SINGAPORE: Every year, scores of students from Singapore head overseas to study, lured by the attractions of a new environment, and opportunities for independence and self-growth.
But what usually is a smooth application pathway for Singaporeans has been hit with some measure of uncertainty in the past year.
Some countries, including those popular with Singaporean students, are tightening visa restrictions for people travelling overseas to pursue their education.
At the start of the year, the UK sought to curb the number of immigrants by banning postgraduate students who were not doing research courses from bringing dependants with them.
Canada announced a two-year cap on study permit applications in January, designed to temporarily reduce the number of foreign students arriving on its shores.
Closer to home, Australia proposed international student caps which involve allocating a quota for each higher education institution for 2025.
Compared to their international peers, Singaporeans typically make up a small proportion of foreign students overseas, but reverberations have been felt by those in the industry.
What do the restrictions mean for Singaporeans, and where does that leave those with an appetite for an overseas education?
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Australia to limit foreign student enrolments in migration crackdown WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING? In each of these countries, wrangling over domestic issues like the cost of living has been the common refrain for cutting back on immigrants, who are blamed by some for competing with locals over necessities and pushing up prices.
“What you see in the UK, and also more broadly among developed economies, is the tension revolving (around) the cost of living, housing shortages, competition for jobs … and certainly migration and the presence of the grad students in the UK fuel perceived displacement,” said Dr Leong Chan-Hoong, Senior Fellow and head of social cohesion research programme at Nanyang Technological University’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).
Canada’s immigration department said rapid increases in the number of international students placed pressure on housing, healthcare and other services. Its cap is expected to result in a decrease of 35 per cent approved study permits in 2024, compared to 2023. A small number of Singaporeans go there to study - 410 in 2023.
The UK is similarly seeking to pare back migration levels by limiting the growing number of visas granted to dependants of foreign students. According to the BBC, 135,788 visas were granted to dependants in 2022, a jump from 54,486 in 2021, and 19,139 in 2020.
03:55 MinThe British government plans to stop most international students from bringing in family members with them. Currently, those on a postgraduate course can be joined by a partner and children. But that is set to change from next year, as the UK seeks to lower net migration. Stuart Smith reports.
However, the government stopped short of scrapping a graduate visa, which allows international students to work in the UK for two to three years after finishing their course. More students from Singapore head to the UK than Canada, with 6,235 enrolling there for the academic year 2022/2023.
“The foremost political challenge (in these countries) is to reassure their constituents that the interest of their domestic residents will be taken care of,” Dr Leong said. Dr Leong was the Principal Investigator of a study about how overseas and locally-based Singaporeans view citizenship and belonging against the backdrop of global uncertainties.
On whether such moves are unprecedented, experts said that immigration concerns are a recurring theme.
“Historically if you look at immigration sentiments, it fluctuates. It's almost like a pendulum that swings towards both ends depending on the prevailing political values of the day,” said Dr Leong.
“So there's a lot of ripple effects that we all feel today, and that's really a reflection of the interconnectedness that we experience in terms of global economy and global social climate.”
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Overseas education agency TheRightU said that students heading to the UK are mostly unaffected as they do not bring their families with them.
Director Chan Khai Leok said that Singaporeans generally expect to return home after completing their studies, compared with other students who take education as a means of relocation. Recent factors, including the visa policy changes, have had minimal impact on prospective Singaporean students interested in studying in the UK, Universities UK International told CNA.
"From January to June 2024, following the policy’s introduction, the number of study visas granted to main applicants from Singapore reduced by just 2.6 per cent compared to the same period the previous year,” a spokesperson said.
“The government’s commitment to maintaining the graduate visa on its current terms will have been welcome news for prospective students from Singapore, providing a competitive post-study offer.
"We hope that the resilience and commitment of Singaporean students to obtain a world-class education will persist as the UK continues to recover from this difficult period."
The same could not be said for Australia, which sees comparable numbers of Singaporean students.
Dr Chan has seen disruptions in what is usually a fast and straightforward application process for Singaporeans.
“Fortunately, no Singaporean citizens have been rejected. However, we have noticed an increase in spot checks on local students. They were asked to provide documents that were not previously required, though their applications were still approved.”
Late last year, visa applications that typically took two to three weeks to turn around were delayed by as long as three to four months for a handful of students, and a month for others.
"That was completely unexpected, but it wasn’t just us. We discussed this with peers in the industry, and they shared the same experience,” Dr Chan told CNA.
"It felt as though the applications had been overlooked. At first, we thought it was an isolated case, but when a second and third case appeared, it became clear that the delays were not due to oversight.
"Then there were periods where we didn’t get any approvals at all.”
04:36 MinA clampdown by the Australian government on the number of international students heading to the country is causing widespread concern in its multi-billion dollar education industry. While it is part of a move to reduce annual migrant numbers, critics say it will tarnish Australia’s reputation and hit the education industry financially. Roger Maynard reports.
On Dec 11 last year, Australia said it would tighten visa rules for international students and low-skilled workers as the government sought to overhaul what it said was a "broken" migration system.
In a report released on the same day, the government outlined measures for international students, who will need higher ratings on English tests.
English language requirements were tightened in March, and the amount of savings international students need to qualify for a visa was raised in May to A$29,710 (S$26,162) from A$24,505 - the second increase in about seven months.
Dr Chan said a few students had to defer their studies because of the delay, with one person receiving his approval just a day before he was due to fly.
Then on Jul 1, Australia increased visa application fees from A$710 to A$1,600, introducing yet more uncertainty.
Students who paid the new fee amount heard back quickly, while others who paid the original fee continued to face delaysgi global infinity, Dr Chan said.
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Students walk past stalls during the orientation week at The University of Sydney, in Camperdown, Australia on Feb 15, 2023. (File photo: Reuters/Stella Qiu)