Countries are changing their rules for foreign students. What could be the reasons?

Indian students who are eager to pursue their higher studies in countries abroad, especially in English-speaking nations, may now have to face some extra challenges. This is because countries like the United Kingdom and Canada are making their rules more stringent for foreign students eager to seek admission to their universities.

Here we explain the new changes and why these changes are introduced.

The changes in rules

There have been intense political tensions between Canada and India. In December 2023, the Canadian government brought forward some revised requirements for foreign students. Canada claims that these changes are brought in order to protect the international students. First things first, Canada revised the Guaranteed Investment Certificate amount to 20,635 Canadian dollars, which earlier was about 10,000 Canadian dollars. Moreover, the United Kingdom recently made an announcement saying that international students are going to be restricted from bringing with them dependent family members while they pursue their studies. Additionally, countries like Australia and Germany have also upwardly revised their GIC amount by over 10 percent annually. Earlier, the amount needed to apply for a German visa was actually 10,000 euros, but it increased to 11,208 euros as of May 2023.

As per higher education experts, an amount of money which is as low as 10,000 Canadian dollars is actually not enough for a student to actually survive in a country like Canada where the expenses are too high. Experts say that earlier Canada had kept a very low GIC threshold. The purpose then was to attract students. However, the government then realized that an amount this low was not enough to match the inflation demands. In order to tackle similar issues, other countries such as Australia and Germany chose to increase the amount at a gradual pace by a 10 percent increase every year. However, Canada jumped the amount by 100 percent, and this is a shock to students desiring education abroad.

It is important to note that Canada has eased the situation for the master's program students. After the completion of their course, the master's students can opt for a three-year work permit. However, the stringent guidelines for students who want to pursue their Bachelor's degree in Canada have made the situation difficult.