UK ENIC’s first annual conference since the start of the pandemic placed Africa at the centre of the future of international education sector.

Director of the Africa Research Institute, Edward Paice, addressed the nearly 500 delegates from over 20 countries at the event in London on February 20, highlighting how the sector may be impacted by a African demographic ‘revolution’.

Making the case that Africa’s story increasingly drives world history, he explained that between 1950 and 2050, Africa’s population will have risen 11-fold. Global population in the same period will have increased by just 3.8 times, the author of Youthquake: Why African Demography Should Matter to the World emphasised.

By 2050, some 40% of all children born worldwide will be African, at which time the continent will be responsible for one third of the global labour supply. These facts have been largely overlooked by media in western countries, Paice told the conference.

Stuart Rennie from SJRENNIE Consulting set out how African students can be “excellent recruits” for UK universities in his workshop session.

“What we see is a time of increasing global discord: whether this means armed conflict, or civil unrest, or geopolitical tensions, or economic crises,” head of UK ENIC, Paul Norris, said in his conference welcome speech.

“Yet amid this upheaval there are success stories in the world: from high economic growth rates in regions like South Asia and Africa, to the rise of disruptor technologies, and changing global attitudes towards online and transnational education.”

“The profile of migration has changed toward high-growth, non-European regions”

Norris explained that demand has increased, but it has also changed.

“The profile of migration has changed toward high-growth, non-European regions,” he said.

“Facilitating this mobility requires UK ENIC to implement new approaches – digitisation and fraud prevention are key aspects here. But, also, the ability to evaluate new forms of learning, and to develop approaches to deal with disrupted learning.”

Other topics covered at the event include the UNESCO global recognition convention, international and cross-border qualifications, displaced learners, Latin America and many more.

The next UK ENIC face-to-face conference takes place on December 4-5 in London.

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The UK public’s concern around overall migration levels “appears far more muted” now than compared with the time before the Brexit referendum, a key report into the country’s migration system has suggested.

The Immigration after Brexit: Where are we going? report by UK in a Changing Europe and the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford also highlights a “sustained shift” in positive attitudes towards migration in general.

Attitudes are favourable for work-related migration if “perceived to be controlled and in sectors or jobs where there is demand for workers”, as it warned that any restrictions student visas could mean “large parts” of the higher education sector could become uneconomic.

“International students are mostly not perceived as ‘immigrants’ at all”

It emphasises that international student migration is “generally uncontroversial with the public”, thanks to economic evidence – such as the high tuition fees they contribute – being broadly seen as positive impacts.

However, the report acknowledged a “substantial contribution” to immigration estimates has meant students have “sometimes been controversial”. The UK famously hit its highest-ever figure for net migration in the year to June 2022. Stakeholders have long campaigned for students to be removed from net migration figures.

“Indeed international students are mostly not perceived as ‘immigrants’ at all,” the report noted.

“Over the longer term, [international students] make a much smaller contribution to net migration, which – for better or worse – is the main measure in political debates about the scale of migration in the UK. The vast majority – well over 80% – of international students leave the UK within a few years, but some do remain long term,” the report said.

Over the past two decades, “the pendulum has swung between more restrictive and more liberal rules”, it continued, pointing to tightened rules in the early 2010s where the coalition government removed sponsor licenses from hundreds of colleges and limiting post-study work rights.

The paper describes the numbers of EU and non-EU students moving in opposite directions post Brexit as “striking”.

The drop in EU numbers is “almost certainly” due to higher fees as a result of Brexit rather than immigration rules, but the non-EU student rise could be multifaceted.

“It is difficult to know how much of the increase in non-EU student numbers results directly from the main policy change this group has faced, namely the liberalisation of post-study work rules,” it said.

Other factors could be efforts to “drum up” business in new countries, such as the priority countries featured in the government’s International Education Strategy, and “greater restrictiveness” in key ‘competitor’ countries such as the US and Australia.

“The largest increases in student visa grants have come from nationals of countries that have tended to make greatest use of post-study work visas,” it continued.

