To talk about academic migration at an international level, it is important to highlight the current definition of migration, to understand the wide range of options or possibilities that a person has when leaving their country of origin, and so that they can evaluate which is the best immigration option. on a personal level to improve your quality of life. While migration in general is a very interesting topic this time, we are going to focus on “internationally mobile students.”
The currently most accepted definition of migration according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean "is the change of residence that implies the transfer of some duly defined geographical or administrative limit" with this "simple" definition people would say that it is simply move from one place of origin to another. But if you analyze it in more detail, migrating correctly involves reviewing the country you want to reach, job and academic opportunities for foreigners, the language, culture, food, among others. Likewise, it happens with minors or young adults who are students and want to acquire an international experience, whether it is an exchange for a few months or simply want to carry out a higher study abroad for a longer time, all of them must analyze whether the country they they want to migrate is suitable for their aspirations.
On the other hand, so that those people who do not fully understand the term “internationally mobile student” I will quickly define these as “people who have physically crossed an international border between two countries with the objective of participating in educational activities in a destination country, where the country of destination is different from their country of origin” (UNESCO, 2015).
To be able to access a nation from an educational point of view, the following requirements that are required in several countries must be taken into account:
The student must “have a non-resident visa, sometimes called a student visa, to obtain a tertiary or higher level degree in the destination country. These people are also called “mobile degree students” to highlight the fact that they will be awarded a foreign degree and to differentiate them from “mobile credit students” who undertake short exchange or study trips abroad.” (Migrationdataportal,2020).
Nowadays the number of internationally mobile students is increasing and the places of destination are becoming more and more diversified. In order to demonstrate this growth, I make a small sample where the data from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) is provided. a sample of incoming and outgoing flows of international students from more than 100 countries. These countries, when responding to an annual questionnaire from said institute, “provide information on the number of internationally mobile students they host and the countries of origin of said students. Annual data is available from 1999 to 2016.” (Migrationdataportal,2020)
Mobile international students
Exponential growth in student migration numbers, taken from MIGRATION DATA PORTAL, a global perspective, migrationdataportal.org, 2020.
So that you as a student know how to differentiate the concept of internationally mobile students from two other definitions of international students, you must take into account the following definitions:
“Foreign students are understood to be non-citizens who are currently enrolled in higher education courses. This definition does not make a distinction between students holding a non-resident visa and holders of a permanent residence permit. The former usually arrive and reside alone in the country in question, while the latter usually emigrate because their parents have moved, which makes them immigrants who do not belong to the first generation nor to the second.” (Migrationdataportal,2020)
Finally, “Mobile credit students are understood to be students who study abroad or who are on an exchange, such as those in the EU Erasmus program. These students remain enrolled in their home countries while receiving a small number of credits from foreign institutions (Van Mol and Ekamper, 2016). Because their enrollment enjoys greater flexibility, most statistics on international students do not include mobile credit students.” (Migrationdataportal,2020)
In conclusion, if you are a student and want to live new experiences on an academic and personal level, it is necessary to take into account which destination country suits your objectives since it is not the same to migrate to a country whose university has its strength in computer technology and You are a student of English philology and on top of that the culture, the climate, the people are not compatible with the personal experiences you are looking for. That is why it is advisable to identify the entire academic, personal and social group so that you can have a pleasant international experience for your life and know which group of students you belong to.
Sources
Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe. (2022). Obtenido de Migración: https://www.cepal.org/es/temas/migracion
PORTAL DE DATOS SOBRE MIGRACIÓN una perspectiva global. (09 de junio de 2020). Obtenido de Estudiantes internacionales: https://www.migrationdataportal.org/es/themes/estudiantes-internacionales