Postgrad Study Visas
Whatever your reasons may be, one of the biggest advantages to considering a degree overseas is the chance to get work experience overseas. Somewhat surprisingly, most countries outside of the United States are quite welcoming. This makes sense: university-educated individuals tend to pay more in taxes, as well as being more economically innovative, which means that there are more jobs to be created down the line.
What is especially telling is that not only do each of these, as well as other countries not discussed here, offer opportunities to access the entire labor market (within reason; sorry, you can’t go work for MI6 [trust me, I tried]), but if you complete the probationary period offered by the post study visa, your employer can choose to sponsor you for a longer stay that could ultimately lead to citizenship.
As such, here are four of the most common countries to seek citizenship for American students. Oh, and it goes without saying, I’m not an immigration lawyer, so definitely use this as a jumping off point, not a definitive answer.
The UK
The UK’s post-study visa is quite generous. Those who receive it get two years of time to stay in the UK. This comes following the usual buffer period following most student visas, which allow you to work for up to 40 hours a week.
That come out to around two years, which is about what you’d want to have before applying to an MBA program back in the US. Alternatively, if you are a skilled worker (which you probably are, the list is generous!), then you’ll be able to apply for a skilled worker visa if you meet the relevant criteria.
Canada
Canadian students who have completed an undergraduate degree, as well as certain postgraduate qualifications, are eligible to apply for the Post-Graduation Work Permit. The PGWP allows residence and work in Canada for up to three years.
As is perhaps not surprising, Canada makes it quite easy to immigrate once you’ve gotten your foot in the door. There are a variety of plans in place, including some that don’t even require a full degree!
Australia
If you really want to get away, check out Australia. Depending on the degree you earn from an Australian university, you can stick around for two or three years. The Temporary Graduate Post-Higher Education Visa allows Australian graduates to live and work in Australia for no less than two years.
Depending on your field of work, you can even renew it, or change it to a skilled worker visa.
The Netherlands
Believe it or not, Dutch visas are perhaps the most flexible, despite the fact that the Orientation Visa is only good for a single year. However once you get it (and you don’t have to go to a Dutch university to get one; my recent law grad of a wife is eligible!), you can live and work in the Netherlands for a year.
What makes this visa great is that once you get a job in the Netherlands, it is relatively straightforward to transfer into a new visa. Yes, for citizenship you’ll eventually have to learn Dutch, but only to a basic level, and it’s really not that different from English. The best part? Dutch citizenship comes with all the perks of European Union citizenship.