Citizens from India and Nigeria, both IES priority countries, along with Pakistan, “have been the most likely to move to work visas after graduation, and also saw the largest absolute increases in student visas”.

The report said that freedom of information data suggests that the share of students receiving visa lasting less than 18 months – consistent with a one-year master’s or shorter – in the years ending September 2021 and 2022 was 60%, which is broadly similar to the share under the pre-pandemic, pre-Brexit regime.

That means increases have taken place for courses of all durations, it said.

The post-Brexit immigration system has also seen a higher share of student visas going to dependant family members. While policy has not changed, it “appears the UK has become more attractive to students bringing family members”, driven by Nigerian and Indian citizens.

“Within government, discussions are currently ongoing as to whether to introduce new restrictions, especially on which students can bring dependents to the UK,” the report read. Currently only graduate students and above can bring family and spouses.

“The risk is that at current fee levels universities will have little choice but to prefer more lucrative foreign students”

“Modest changes to the rules may limit future growth, although will not necessarily reverse it. However, if the government’s response is aimed at severely restricting student visas in order to reduce net migration, the risk is that large parts of the sector will simply become uneconomic.

“Decisions affecting the number of international students thus cannot be taken in isolation from decisions about the future of UK higher education and its financing.”

A “rapid expansion in international student demand” following the introduction of the Graduate Visa has allow universities to “compensate for large real-terms cuts in domestic student fees by increasing revenues from international students”.

While there is no evidence to suggest international students have previously ‘crowded out’ domestic counterparts, there is “no guarantee” the same will be going ahead, it also warned.

“The risk is that at current fee levels universities will have little choice but to prefer more lucrative foreign students,” the report read.

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The number of international students enrolling at universities in Russia is increasing despite negative publicity emanating from the country’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Russian State Universities organisation Racus.

The number of those enrolling grew by 9.8% at the height of invasion in 2022 for example, according to an official from the study in Russia organisation. The numbers overall have increased by 26,000 in the last three years, the organisation claimed.

Russia’s unprovoked and premeditated war on Ukraine has sought to destroying Ukraine as an independent state and led to the deaths of thousands of people.

About 400,000 foreign students study at Russian universities currently attracted by among other things affordable fees, plus over 1,200 programs in Medicine, Engineering, Economics and Humanities taught in Russian, English or French, Asya Manvelyan, student services manager – department of Middle East and Southern Africa at Racus, said.

The Kremlin has been criticised for spreading disinformation and propaganda to achieve its objectives.

“Russia is one of the leading countries in the field of international education not only because of the high-quality education but also because the Russian government annually awards up to 30,000 partial scholarships to foreign citizens who want to enter the universities of the Russian federation,” she claimed.

“Export of higher education is our key activity. In Russia education is not a business, but a humanitarian action, especially for African and other friendly countries,” she told The PIE News.

She defended the war, calling it an operation to save Russian people in Donbass. Russian-speaking residents in Donbas having been subjected to genocide is a common disinformation narrative, according to the OECD.

“Despite the enormous anti-Russian propaganda in social media, we hope that people in Africa are able to hear the other side and make their own choice,” she added.

“We are happy to see that at least regarding higher education, people are brave enough to put aside all prejudice and political views and choose Russian higher education recognising its quality and reliability.”

Currently she said some 30,000 African students were studying in Russian universities and over 100,000 African students ‘registered’ – implying they had applied for enrolment in universities and professional colleges, she explained.

“This information is after a personal meeting with the head of Racus organisation with one of the representatives of the Ministry of Education of the Russian federation,” when asked about the source of the 100,000 ‘registered’ students.

Russian universities could not be blamed for the recent deaths of two African students who died fighting alongside the country’s forces in Ukraine, she said, mainly because they had left the universities before their demise.

“Our key factors of the campaign targeted at Africa remain the quality and affordability of Russian higher education,” the official added.

“The tragedy that happened with the Zambian citizen who lost his life while fighting in Ukraine has nothing to do with Racus organisation or Russian higher education, at least because at that moment he was expelled from the university where he had studied because of breaking the law and was imprisoned.”

