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Addendum to the report | Doc. 14509 Add. | 29 June 2018
Encouraging the movement of international students across Europe
Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
1. Introduction
1. The report on movement of international
students across Europe was adopted by the Committee on Migration,
Refugees and Displaced Persons in January 2018. As rapporteur for
this report and Vice-Chair of the Sub-Committee on Refugee and Migrant
Children and Young People, I organised a hearing on the subject in
the framework of a sub-committee meeting held in London on 26 March
2018. The hearing brought together prominent academics and practitioners
involved in international student mobility, particularly in the
United Kingdom, as well as government and parliament representatives.
2. The meeting was held jointly with the Sub-Committee on Culture,
Diversity and Heritage of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education
and Media. The outcome of this part of the proceedings will be included
in my ongoing report on the value of cultural heritage in a democratic
society. 
3. The relevance of the hearing for my report on student movement
prompted the submission of the present addendum to the report. It
reflects the presentations and exchanges and proposes two amendments
to the draft resolution to be debated and adopted by the Assembly.
2. Participation in the hearing
4. The hearing began with a presentation
of the report and an exchange of views with Ms Lucie Cerna, who was
an expert consultant during its drafting. Research Associate at
the Oxford Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), she
highlighted main issues, among them the adverse effect of the failure
to distinguish between student “movement or migration” and all other
types of migration (economic, political or otherwise) on both the
status of student movement and European countries’ attitude towards
it.
5. Other speakers at the hearing were Ms Nicky Rogers, Head of
Migration Analysis and Development of Sources, and Ms Amelia Ash,
Senior Research Officer from the Migration Statistics Division of
the United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics, and Ms Julie
Allen, Director of Policy and Services with the UK Council for International
Student Affairs, and Ms Eleanor Jubb, Policy Analyst at Universities
UK International. Conclusions were drawn by Lord Karan Bilimoria,
Chancellor of Birmingham University. More than 30 parliamentarians
attended the event and participated in debate after the presentations.
3. Main issues arising
6. Speakers agreed that the trend
for study abroad has seen a considerable increase in the last forty
years. From under a million United Kingdom students studying in
a foreign country in 1975, numbers had grown to 4.6 million in 2015.
Students drew multiple benefits from mobility, as did the higher
education institutions, employers and host countries involved. Student
movement allows the acquisition of new skills, including languages,
and ensures the formation of a well-trained and integrated labour
force. A significant source of income for host countries, experience
and competencies gained through student movement help to establish a
creative, innovative and diverse working population.
7. In attracting international students, different factors are
taken into account for the host country, such as the language of
instruction, compatibility across national education systems, immigration
policies, economic, political and social factors and, finally, tuition
fees, which vary greatly from country to country. Some countries have
a “no tuition fee” policy that applies to both international and
domestic students, such as Finland and Germany. In others, tuitions
fees are fixed at the same rate for both domestic and international
students (France, Italy, Luxembourg). Lastly, there are countries
imposing tuitions fees at a different rate for domestic and international
students (Austria, Belgium and the United Kingdom).
8. The legislative framework set up by the European Union to
encourage student mobility, the “High Energy Ignition” and subsequently
the Erasmus project with 33 participating States had served to promote
“inward mobility” within the European Union (the most popular destinations
being Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy).
9. Student mobility was shown by speakers at the hearing to be
closely linked to labour migration, since sometimes students chose
to prolong their stay in the host country in order to work, thereby
benefiting local economies. The length of the job search period
varied from 6 to 18 months, but some countries offered special facilities
for students staying on. A recent estimate in 2017 indicates that
16.4% to 29.1% of international students from non-EU countries choose
to remain in the European Union, the highest proportion being from north-west
Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It should be
noted however, that this is normally for a short-term period of
6 to 12 months after graduation.
4. The case of international students in the United Kingdom
10. The United Kingdom is currently
in second place worldwide, after the United States, in numbers of international
students studying there, followed by China, Germany, France, Japan
and Canada. According to Universities UK, more than half a million
international students are currently enrolled at a British university,
of which approximately one fifth are in London.
11. Between April 2015 and April 2016, 193 100 non-EU students
came to study in the United Kingdom, of which 122 000 departed after
graduation, whereas 57 900 were granted authorisation to remain,
to study, work or other. The Survey of Graduating International
Students, set up to further the understanding of what students do
before, during and after their studies, has found that the average
stay of students from European Union countries was two years and
five months, while for non-EU students it was just one year and
11 months. However, a gradual but extremely significant decrease
of students extending their visas after graduating had been observed;
from over 150 000 students extending their visas in 2011, the number
had decreased to 35 572 by 2016.
12. To a question regarding the post-study plans of international
students, more EU students said they were likely to plan to stay
in the United Kingdom to look for work or for further study than
non-EU students. Of the EU nationals responding to the survey, the
Germans (15%) and the French (13%) made up the largest proportion.
In analysing the topic further, the Office for National Statistics
had begun using Exit Checks to investigate what non-EU migrants
travelling on a work or family visa did when their visa was due
to expire.
13. The impact of international students on the British economy
is significant. In 2014-2015, international students (including
EU and non-EU students) accounted for 19% of all the students registered
at British universities and subsequently generated £10.8 billion
of United Kingdom export earnings. Furthermore, as well as what
they spent on university fees and accommodation, in 2014-2015, international
students spent £5.4 billion off-campus on goods and services, supporting
206 600 jobs nationally.
14. It is therefore obvious that academic movement benefits students,
higher education institutions, employers and countries alike. Even
though student mobility has greatly improved in the last few years
through European legislative frameworks and national initiatives,
there are still steps to be taken, especially in the domain of tuition
fees, which can sometimes discourage students from choosing a particular
country. Taking into account the fact that international students
contribute towards economic sustainability, greater diversity and
a broader range of skills, all stakeholders should seek to attract
and retain them.
5. Proposed amendments to the draft resolution
Amendment A
At the end of paragraph 5.7, add the following words:
“and establishing tuition fees which are not prohibitive for some international students, while maintaining grant and loan programmes for students where incentive is required for areas of study considered important”
Amendment B
Before paragraph 6.1, insert the following paragraph:
“take into account to a greater extent in policies and programmes the evidence of surveys and studies to show the economic, social and cultural benefit for host countries and countries of origin of encouragement given to student movement;”