Study Abroad – Immigration Friendly Countries for Indian Students

Immigration friendly countries are the most sought after among Indian students wishing to study abroad. Factors like a strong economy, easy immigration visa policies & work permit, quality education and post-study work opportunities make a country immigration friendly. Countries like Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Germany are considered the most immigration friendly countries in the world because of their booming jobs market and diverse cultural amalgamation.

In this article, we have listed the most immigration friendly countries for Indian students. Also, there are details of the factors that make a country immigration friendly and suitable for an international student to pursue their education.

List of Immigration Friendly Countries

Name of Country	Path to Permanent Residency
Canada	Post-Graduate Work Permit Program Express Entry – Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, Canadian Experience Class
Australia	SkillSelect Migration Program – Skilled Independent Visa
New Zealand	Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa
Singapore	Professional, Technical Personnel & Skilled Workers Scheme (PTS Scheme)
Germany	Settlement Permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis)

Immigration friendly countries – Canada

Considered one of the most immigration friendly countries in the world, Canada offers quality education, flexible immigration rules, easy visa conditions and part-time work permit while studying and post-study work permit to international students. Ranked as #1 country in the world for high quality of life, Canada favours multicultural societies and prohibits any kind of discrimination based on gender, race, disability, etc., making it safe for international students to fulfil their educational dreams here. Even the job market in Canada is booming, creating work opportunities for skilled immigrants. The flexible immigration rules make it easier for meritorious international students to settle in Canada if they wish to do so or extend their stay in order to gain global corporate exposure. Having a points-based system known as Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to assess and score a candidate’s profile for permanent residency, Canada allots numbers based on the student’s educational qualifications, work experience and age. The maximum score is 1200 which includes 600 as core points and 600 as additional points. Take a look at the factors given below that make for core and additional points.

Core Points

• Skills and experience factors
• Spouse or common-law partner factors, such as their language skills and education
• Skill transferability, including education and work experience

Additional Points

• Canadian degrees, diplomas or certificates
• A valid job offer
• A nomination from a province or territory
• A brother or sister living in Canada who is a citizen or permanent resident
• Strong French language skills

Now that you know why Canada is considered one of the most immigrant friendly countries, let’s read about how to pave the path to permanent residency of Canada while studying there.

• Students can apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program after graduating from a designated learning institution in Canada. The fee for PGWP application is CAD 255 and the permit is processed in 91 days (online) or 111 days (paper).
• Applicants must apply for PGWP within 180 days of getting the final marks from their school. If the duration of a candidate’s program is more than 8 months but less than 2 years, he/she may be granted a work permit of the same duration as the study program. In case of program duration of 2 or more years, work permit may be issued for 3 years.
• A PGWP may make the spouse of the student eligible for an open work permit which allows the applicant to work for any employer in Canada.
• If a student is unable to secure PGWP, he/she can still work in Canada under any of the two work permits: Open work permit and Employer-specific work permit.
• Now that the student has gained Canadian work experience, he/she has options to become a permanent resident there. He/she becomes eligible for Express Entry which is an online system to manage applications for permanent residence from skilled workers. The Express Entry includes the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program and the Canadian Experience Class.
• Under Express Entry, the candidates first need to find out if they are eligible for any of the programs. If found eligible, the candidates must get his/her documents ready before filling the profile form. The documents for profile include passport/travel document, language test results, educational credentials, provincial nomination (if available) and written job offer from an employer in Canada (if available). To complete the application for permanent residence, the candidates need to upload the documents used in profile form along with some additional documents such as police certificate, medical exam certificate and proof of funds.
• After creating the Express Entry profile, the candidates need to submit it. The profile is scored using CRS on the basis of the information in the profile.
• Candidates scoring high are invited to apply for permanent residence within 60 days. The application for permanent residence takes 6 months or less to be processed.

Also, read ‘Study in Canada: All you need to know’ to know about the educational opportunities in Canada.

