Clamping down on international HE will damage global development

The UK government’s recently announced review of its international education strategy comes in the context of a concerning turn in Western countries’ attitude towards overseas students.

International student mobility has been on a remarkable upward trajectory over the past two decades. In 1997, approximately 2 million students were pursuing higher education abroad. By 2021, that had more than tripled to 6.4 million, driven by a mix of growing middle classes, the internationalisation of higher education and increasing demand for global skills.

But with the political focus on national post-pandemic recovery, several countries, including the UK, have recently imposed measures to reduce the number of international students they admit as protective measures aimed at prioritising domestic interests or managing immigration concerns.

At the start of 2024, for instance, the UK saw a 44 per cent drop in study visa applications compared with 2023 following its ban on international students bringing dependants (except for those enrolled in postgraduate research programmes). After a 750 per cent rise in dependants between 2019 and 2022, dependant visa applications fell by 80 per cent and main applicant visas by 15 per cent. Key markets, including India and Nigeria, were particularly impacted.

The policy also limits switching to work visas before course completion and reviews financial requirements for dependants. All this could result in a £1 billion loss for UK universities.

Meanwhile, Canada has introduced significant measures to limit international student numbers, driven by concerns about housing shortages and strained public services. For 2024, the government significantly reduced the number of study permits issued, and for 2025-26, the cap will be lowered by a further 10 per cent and expanded to include postgraduates.

In addition, international students in private colleges will no longer be eligible for post-graduation work permits – for which language requirements and course restrictions have also been introduced. Furthermore, spouses of undergraduate and college students are no longer eligible for open work permits. The goal is to decrease the number of temporary residents in Canada from 6.5 per cent of the total population to 5 per cent by 2026.

A recent tightening of migration policies in Australia has already led to a significant spike in student visa rejection rates, particularly for applicants from India, Nepal and Pakistan, forcing some universities to withdraw admissions offers to avoid being classified as high-risk institutions. In addition, the country is planning per-institution caps on international students for next year, expected to cost universities millions of dollars.

The US has yet to regain its pre-pandemic peak of international students, with numbers still below 2016 levels as of 2022. Factors such as diplomatic tensions with China, high tuition fees and an increase in visa denials are discouraging many international students, particularly Chinese – who make up the largest group of international students in the US and whose numbers declined by 22 per cent between 2019 and 2022.

The Netherlands is also implementing policies to cap international student numbers, particularly in popular English-taught programmes. Key measures of the Internationalisation in Balance Act include quotas to limit enrolment in high-demand courses. As elsewhere, the stated aim is to address concerns over housing shortages and public infrastructure.

However, this trend of making it more difficult for individuals to study abroad is not just about managing immigration or domestic pressures. It represents a retreat from a more interconnected and mutually beneficial model of higher education. And that retreat is very short-sighted.

Apart from shutting out future innovators and weakening important ties with the Global South, which bring both diplomatic and economic advantages for the host country, it is a block on global development. For many students from low- and middle-income countries, studying abroad is not just a personal or professional opportunity, but an investment in the socio-economic development of their home countries.

Our recently published research, which examined data from 1999 to 2018 across 43 low- and middle-income countries, shows that while the immediate effect of outbound student mobility on poverty reduction is negligible, the long-term impact is significant. The students who return to their home countries equipped with new knowledge, skills and connections are not just advancing their own careers; they are driving change in their societies. Over time, they apply their expertise to health and education, political governance and economic development (as documented in other studies), and within 15 years of their return, this starts to positively contribute to poverty reduction. The delay reflects the time needed to apply the skills, connections and knowledge developed abroad to effect change back home.

This is why there is an urgent need to reconsider the broader implications of decisions to scale back international student intakes. Policymakers should recognise that international education is not just a domestic issue but a global one.

There is still time to act. Governments and institutions with strong international reputations must rethink their policies in light of their global responsibilities. Rather than cutting back, they should focus on expanding access, particularly for students from low- and middle-income countries. Scholarships, visa support and targeted recruitment efforts help to ensure that the next generation of global leaders can benefit from – and contribute to – international higher education.

By continuing to invest in international students, we can create a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous global future.

Maia Chankseliani is associate professor of comparative and international education, and Joonghyun Kwak is a postdoctoral researcher in quantitative social science at the University of Oxford.