This post, by Francisco Marmolejo, draws on the OECD's annual International Migration Outlook.
It's estimated that 200 million people are currently living outside their home country. A small - but growing - proportion of these people are students pursuing their education. These young people with "mobile talent" will be key assets in the global economy. It's understandable why international competition to attract these students has intensified.
Marmolejo says...
A combination of factors influence the attraction of more or fewer international students by a given country, including the perceived quality and prestige of institutions and academic programs, affordability of tuition in the host country, availability of scholarships and loans for mobility in both host and home countries, language of instruction, effectiveness of outreach and marketing efforts carried on by institutions and governments, perception surrounding the degree of friendliness and openness of the country, among many others. In addition, increasingly students take into consideration how difficult and costly is the visa process, and how flexible the migratory policies are regulating their opportunities to conduct further practical training and eventually to work. According to Nafsa–Association of International Educators, talented students and skilled workers will go to the places that welcome them and offer the best opportunities. Unfortunately the U.S. has been "slow to appreciate and adjust to a paradigm shift in global mobility." The title of the policy briefing authored by Nafsa couldn’t be more eloquent: "A Visa and Immigration Policy for the Brain-Circulation Era: Adjusting to What Happened in the World While We Were Making Other Plans."