Immigration Friendly Countries – Australia

One of the favorite destinations to study abroad among Indian students, Australia is home to a number of world-renowned educational institutions that offer an array of courses to students to pursue. Besides providing world-class curriculum courses, Australia also provides good job prospects along with a high standard of living and easy immigration regulations. All these factors make it one of the best immigration friendly countries in the world, enticing international students into settling there. Australia uses a points test to offer an invitation to apply for permanent residency to desiring candidates who fulfil all the required requirements. The international students having graduated from Australia can apply for permanent residency through the SkillSelect Migration Program, which is an online system to help lodge an online Expression of Interest (EOI) for migrants.

Highlighted below are the steps that an international student having graduated from Australia can take to apply for permanent residency.

• The candidates need to visit the SkillSelect section of the Department of Immigration & Border Protection website and create an EOI which needs information such as an applicant’s given name & family name, birth date, country of origin, gender, passport & citizenship details, place of residence and relationship status. The applicants must confirm the information provided by them to create an account by providing an email ID and password. Upon submission, the applicants receive an expression of interest identification number by email for future reference.
• After creating an account on SkillSelect, the candidates need to sign in using the identification number and password, and complete all the necessary sections.
• Now, the applicants got to select the type of visa applicable for them – Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189). Subclass 189 not only allows to work and study anywhere in Australia, but also lets the visa holder sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence. And, if the visa holder is eligible, he/she can be granted citizenship of Australia.
• The candidates need to submit their English language test details which include the date of examination, test reference number and test scores, educational details, skills assessment, employment history.
• After the submission of EOI, the application is assessed and ranked against other intending applicants. On ranking high, the applicant is invited to apply for the visa.

Now that you know how to go about applying for permanent residency, let’s read about the things that the applicants must keep in mind before the visa application process begins.

• The applicants must be under the age of 45 years of age when invited to apply for the visa.
• The applicants must have a suitable skills assessment at the time of invitation. This skills assessment must have been obtained by the applicant within 3 years before the date of visa application invitation. This assessment is done on the basis of the qualification that the applicant obtained in Australia while holding a student visa. Also, the applicant must have studied a course registered on CRICOS.
• Since Subclass 189 is a point-based visa, the applicants must score at least 65 to get an invitation. The score is given during the filling of EOI in SkillSelect on the basis of the information submitted by the applicant. Also, the applicants must support the information filled by them in EOI at the time of lodging visa application.
• The applicants must provide proof of having competent English at the time of visa application by submitting valid English language test results.

Required English Language Test Scores

Name of English Language Test	Required Score
IELTS	A minimum score of 6 for each component
TOEFL iBT	At least 12 in listening section, 13 in reading section, 21 in writing and 18 in speaking sections
PTE Academic	A minimum 50 in each of the components
Occupational English Test (OET)	At least ‘B’ grade in each component
Cambridge C1 Advanced Test	A minimum 169 marks in each component

• The intending applicants’ occupation must be on the relevant list of eligible skilled occupations.
• The applicants also need to meet health and character requirements. They must have paid back or arranged to pay their debts to the Australian government.
• Also, the applicants need to sign the Australian values statement that states that the candidate will respect the Australian ways of life and obey Australian laws.

Read ‘Study in Australia: All you need to know’ to gather details about education in Australia for an international student.

Immigration Friendly Countries – New Zealand

Blessed with natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, New Zealand is emerging as one of the favourite study destinations for international students. The country offers a world-class education system, great infrastructure, low unemployment rate, low crime rate and a strong economy. These factors attract several international students to not only study in New Zealand but also see it as a potential residence for the future. Indian students who study in New Zealand generally go for post-study work visa to pursue a professional career in New Zealand. This may help candidates to become eligible for permanent residency there. The PR is granted on the basis of a points system in which the intending applicants are awarded points on the basis of their educational qualifications, employability, work experience, age (must be less than 55 years) and family ties. Also, most of the Indian students go for Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa when applying for a PR.

