Germany and UK sharpen student visa and talent strategies

The UK has removed explicit international student number targets but retains an education export goal of £40 billion by 2030. Recent migration policy changes are now framed as "sustainable recruitment," according to a panel at the European Association of International Education conference.

Rachel Sandison, deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Glasgow, said the UK's language has shifted. "Internationalisation needs to be seen as a strategic enabler, and as a soft power asset," she stated. Sandison works with both the UK's refreshed international education strategy and Scotland's separate strategy, which emphasizes talent attraction.

Germany's focus on visa accessibility

Germany's 2024-2034 national strategy for higher education internationalisation prioritizes attraction and retention. Kai Sicks, secretary general of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), explained the plan aims to improve conditions on a legal regulatory basis. We improve visa accessibility of Germany, to make all these bureaucratic procedures more easy, he said.

A new DAAD program, funded by the federal ministry, now supports nearly 100 universities with activities to help international students complete their studies and stay in the country. Sicks said this program's groundwork was laid in the national strategy.

Strategic shifts in the UK and Slovenia

In the UK, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has become a formal partner in the international education strategy, a shift from previous arrangements. Scotland is separately driving to position itself as a welcoming destination for global talent.

Slovenia has moved from a mobility-focused approach to a broader strategy covering higher education and research from 2023 to 2030. Alenka Flander, director of Slovenia's CMEPIUS mobility centre, said the Western Balkans remain a major priority, but the strategy has expanded to include Africa, East Asia, Canada, and Australia. We are a very ambitious little country, Flander noted, while cautioning that ambition must be balanced with realism given sparse resources.

Institutional autonomy remains key

Across the discussions, speakers stressed that institutional autonomy is non-negotiable. Sicks said university strategy-making is an independent process, though a national strategy can serve as a compass. Sandison echoed that institutions need flexibility to decide how to respond to national frameworks. She now sits on a UK International Education Strategy Action Group aiming to translate strategic ambition into practical support for the sector.

The panel concluded that while national strategies are sharpening their focus on global talent, they ultimately rely on autonomous institutions to implement their vision.