Comparative Study on Policies towards Foreign Graduates: Study on Admission and Retention Policies towards Foreign Students in Industrialised Countries. Suter, Brigitte & Jandl, Michael, International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). Vienna: October, 2006, 98 pages (online version).

This study takes stock of the rapid internationalisation of higher education as a result of efforts of universities and states to promote international student mobility. One of the main observations in the study is the fact that an increasing number of industrialised countries are re-tailoring their policies so to retain the highly-skilled foreign graduates. Such skilled graduates, who have already acquired social and cultural experience in the host country, are seen as a precious human capital for the boost of the host country’s economy.

The countries on which the study dwells are the US, Australia, Canada (the so called ‘traditional immigration countries’), the UK, France, Austria, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland but comprises also data on other countries, among which are the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, Norway, New Zealand, China, Japan, India, Thailand and South Africa. Some of the explored measures for attracting foreign students’ are special residence permits to facilitate the transition from study to work, and permissions for student jobs. Comparative Study on Policies towards Foreign Graduates