KOCHI: A serious storm is brewing on the horizon for Kerala.
The tightening of immigration norms by their “dream countries” is threatening to upend the plans of thousands of students from the state who went abroad for studies, after taking lakhs of rupees as loans, with the hopes of settling down there. With the UK, Canada, Australia and other European nations acting tough on immigration, many Malayali aspirants will be forced to return home in the coming years
Recently, the Catholic Congress Global Youth Council (CCGYC) brought out a paper pointing out that, as per migration experts, around 30,000 Malayali students would return home after failing to secure jobs abroad. A Kerala Migration Survey report released in 2023 had said 2.5 lakh students from Kerala have gone abroad.
“These are just the numbers till 2023,” said Leon Jose Vithayathil, who prepared the CCGYC report. As per the Bureau of Immigration (BoI), the number of Indians who disclosed their purpose of visit as study/education while going abroad in 2024 was 7,59,064. A significant number of them hail from Kerala. Leon, who is based in the UK, said the situation there has already become difficult for Indian students.
“These are mostly students from middle-class families, who arrive here after taking anywhere between Rs 15 lakh to Rs 45 lakh as loans. This only covers their tuition fees. To cover expenses like accommodation and food, they are forced to take up jobs considered menial back home,” he said.
Uncertainty around visas, residence permits another major concern
Many students, Leon said, also end up circumventing the rules. “Of all the students arriving in these countries, around 60% might get accommodation on their university’s campuses. The rest have to stay at places that don’t rent out rooms to bachelors. So, they pose as couples to secure accommodation,” he said.
Ajay S Kumar, a Malayali settled in Sweden, said the Scandinavian nation was once presented as a country full of opportunities for international students because of its high-quality universities and strong education system. “While the education standards are still good, students’ future after graduation has become increasingly uncertain.
Sweden is facing high unemployment and layoffs across multiple sectors. I personally know many people who lost their jobs and moved back to India as job-hunting here became difficult,” said Ajay, adding that the growing uncertainty around visas and residence permits is another major concern.
“Earlier, visa rejections were mostly associated with post-study job seeker permits. However, recently, even students, PhD candidates and entrepreneurs have faced unexpected rejections, often for unclear or inconsistent reasons. Immigration rules have also become stricter, including longer waiting periods for permanent residency and citizenship, as well as restrictions on part-time work hours for students,” he said.
Students, he said, take huge education loans, hoping to build a stable future abroad, but are forced to return home when they struggle to find internships or jobs. “They end up facing significant financial burden, mental stress and uncertainty about their future.