Foreign students bear brunt of populist immigration policies

IT’S open season on international students across the world – and countries have nothing to lose but billions of dollars in tuition fees.

Britain is considering the future of a graduate visa programme that offers a post-study right to work after a committee charged with looking at possible abuse of the system reported back last week (it found little). The new Dutch coalition government plans to reduce the number of foreign students as part of a package of measures targeting migration. Australia and Canada are also taking steps to limit their intakes. France’s plans to charge foreign students a deposit to cover potential “removal costs” were blocked by the country’s constitutional council in January.

The debate follows similar contours across these geographically dispersed markets. Student numbers have surged to records since the pandemic, putting upward pressure on housing costs and straining public services.