Racus still annually participates in different international educational exhibitions in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, including in Morocco in February, the upcoming EDUGATE exhibition in Cairo, Egypt and in Gaborone, Botswana, all in March.

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A new fintech company plans to provide up to $30 million in loans to help African students access higher education abroad. 

8B Education Investments has collaborated with US-based Nelnet bank in a “first-of-its-kind” partnership to get more African students into North American institutions. 

Although Sub-Saharan Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70% of people under the age of 30, African students made up approximately 4% of international students in the US in 2021/22. 

One of the biggest barriers for Africans wishing to study abroad is funding, according to Lydiah Kemunto Bosire, founder and CEO of 8B Education Investments. 

This is a challenge Bosire, who was born in Kenya, experienced first hand. After receiving a scholarship to study at an international school in Wales, she struggled to fund her higher education, but saw students from other countries able to access loans with relative ease. Despite the challenges, Bosire now holds degrees from Cornell University and the University of Oxford. 

Students who do secure enough funding to attend university abroad often run into “exchange rate drama” and drop out because “the money isn’t there”, Bosire told The PIE News.

8B Education Investments was launched to address these issues. The organisation raised $3 million in seed funding at the start of this year and plans to open a new funding round at the end of 2023.

Initially, only students taking STEM, accountancy and finance programs in North America will be eligible to apply, but the organisation plans to expand to other countries and subjects in future.

8B Education Investments currently has teams operating in Kenya, Ghana and Uganda, where they are conducting university outreach and student engagement. Finance is available to students from any African country.

Loans are expected to be ready for launch from April 2023 onwards, around the same time as students begin receiving offers for the next academic year.

Students will begin making interest-only repayments on loans while studying, before normal repayments set in six months after graduation and last seven years. 

8B Education Investments has also worked with institutions including Minerva and the University of Antigua to create risk reserve programs, whereby the loan is paid directly to the institution, with a share held back in case the student drops out. These initiatives can help universities struggling to recruit African students to get “more through the door”, Bosire said. 

“The world is opening up for global talent”

The organisation wants to go beyond funding and become a “curated place” for information on studying abroad and career prospects, aiming to “become a companion for young ambitious, brilliant Africans,” said Bosire. 

“The world is opening up for global talent and we want to be there to shepherd African talent through the gates,” Bosire said. 

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Indian agents have called on Australian universities to reverse a decision to suspend recruitment from regions of North India, saying the move borders on discrimination. 

Around 12 universities have now temporarily stopped recruiting students from the states of Punjab and Haryana, according to Ravi Lochan Singh, president of the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India. 

Edith Cowan University told The PIE News last week that it had made this decision due to an increase in the number of visa refusals from these regions and concerns about students’ academic progress. 

In a letter sent to Australia’s education minister, AAERI said the ‘sudden’ decision makes “prospective and genuinely interested students” from these regions ineligible to apply. 

The body said that assuming all students from Punjab and Haryana are “high-risk” is “grossly unfair and discriminatory”. 

“We find the frequent labeling of a few regions as Red Zone or advising Agents not to enroll any students from the above regions as biased and deter the interest of genuine and good students from that regions,” the association wrote. 

“Such arbitrary and adhoc decisions could demotivate the students, agents and could bring down the excellent image of Australian Education across [the] Indian Student Community.” 

“The communications disadvantage genuine students simply because they are from certain regions within India”

AAERI called on institutions to give all students a “fair go”. 

“Most universities have to safeguard their own selves but they need to know ‘now’ that unknowingly, the communications that disadvantage genuine students simply because they are from certain regions within India borderlines on discrimination,” Lochan Singh told The PIE. 

Last year, Australia’s immigration department was concerned about a rise in fraudulent applications from these regions, but the DHA has denied to AAERI that it is advising universities to suspend recruitment. 

AAERI raised wider concerns about discrimination, noting that one Australian university does not accept applications from Indian students who are married. 

In its letter to the government, the organisation also asked for a review of the genuine temporary entrant requirement in visa applications – a call that has been made by several institutions in a parliamentary inquiry into Australia’s international education sector. 

