Post-study work rights: an analysis of government policy in major destination countries

Post-study work rights (PSWR) allow international students to remain and work in their host countries for a determined period after graduation. Although some research has investigated aspects of PSWR policies in individual countries, there have been no major studies exploring sustainability of such policies and their aims and effects. This study examines PSWR policies in three countries: Australia, Germany and Canada between 2004 and 2018, the period in which PSWR policies were introduced in these countries, and simultaneously in most other popular international education destinations. In doing so, this study aims to build an understanding of the sustainability of PSWR policy in the wider context of international higher education, focusing on the actors who play a central role in shaping the policy process. It sets out to answer the key research question ‘how sustainable are PSWR visa policies according to the key policy actors?’ and three additional research questions in relation to each country: (a) Who are the key actors involved in PSWR visa policy? (b) What are the dominant narratives used by key actors to explain the aims and effects of these policies? and (c) How are the strengths and potential vulnerabilities of PSWR visa policies characterised? To answer these research questions, this study adopts a theoretical framework grounded in the intersection and interrelationship of globalisation, knowledge economy and competition states and how responses at the national level are shaped through the relationship between actors, mechanisms, and principles (Braithwaite & Drahos 2000). The study also adopts Bacchi (2009) policy analysis framework ‘What’s the Problem Represented to be?’ using a comparative case study method. Detailed analysis on each national case draws on a wide range of data sources, including federal policy documents, student visa and enrolment data, public commentary, and interviews with policy actors. The study found that PSWR policy serves as a national policy response to provide competitive advantage to higher education sectors and solve multiple problem areas in each country. The policies typically have several objectives: to attract more international students, fill labour shortages, internationalisation of higher education, retain highly skilled migrants, and improve outcomes for international graduates. Although the first three of these objectives appear to have been realised in each of the three countries, it remains unclear whether such policies have improved outcomes for international graduates. Transnational actors, predominantly the OECD, World Bank and European Union, influenced national governments to align higher education with labour markets and international education with immigration policies. A clear linkage between international education and student labour market policies was established that juxtaposes PSWR policy within the pre-existing policy settings. In each of the three countries studied, it was found that federal and provincial governments and universities were the key actors involved in shaping PSWR policy. Universities have a dominant influence in Australia, while industry and the German Rectors Conference have a strong influence in Germany. The dominant narratives that emerged in the three cases relate to principles of economic openness and education as the export of services. The three cases in this study are competition states and knowledge economies, which embody the global dimension as promoters of higher education that compete for international education. The study further revealed shifting narratives that exposed policy vulnerabilities relating to international graduate experiences in the labour markets. Change of visa status led to more uncertainty for this group of actors and created a low-level workforce in Canada and Australia. At a theoretical level, the study highlighted policy diffusion and strength of the policy convergence process, which, across the three cases lies in the pre-existing structures and international regimes of the international student visa system. This study argues that the importance of the time dimension of policy borrowing determines the likelihood of policy diffusion. The early wave that established policy travel around 2004/05 was not preceded by a slow growth phase, but instead was simultaneously sparked in several countries because of guidance stemming from transnational policy actors, most notably the OECD, and increasing global competition in international education markets.