Permanent residency can then be obtained by students after completing two years of work experience. A permanent residency in Germany provides the security and option of exploring other European countries for work and settlement to immigrants.

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Germany Enjoyed A Long Era Of Stable Economic Growth And Development

New Zealand

In recent years, New Zealand has started replicating its neighbour's policies in terms of making immigration more accessible to the international community.

What Makes New Zealand Immigrant-Friendly?

A few factors that make New Zealand immigrant-friendly are:-

• Similar to Australia, New Zealand too, enjoys a strong economy, a stable government, and a progressive society. These factors contribute to the perfect recipe for immigrant friendliness.
• Academic institutions in New Zealand have also started to gain the attention of international students, primarily because of the security of employment.

New Zealand follows a point system to provide permanent residency to immigrants which evaluates individuals based on their academic qualifications, work experience, age, and family type. A large majority of Indians can apply for immigration as ‘Skilled Workers’. The applications can take up to six months for processing.

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Singapore

Despite facing severe economic repercussions due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, Singapore has done well in re-establishing itself as a hub for not just an economic activity but also for immigration.

What Makes Singapore Immigrant-Friendly?

A few factors that make Singapore immigrant-friendly are:-

• Being home to 3 of the leading universities in their fields globally, its culture of academics has attracted some of the brightest minds from Asia and the world.
• After the completion of their degrees, international students can apply for a non-renewable Long Term Visit Pass of one year and use that time to obtain a job relevant to their coursework and qualifications in the country.
• Once somebody secures a job, one can become eligible for a work permit after a year. Finally, 2-3 years of secured and stable employment path the way to a permanent residency in Singapore.

Even beyond this list, countries like Ireland, Sweden, Finland, and South Korea are gradually becoming more accepting of immigrants in all regards. Moreover, similar to other countries on the list, they too have a perfect socio-economic mix to be a country that sustains and assimilates a decent number of immigrants.

When considering studying abroad, it's important to assess how welcoming a country is towards immigrants. This is important not only for students who plan to immigrate but also for those who plan to study abroad for a short period of time. The level of immigrant-friendliness is a good indicator of how well a country can support and provide opportunities for foreign nationals, regardless of their length of stay.

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Vijeeth Srinivas is a development consultant with more than extensive experience in the foreign education industry. With the Centre for Career Development and Essai Education he has helped hundreds of students secure positions in leading universities abroad. He is keen to make novel developments in education and skill development more accessible to students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.