HYDERABAD: With Australia denying entry to foreign-bound students, many have shifted their focus to the UK to pursue higher education. The UK government’s new post-study graduate route for international students, which opened its applications from July 1, has only come as an added advantage for many.
Countries such as Australia and New Zealand have shut their doors to Indians ever since the pandemic hit the world. This forced many students to look away for alternative options in other countries. “I wanted to pursue business analytics in La Trobe University in Australia. Since the beginning of the pandemic, I expected the country to open it’s doors for foreign-bound students. When it didn’t, I decided to look for options in the UK and finally was able to secure a seat in international business in Loughborough University,” said Sarika Butukur, a student who is set to fly out to the UK for the October intake.
Many students are upbeat about the post-study graduate route for international students. This route enables eligible students who have completed undergraduate and postgraduate degrees to stay for two years and those who have completed PhD courses to stay for three years to seek employment.
“There are only few countries that allow international students to seek employment after they complete their education. I am glad that I’d get this opportunity to look for jobs after completing my masters in international relations in 2022,” said Vidya Mohan, a student.
Recent research by IDP Connect with international students who began their studies in the UK, Canada, Australia, USA or New Zealand in Autumn 2020, shows that the UK is ahead of other destinations in offering international students such flexibility.
“We have observed a manifold increase in the number of students seeking to study in the UK and a sharp drop in number of students applying for Australia. The pandemic does not seem to have any major impact on the travel plans of foreign-bound students as the number of students wanting to pursue higher education were only 30-50 per cent higher than last year,” said Piyush Kumar, regional director (South Asia), IDP Education, an overseas education consultancy.