The protocol means that immigration staff are likely to reject students who they suspect may be planning to stay in Australia after completing their studies, despite Australia incentivising young people to come to the country with post-study work policies. 

AAERI said it should be relooked at to “ensure easy and simpler implementation process” which would simplify applications and speed up admissions.

Peter Chesworth, Universities Australia acting chief executive, said, “Australian universities are in regular contact with government regarding visa processing and respond accordingly to intelligence provided by the Department of Home Affairs.

“The sector is committed to ensuring visa processes are as thorough and robust as possible to maintain the integrity of our systems.”

It comes as Australia cements ties with India via a new qualification recognition agreement which will streamline student mobility between the two countries. Deakin University also announced plans to launch a branch campus in the country.   

Australia’s student permit grant rate for Indian students outside the country was 81% for the higher education sector in January 2023, according to data from the Department of Home Affairs.

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Canada is considering an inquiry into Chinese interference in elections after pressure from opposition parties and ordinary citizens.

It comes after an investigation found that international students from China were threatened and used as pawns in a scheme by the Chinese consulate in Toronto to nominate preferred candidates for Canada’s parliament in 2019.

Prime minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged that the People’s Republic of China attempted to interfere in the 2019 and 2021 elections, but says these activities did not affect the electoral outcomes.

On Monday, he announced that he would be appointing a special rapporteur to decide whether an inquiry should be held. The move comes as opposition politicians and ordinary citizens have been pressuring the government for an investigation.

The Canadian Security and Intelligence Service, the agency responsible for probing threats to national security, says 11 different electoral ridings were targeted.

An investigation by the Global News network focused on one riding in particular – Don Valley North, a Toronto suburb. Since this riding normally elects a representative from Trudeau’s Liberal Party, the meeting to nominate a candidate is crucial.

In 2019, Han Dong captured the Don Valley North nomination. However, Global News described him as “an affiliate in China’s election interference network”. He is a Canadian citizen who emigrated to Canada with his family at the age of 13 in the early 1990s.

Although only Canadian citizens can vote in elections, nomination meetings are open to temporary and permanent residents as long as they are party members and live in the riding.

The news report alleges that the Chinese consulate brought in two busloads of international students to attend the nomination meeting. They were given fake addresses that indicated they were riding residents.

To ensure that they voted for the right candidate, the international students had Dong’s name written on their arms, Global News said. Students were threatened if they did not participate.

“They were told by the consulate to vote for Dong if they wanted to maintain their student visa status,” said Mackenzie Gray of Global News.

Following the nomination meeting, the security service met with senior Liberal Party officials and urged them to overturn the selection. “CSIS was concerned that Han Dong was connected to the People’s Republic of China’s foreign interference network in Canada,” Global News says, citing an unnamed source.

However, the Liberal Party named Dong as its candidate and he won the riding in both the 2019 and 2021 elections.

Dong denied that there was any foreign meddling in his selection. “My nomination in 2019 was open and followed the rules,” he said.

“They were told by the consulate to vote for Dong if they wanted to maintain their student visa status”

Former chief electoral officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley is one citizen calling for a public inquiry into the election influence allegations. “Canadians must be able to trust that the electoral process is not being tampered with by a foreign government,” he said.

Christian Leuprecht, a national security expert and professor at both the Royal Military College of Canada and Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, supports the idea of a public inquiry.

“Legislative changes to regulate the selection of candidates by riding associations and a registry of foreign agents must be a top priority before the next federal election,” Leuprecht said.

He notes that the vulnerability of local riding associations being leveraged by foreign state and non-state actors is not new, citing examples over the last 40 years.

“Yet, political parties have been quite reticent about legislation to contain such behaviour,” he said. The difference in this case, he noted, is that previous instances have involved aggressive organising by Canadian citizens – not foreign actors trying to undermine the nation’s institutions.

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On International Women’s Day 2022, Alison Jenkins launched Gradstar Global Education – a full service international student recruitment and partnerships operation in India. One year on, Jenkins tells The PIE why she has no regrets about swapping the security of university leadership roles for her own start-up.

