As the world grapples with evolving challenges and changing dynamics, several countries have changed their immigration policies, impacting Indian travellers, especially students, in various ways.
Countries which evince the maximum interest among Indians, like Australia and the United Kingdom (UK), have introduced many steps to curb immigration. For Indian travellers, staying informed about these changes, utilising digital platforms, and leveraging community support are essential strategies to navigate the evolving landscape.
Here is a round-up of the key developments in the immigration landscape and how they affect individuals from India.
Canada
2023 has been a year of significant shifts in Canadian immigration policies. Canada plans to welcome 485,000 permanent residents (PR) in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025. Starting in 2026, the government said it will stabilise PR levels at 500,000.
1) Cost of living
For students, starting January 1, 2024, the cost-of-living financial requirement for study permit applications will be raised, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said. This threshold will be adjusted each year when Statistics Canada updates the low-income cut-off (LICO).
LICO indicates the minimum income necessary to ensure that an individual does not have to spend a greater-than-average portion of income on necessities.
ALSO READ | Indian students still prefer to study in the UK despite expensive pound
What students need to know: The cost-of-living requirement for study permit has not changed since the early 2000s, when it was set at $10,000 for a single applicant. But for 2024, a single applicant will need to show he has $20,635, representing 75 percent of LICO, in addition to his first year tuition and travel costs. To be sure, this change will apply to new applications received on or after January 1, 2024.
2) Off-campus work
Among other changes, international students already in Canada, as well as applicants who have already applied for a study permit, as of December 7, 2023, will be able to work off-campus for more than 20 hours per week until April 30, 2024.
Additionally, the rule that lets international students include online study time in the calculation of a post-graduation work permit, as long as it's less than half of the total program, will still apply to students starting a program before September 1, 2024.
What students need to know: This measure will no longer apply to students who begin a study programme on or after September 1, 2024.
3) No more additional work permit
In response to labour market disruptions during the pandemic and post-pandemic, a temporary policy was introduced on three occasions to provide an additional 18-month work permit to post-graduation work permit holders as their initial work permit was expiring.
What students need to know: Foreign nationals with a post-graduation work permit, valid up to December 31, 2023, remain eligible to apply. This is a temporary policy and the timeline will not be extended.
ALSO READ | Research continuing as scheduled, classes temporarily postponed: Israel’s Ben-Gurion University
4) Category-based selection
Canada has launched a category-based selection for its flagship economic immigration management system, Express Entry. Category-based selection will allow Canada to invite prospective PRs with specific skills, training or language abilities.
This year, category-based invites will focus on candidates who have a strong French language proficiency or work experience in the following fields:
· healthcare
· science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
· trades, such as carpenters, plumbers and contractors
· transport
· agriculture and agri-food
5) DLI
Starting December 1, 2023, post-secondary designated learning institutions (DLIs) are required to confirm every applicant’s letter of acceptance directly with IRCC.
A DLI is a school approved by a provincial or territorial government to host international students. All primary and secondary schools in Canada are DLIs.
What students need to know: In time for the fall 2024 semester, IRCC said it will adopt a “recognised institution” framework to benefit post-secondary DLIs that set a higher standard for services, support and outcomes for international students. These DLIs will benefit, for example, from the priority processing of study permits for applicants who plan to attend their school, it said.
The United Kingdom
In England and Wales, Indian students constitute the largest population, making up 11.6 percent of over 3.7 lakh international students. However, this might change as the UK plans stricter immigration rules.
1) Curb in migration level
On December 4, 2023, the UK government announced changes to the immigration system that will take effect from Spring 2024. The Home Secretary announced a plan to slash migration levels and curb the abuse of the immigration system. This means that around 300,000 people who came to the UK last year would have failed to make it, had the policy been in place then.
ALSO READ | IIT Madras opens its first international campus in Zanzibar, to have 50% Indian students
2) Increase in earnings threshold
From next spring, the government will increase the earnings threshold for overseas workers by nearly 50 percent from the current £26,200 to £38,700.
What visitors need to know: This will encourage businesses to look at British talent first and invest in their workforce.
3) Tighten the Health and Care Worker visa regime
The government will tighten the Health and Care Worker visa regime by preventing overseas care workers from bringing their dependents to the UK. In addition, care providers in England will now be able to sponsor migrant workers, only if they would be undertaking activities regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
What visitors need to know: If you are being recruited to an NHS (National Health Service) role, there should be no changes to your current offer. Other changes, such as the increase in salary thresholds, do not apply to the Health and Care Visa route.
4) Visa-fee hike
The British government has hiked visa fees which will become effective from October 4, when a visit visa for under six months will cost £15 more and student visa will be £127 more expensive for travellers from around the world.