Let’s read the steps given below to know how an international student having graduated from New Zealand can apply for permanent residency through Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa.

• The applicants need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) by providing the necessary details. While completing the EOI, the candidates are scored on the basis of the information submitted by them. A minimum of 100 points is needed to be invited for a visa application. However, the New Zealand Immigration is currently selecting those EOIs that have a score of at least 160 points.
• The candidates can expect to receive a notification from New Zealand Immigration within 2 weeks, i.e., after the verification of the information entered into the EOI.
• Applicants are sent an ‘Application for Residence under the Skilled Migrant Category’ form along with the invitation to apply for residence. They need to fill the form and provide all the necessary documents and other essentials materials and then, submit the visa application.
• The decision on visa application for permanent residence takes at least 6 months to process.

Click here to read more about what New Zealand has to offer to the international students.

Immigration friendly countries – Singapore

Having a strong education system, Singapore is one of the best countries in Asia to offer world-class education. Several of the Indian students wanting to study abroad flock to Singapore due to its cost of studying which is comparatively less than that of USA and UK. This Asian country has one of the most stable economies in the world and is considered an important financial hub of the world. These factors attract students to explore avenues post-study and look for permanent residency in Singapore. The most viable option for students who wish to apply for Singapore PR is getting post-study work permit. The international students can apply for a non-renewable Long Term Visit Pass of one year and obtain a relevant job in the country. The students must keep in mind that on not getting a relevant job they would have to return to their country. On acquiring employment, the candidates become eligible for Work Permit after a year. And having worked for at least 2-3 years make candidates eligible to apply for Singapore PR.

Now, let’s read the steps mentioned below to know how to apply for permanent residency of Singapore.

• Singapore offers three ways to foreign nationals to obtain PR of the country – Professional, Technical Personnel & Skilled Workers Scheme (PTS Scheme), Global Investor Program Scheme (GIP Scheme) and Foreign Artistic Talent Scheme (ForArts Scheme).
• The most suitable visa option for international students with Work Permit is the PTS scheme as this visa scheme is for those who hold Employment Pass. The intending candidates need to submit an online PR application along with all the required documents through the e-Service of Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) of Singapore.
• The PR application takes at least 6 to 12 months to get processed. Upon being selected, the ICA notifies the applicants by sending them approval letters. And, the applicants will need to visit ICA office within 2 months of receiving the letters to complete the PR formalities.

Read ‘Study in Singapore: All you need to know’ for more information about educational opportunities in Singapore.

Immigration friendly countries – Germany

Touted as the hub of automobile industry, Germany is one of the favourite study abroad destination among students who wish to pursue education in Europe. Stable economy, world-class educational centres along with great infrastructure and rich cultural heritage lures international students towards Germany to fulfil their career goals and look for ways to earn the country’s PR. The best way to go about is to obtain a Residence Permit/EU Blue Card from Foreign Nationals’ Registration Office in the vicinity. The Residence Permit allows students to stay in Germany post-study for 18 months to work in an industry befitting their course of study and qualification. Having gained a work experience of at least 2 years, the students are eligible to apply for permanent residency provided the candidates still have a job in Germany that would support his/her living cost in this European country.

Let’s read the steps about how international students can apply for permanent residency in Germany.

• The international students, having gained post-study work experience of at least 2 years after graduating from a German higher education institution, can apply for German permanent residence permit known as the Settlement Permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis), provided they fulfil some prerequisite conditions.
• The applicants need to prepare their documentation which includes completed application form for PR, valid passport, degree certificates, evidence of employment for the past 2 years, employment contract, proof of paid pension insurance, health insurance, biometric photo, proof of accommodation & registration, rental agreement, proof of competent knowledge of German language and other necessary documents. Then, submit their PR application.

Also read, Best Country to Study Abroad – All You Need to Know