International Student Migration to the GCC States: A Comparative Study (original) (raw)
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This in-depth analysis examined the dynamics of international education and its management in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, with a particular emphasis on Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The research review highlighted the growing significance of attracting international students to GCC countries as part of their educational expansion and economic diversification strategies. This review has underlined the complex interaction between higher education institutions, international students, and the broader societal and economic contexts within the GCC region by analysing 17 selected papers published between 2016 and 2023. The review used a rigorous search strategy and criteria for inclusion and exclusion to identify relevant studies. The research review results show that despite the GCC countries’ large expenditures in higher education infrastructure, there are still issues with linguistic obstacles, cultural adaption, and a desire for academic help for...
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This paper uses both the descriptive and comparative approaches to provide an overview of migration of international students from the Middle East and North Africa MENA region and mobilizing skills in the MENA Region. We fill the gap in the MENA literature and present a more comprehensive and updated analysis of migration of international students from the MENA region. Our findings support the first hypothesis that the number of international students from the MENA region increased substantially over the past years. Our results corroborate the second hypothesis that international students from the MENA region are concentrated in few countries. Our findings support the third hypothesis that skills of international students can be better mobilized in their countries of origin by addressing the push-pull factors that determine migration of skills from the MENA region.
Historical and ancestral bonds of the countries in the Middle East have led to similarities in culture and context of their societies. In addition, economical resources, such as the oil industry, have generally been an integrative point in the region. Higher education of a country is influenced by different national and international factors and, regarding the mentioned bonds, it is inviting to study the development of the countries of the Middle East in higher education and draw some practical implications which can be used in the educational policymaking of the region. This review includes a data analysis on the population of international students in the countries of the Middle East. As its second objective, a review study on the successful countries, that is, those which host the highest number of international students, and the strategies they have developed to reach this state among the countries of the region has been conducted. Suggestions are made as to the strategies in higher education systems of these countries which could prove useful and practical in the development of internationalization of higher education in the region, specifically with regard to the recruitment of international students.
Migration Policy in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States: A Critical Analysis
Contemporary Review of the Middle East, 2021
International labor migration is the unique reality of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states. Despite seemingly open migration policies and reforms, the GCC states recently engaged in international and domestic policies to manage the migrant population better. Considering the dependency of Gulf states on migrant labor and the constant increase in migration to these states, this article aims to understand the policies pertaining to the presence, conditions of residence, integration, and socioeconomic rights of the migrant labor force. After an overview of migration trends and patterns in the GCC states, the article examines the migration policy framework that regulates and governs migration in the GCC. It also highlights the recent reforms and initiatives taken by the GCC states and a few sending countries which have impacted the migration flows, migrant rights, and development benefits of migration. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion on policy challenges...
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This article identifies a research gap on expatriate students attending international branch campuses in their country of residence, and argues that they are insufficiently distinguished from international students in research on student mobility and choice-making. It finds that the priorities and enrollment choices of expatriates are often understood using the same analytical language as for students who migrate for the purpose of education, particularly through the use of rationalist “push-pull” models and agent-centric frameworks that approach choice and mobility as inherent to all international students. The study argues that the enrollment choices of expatriates studying at fee-charging international institutions are better understood through research discourses typically applied to non-mobile, domestic students, such as access, affordability and opportunity. Using a mixed-methods research design combining questionnaires and interviews, it examines the pathways and obstacles experienced by expatriate residents studying at international institutions in the Northern Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. It finds that expatriate student choices are often constrained by structural factors that limit their mobility, including costs and family commitments, and are informed by senses of belonging and familiarity in their adoptive country of residence. Findings are contextualized through a discussion of an international education market which capitalizes on immobility and commercializes access to expressions of global citizenship. It concludes with implications for mobility research and calls for greater nuance in discussions on students attending international institutions of higher education.
Who benefits from foreign universities in the Arab Gulf States?
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The Arab Gulf States are the largest hosts of international branch campuses globally. By increasing higher education capacity in the Arab Gulf States by over 30,000 places, foreign institutions have, through various forms of transnational provision, increased significantly the accessibility of higher education to young people living in these countries. However, critics of transnational higher education have suggested that it can be seen as the new neocolonialism, which benefits the providers much more than the receivers. This study aims to identify the stakeholders that might benefit from transnational higher education in the Arab Gulf States, and to examine the extent to which those stakeholders are actually benefiting from it. It was found that transnational higher education is playing a large role in the economic, cultural and social development of the Arab Gulf States.