Originally from Melbourne, Jenkins now splits her time between Australia and India. Previously, she held senior positions in international strategy, recruitment, external relations, marketing and admissions functions at three Go8 universities in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Being at home during the pandemic, unable to travel, was the catalyst for Jenkins launching the business, and simultaneously become part of the ‘Great Resignation’, she tells The PIE.

“Midway through 2021, I’d never been home so much, I couldn’t travel, I couldn’t leave the country. I’d never not travelled that much since high school so I was literally grounded and had a lot of time to think,” she says.

“Every day at work we were in crisis mode strategising about international students – what are we going to do without them? How are we going to teach them online? How will they return?

“I wanted to do something bigger on a much more global scale, which I’ve never actually had the time to stop and think about before.”

Another reason Jenkins was inspired to go out on her own was that often, as an international director, she would only see students in their time of need, when they’d come to her office after being given bad advice somewhere along the way, or were homesick.

“Those sorts of things drove me to think what if they got much, much better support and advice in their home countries?

“It knew it was now or never”

“It knew it was now or never. And I haven’t looked back.”

India was, and is, a second home for Jenkins, having visited the country for the first time over 20 years ago as a young recruiter and returning multiple times each year since, there was a natural affinity to the market.

And so, Gradstar was born. Jenkins describes it as a “co-design experience” where counsellors, or ‘Dream Makers’, collaborate with students in the early stages to personalise their future.

Jenkins was concerned that often students were being forced into “quick-sells”, and notes that in Gradstar, there are no algorithms.

“It’s really highly personalised,” she explains.

Now with two offices – one in Delhi and one in Mumbai – and over 20 staff, it’s been an exciting inaugural year for the business and since launching, has seen over 200+ applicants apply to over 450+ universities.

“It probably doesn’t sound like a lot in India, but because of our high-touch approach, we do spend a lot more time with each individual student and have a high conversion rate.”

But it’s not just student recruitment. Gradstar also works with high schools and colleges to build partnerships with universities, setting up articulation agreements, pathway programs and generally acting as a “facilitator of partnerships”, says Jenkins.

Jenkins describes the Indian market as “super exciting”, partly to do with it having the largest youth population in the world.

“It’s really limitless what you can do in that market and you really have to be very selective in your approach to make an impact in a way that creates value,” she says.

Jenkins notes that although the market is saturated, she is confident she can use her university background to be the point of difference, providing a trusted premium product and service to students and partners.

Throughout her career, Jenkins was conscious of the ‘brain-drain’ the sector was contributing to, by taking the smartest and brightest citizens out of a country, often for them not to return.

“You really have to be very selective in your approach to make an impact in a way that creates value”

“It was weighing heavy on me that I wasn’t giving back. I decided that Gradstar would be a profit-for-purpose business.

“There’s so much difference that you can make in the education space in India. A percentage of the profits is going into education development projects in rural and regional India.”

This is not without its own challenges, says Jenkins, who worries about displacing money due to corruption, and the lengthy bureaucracy and red tape that would come with setting up a foundation in India.

Finally, she has settled on partnering with established NGOs, providing them with project-based grants for which they will report their findings.

Jenkins is joining a PIE webinar on International Women’s Day on March 8.

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One tech company is positioning itself to assist international students with Canadian visa applications by integrating ChatGPT technology into the process.

Toronto-headquartered Visto.ai is hoping to demystify the process and to create “coherent narratives that clear explain why they want to come to Canada and what they plan to pursue in school”.

CEO and immigration lawyer, Josh Schachnow, is familiar with the country’s immigration process and attests to the complicated process through his experience directing clients.

“Applying for a student visa is challenging for international students because there are so many different requirements that need to be completed,” Schachnow said.

Prospective students who use the program can create study plans from scratch or use the AI tool, which can generate a draft “within about 10 seconds.” The platform is designed for use by the international students themselves, as well as immigration lawyers and consultants who work with these students to create visa applications.

