It can be extremely frustrating, not to mention angering, when an international student is offered a job in the U.S., but is then denied a visa. That was the experience of Krishna Shetty and what led him to choose an American graduate program based almost entirely on his plans to get a visa and a job in the U.S.
According to the Chronicle article, "What Do International Students Want? Jobs," landing a job post-graduation plays a major role in how students plan their academic careers. Aisha Labi, author of the article, states:
"[I]n a highly competitive international marketplace, countries and universities are realizing that more foreign students are choosing where to study based not just on where they can get the best education, but also on where their postgraduation job prospects are brightest."
In response to this growing criterion, graduate programs all over the world are working to increase their students' employability and boost their programs' career services departments. Post-grad career opportunities are working their up the marketing ladder, becoming as important as reputation, student learning, quality of teaching, and price.
Fortunately, countries like the U.S., the U.K., and Canada have made recent changes to their visa policies which will ease the post-grad job search for international students.
In Australia on the other hand, landing a job and declaring residency for international students was once simple, but has now become increasingly difficult. The government was forced to crack down on immigration and work laws in response to what had become abuse of the system by students who would come to work, and then stay for good.
In short, universities (even those in Australia) want international students in their classrooms; and if they want them bad enough, they'll need to draw them in with promises (and proof) of improved graduate employability.
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