We should target US international students

Eric Crampton writes:

And so, New Zealand universities have the chance to do well while doing good.

The case is simplest for students who have not yet begun US studies and are stuck in limbo with a pause in America’s processing of F-1 student visas, or who just want to get out of the US.

New Zealand could clearly advertise that any student accepted into an American university but who are having second thoughts about it will face simplified processing for a New Zealand student visa. And students who already have their American F-1 student visa could also be offered speedier, simplified NZ student visa processes.

Students part way through their US degrees but nervous about being there next year may prefer to spend a couple of semesters here as study-abroad rather than as a full transfer. New Zealand’s universities already handle study-abroad. It’s a well-trodden path. Reminding students in American universities that this option is available could be very worthwhile.

Tuition fees in the US are much higher than here. Simplified Immigration New Zealand processes for students already accepted to US universities should mean lower processing costs. The processing charge enabling Immigration New Zealand to do the job should be small when compared with the tuition fee difference between the two countries. …

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s pledge to double export earnings had seemed more than a little aspirational.

But international education is an export service. The world’s biggest provider of that service is in disarray.

Doubling the number of international students served by New Zealand universities would previously have meant lowering standards. Now it could mean attracting excellent students who wouldn’t have previously considered New Zealand – while helping a lot of people put into very bad circumstances.

Doing well while doing good seems worth trying.

This is an excellent idea, that the Government should pursue with urgency. We do indeed have a huge opportunity as foreign students in the US face great uncertainty. Having them enrol in NZ universities would benefit them and benefit us.