What students need to know: This means the cost for a visit visa for less than six months will rise to £115 and the fee for a student visa will rise to £490 to equal the amount charged for in-country applications.
ALSO READ | India’s first foreign university to offer blended courses, recruit faculty from beyond IITs
5) End of going-rate salary discount
To crack down on cut-price labour from overseas, the government will end the 20 percent going-rate salary discount for shortage occupations.
What visitors need to know: The “going rate” is an annual gross salary as well as an hourly rate of pay for a trade or profession. The Shortage Occupation List will be replaced with a new Immigration Salary List, which will retain a general threshold discount.
6) Change in the graduate visa route
Starting January 2024, international students will not be permitted to bring their dependents under the UK Student Visa programme, even if they are children under 18, family members, spouses, civil partners or elderly parents.
The new rule, however, will not apply to international students in post-graduate research courses, such as research-based PhD and Master’s programmes.
What students need to know: The change may have an impact on net migration, with around 153,000 visas granted to dependents of sponsored students in the year ending September 2023.
Australia
The Australian government has designed the 2023–24 permanent Migration Programme. The reforms focus on targeted skilled migration and higher standards for international students, among others.
1) Skills in demand visa
The government will introduce a four-year temporary skilled worker visa—the Skills in Demand visa. It will replace the single employer-sponsored Temporary Skill Shortage visa.
What visitors need to know: Periods of employment with any approved employer will count for PR eligibility. Temporary skilled migrants will also be able to apply for permanent residency through self-nominated independent pathways -- for example, through a reformed points test.
ALSO READ | 8.5 lakh students pursuing education abroad in just 4 focused countries: Report
2) Targeted pathways within Skills-in-Demand visa programme
The government will create three targeted pathways within the Skills-in- Demand visa programme. The first pathway is the Specialist Skills Pathway which recognises highly skilled migrants, earning at least $135,000 and no less than Australian workers holding the same occupation.
The second pathway is the Core Skills Pathway. It might include, for example, a registered nurse or secondary school teacher, who will be paid a salary of or above $70,000.
The third is the Essential Skills Pathway, a more regulated pathway for lower-paid workers with essential skills. The arrangements would be sector-specific, capped, and embedded with stronger regulation.
3) Increased English language requirement
In early 2024, the test score required for a Temporary Graduate visa will increase from an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score (or equivalent) of 6.0 to 6.5.
What students need to know: The test score required for a Student visa will increase from IELTS (or equivalent) 5.5 to 6.0. The test score required for students undertaking an English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS) before their main course of study will increase from IELTS (or equivalent) 4.5 to 5.0.
Besides, the test score required for students undertaking university foundation or pathway programmes that deliver reputable English language training will be IELTS (or equivalent) 5.5.
4) Shorter post-study work rights
The duration of an initial Temporary Graduate Visa (TGV) will be shorter. The extension of post-study work rights will no longer be available. Only applicants who studied in a regional area will be eligible for an extension.
What students need to know: TGV length under new settings: Initial TGV
· 2 years for Bachelor's Degree
· 2 years of Masters by coursework
· 3 years for Masters by research
· 3 years for PhD
Eligibility for a second TGV
· + 1-2 years for study in a regional area (dependent on location)
Besides, the maximum eligible age for a TGV will be reduced to 35 from 50.
The US
1) Modernise the H-1B specialty occupation worker programme
The US government has proposed to modernise the H-1B speciality occupation worker programme by streamlining eligibility requirements.
Under the current process, the more registrations that are submitted on behalf of an individual, the higher the chance for being selected in a lottery.
What visitors need to know: Under the proposal, each unique individual who has a registration submitted on his behalf would be entered into the selection process once, regardless of the number of registrations submitted on his behalf. Besides, certain flexibilities will also be extended to students on an F-1 visa when seeking to change status to H-1B.
Also, under the proposed rule, the criteria for specialty occupation positions would be revised to reduce confusion between the public and the adjudicators and to clarify that a position may allow a range of degrees, although there must be a direct relationship between the required degree field(s) and the duties of the position.
ALSO READ | Student visas for Canada may get delayed by 6 months, ed consultants say
2) 2024 US Citizenship test
The newer format may see the inclusion of a speaking section in the updated test by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
What visitors need to know: An officer would show the subject images of everyday situations and ask candidates to explain them verbally. This is a change from the current test since the assessment of an applicant’s speaking ability in the 2008 version was done by way of questions about personal queries.
Besides, the insertion of a multiple-choice portion in place of oral short-answer questions on American history and the government could raise the difficulty of tests, as it calls for increased requirement of in-depth knowledge on the matter.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
