Thursday, February 13th, 2025

Somewhere medical practice was allowed, somewhere the working hours increased…in which countries the rules changed for Indian students?

Immigration Policies for Indian Students: This year has been very important in terms of studying abroad. This can also be remembered as a year of changes in the rules, because in some places changes were made in study visas and in some places the working hours for foreign students were increased. According to Indian Government data, 13.35 lakh Indian students are studying across the world. The number of Indians was 13,18,955 in 2023, which increased to 13,35,878 in 2024.
The number of students has been increasing every year since the Covid pandemic. Canada, USA, Australia and UK have been the top study destinations among Indian students. While 4,27,000 Indian students are studying in Canada, 3,37,630 Indian students are studying in America. The number of students studying in Australia stood at 1,22,202, while 1,85,000 Indian students are studying in Britain. In such a situation, let us know about those countries where the rules were changed for Indian students.

New Zealand

In November this year, New Zealand announced that foreign students who have completed a 30-week postgraduate diploma and are then going on to study for a master’s degree will now be eligible for a Post Study Work (PSW) visa. This way they will have the option of a job after completing their studies.

Germany

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that his/her country is going to increase the number of visas given to skilled Indian workers from 20 thousand to 90 thousand. DAAD reported that 49,000 Indian students are studying in Germany. There are also 6,700 Indian researchers in the universities here.

Britain

Britain tightened rules in May for student visa holders to bring their family members into the country. Because of this, the number of Indians going to study in Britain reduced by 23 percent. A report said that foreign students are decreasing in Britain, due to which 40 percent of England’s universities may go into loss. The British government also increased the fees of universities for the first time in eight years.

Australia

The Australian government made a plan to limit the number of foreign students, but the opposition foiled it. After this, the government has come up with a new rule, under which the visa processing of students applying to study in universities will be slowed down or speeded up on the basis of priority. Besides, Australia has also increased the student visa fees. Apart from this, the limit for showing funds required for studies for foreign students was also increased to 29,710 Australian dollars.

philippines

The Philippines approved amendments to the Philippines Medical Act this year, allowing foreign students to practice medicine in the country. Now foreign students including Indians will be able to practice medicine in the Philippines. Students coming back after studying abroad have to appear for the FMGE test to practice in India, for which the student is considered eligible only if he/she has a license to practice medicine in the country from where he/she has studied. Indian students got relief from Philippines’ decision.

Italy

A very small change was made in this European country, which has affected Indian students also. But from January 10, 2025, Indian applicants for Type D visa will have to submit fingerprinting at Italian consulates. Type D visa is for long term stay. Study visa also comes under ‘Type D’ visa category. This visa option is for applicants who wish to study or research in Italy for a period of no more than 90 days – this includes both undergraduate and postgraduate studies. The Italian government has allowed Indian students to stay in the country for one more year after studies.

Canada

The most changes have been seen in Canada. IRCC announced in September that the number of study permits would be cut from 2025. The government also announced the closure of ‘Student Direct Stream’ (SDS), through which most Indian students used to go to study. In November the Canadian government tightened the rules for post study work visas. It was announced that the ‘Canadian Language Benchmark’ (CLB) would be used to prove proficiency in the English language.

The limit on part-time work was increased in Canada. Students can now work 24 hours a week instead of 20. Also, the government announced that if a foreign student changes his/her college or university, he/she will have to apply for a new study permit.

America

In November, Open Doors reported that for the first time since 2009, India overtook China as the country with the highest number of foreign students studying in the US. In the academic year 2023-24, 3.31 lakh Indian students were studying in America, which is 29.4 percent of the 11 lakh foreign students studying in the country. There was no change in visa rules in America, but foreign students were instructed to return to America before Donald Trump took oath.

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