“There are so many different requirements that need to be completed”

“Depending on the region the student is applying from, it’s most common that aspiring students are working with a professional (immigration lawyer, consultant, etc.) to prepare their application before submitting it to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and our platform makes the process much quicker and easier for both parties – the student and the professional,” Schachnow explained.

The platform has gone through several rounds of testing to ensure the accuracy of the tool. An internal team of Visto engineers, as well as “a group of former international students who have been through the process before and immigration professionals who reviewed the output of the platform” have contributed to feedback that preceded the public launch.

“The most consistent piece of feedback we’ve got from our beta testers is around the lines of ‘I wish this existed when I was going through the process’, which comes from our beta testers who are now in Canada and were able to compare Visto to doing it ‘the old way’,” Schachnow said.

The company has also launched the Visto Study app which it says contributes to Visto.ai’s mission to “reduce the arcane – and often confusing – immigration red tape”.

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Researchers in the US analysing the “unique difficulties and challenges” international students at one mid-sized university face have recommended how university staff can strengthen support services and foster a sense of belonging on campus.

Academics analysed 400 reflection essays written by international students between 2013 and 2020, and found six key themes emerged.

Students reflected on cultural, psychological as well as academic adjustment, personal growth and what researchers called “hybridised identity”, the mismatch of expectation and reality in the US, in addition to quality relationships and ‘common humanity amid differences’.

The research offers university officials recommendations to support the adjustment, wellbeing and success of students both inside and outside the classroom, according to associate provost at the Center for Global Programs & Services at University of Delaware, Ravi Ammigan.

Ammigan co-authored the paper with Yovana S. Veerasamy from Stony Brook University and Natalie I. Cruz from Emory University.

The research found that the inability of Americans to “pronounce [international students’] names, lack of outreach by American students, homesickness, and the pandemic” exacerbated cultural differences and impacted some students’ psychological wellbeing.

Some students had to rely on self-efficacy to overcome mental stress, it added.

“From a psychological level, HEIs can support international students by developing intentional, adaptable, and student-centred programs and services that address the different and changing needs of students across cultural contexts, foster a sense of belonging, and harness social engagement that leads to new acquaintances and friendships,” Ammigan explained.

“Supporting international students should be a campus wide initiative and imperative”

Diversity, equity, and inclusion programming, as well as campus safety and security efforts can address and combat racism, discrimination, and xenophobia, in addition to supporting the emotional wellbeing of students, he continued.

Institutions’ crisis management and response plans should include counselling services, student wellness resources, and emergency funding, Ammigan suggested.

“HEIs must consider establishing a strategic and dedicated communication plan to effectively reach, seek feedback from, liaise with, and optimise engagement among international students. International students are often met with the directive ‘Go see the international office’ for any issue,” he said.

“The critical task to support international students cannot fall only on the international office – it should be a campus wide initiative and imperative, built on a collaborative model of programming from both academic and non-academic units.”

Other points that students highlighted included feeling like outsiders looking into a new culture, and differences in interactions with fellow students and teachers. Additionally, those students with weaker language proficiency also indicated issues with collaborative assignments.

While key points students highlighted did not change over time, concerns around safety and political instability “did surface as an issue”, according to Ammigan, which “students found to be unsettling”.

“During the pandemic, Asian students suffered emotionally from an unwelcoming political climate and anti-Asian rhetoric,” he said.

“Adjustment challenges revolved around the wrath of the pandemic and its ensuing complexities – access to home country, moving off campus, adjusting to online instruction etc.”

While studying overseas is “for the most part an enriching experience”, some students struggle to adjust, he concluded.

“Some struggle to adjust to their new university life due to challenges stemming from language barriers, cultural differences and misunderstandings, and difficulty in developing relationships and friendships locally. Campuses can play a vital role in ease these concerns and supporting the success of their students,” Ammigan said.

“Even when analysing hundreds of essays, it is important not to make generalisations. International students come from culturally complex societies, and they are but one example of that culture. However, scholars, practitioners, and fellow students in higher education can learn much from these reflections.”

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