Several western countries including UK, Canada and Australia are tightening student visa policies. The key objective of some of the new rules is to reduce the inflow

Several western countries including UK, Canada and Australia are tightening student visa policies. The key objective of some of the new rules is to reduce the inflow of international students to keep a check on inflow of immigrants. All these countries have unequivocally stated that while they want to achieve the above objective, they want to attract talented students as well as professionals

While the first preference for most Indian students is still western nations many are beginning to explore options in non-western countries (In 2023, UK witnessed a dip in Master’s applications from Indian nationals). It would be pertinent to point out that for some subjects, the traditionally favoured destinations will still be safe bets for students, but in a changing economic landscape, Indian students are bound to look at various alternatives.

While the UAE is seeking to attract talented professionals as well as international students with the aim of strengthening Research and Development (R and D), East Asian nations - including Japan and S Korea need to fill in shortages in their respective job markets. Many Eastern European nations are also beginning to receive a higher number of applications from Indian students.

For long, one of the main reasons for the west having a clear edge over UAE, for students from developing countries including India, was the job opportunities and the fact that these countries provided citizenship. The UAE is trying to address this issue by providing long term residency visas – referred to as Golden and Green Visas -- for skilled professionals and researchers (earlier such visas sought only to target High Networth Individuals – HNI’s). The UAE clearly has an edge due to its proximity to India, air connectivity and the large Indian expat population settled there. The introduction of long-term residency visas mentioned above along with its growing focus on attracting talented students is likely to give a fillip to enrolment of international students in UAE universities. What also makes the UAE attractive is the growing number of western and Australian universities having campuses there. In terms of logistics and costs this works out well for international students (students also get a chance to spend time on the main campuses of these universities). It is not just India, but even students from other South Asian nations including who will be attracted towards UAE. Apart from the above factors, the UAE accepts students with a gap year after their 10+2 and the number of financial documents required for the admissions process is far lesser (not to mention the large number of expats from all over South Asia and the job opportunities)

While there is no doubt that western institutions– especially US and UK universities – are likely to remain the first choice for students from certain disciplines, UAE already home to a sizeable South Asian expat community is likely to attract more students from India and other parts of South Asia due to several factors – including its increasing thrust on attracting talent and its innovative approach towards work visas. 

The key factors why UAE could attract large number of South Asian students in the future

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