A Study on the Transitional Experiences of Bangladeshi Students in Korea and Mobility to Australia and Canada (original) (raw)

Student migration constitutes an important part of the migration from Bangladesh to developed countries. A large number of Bangladeshi students have now a burning desire to study abroad to get ‘global standard’ education and professional competence to fit them into international job markets. International students' departure from South Korea (hereafter, 'Korea') to other developed countries has a significant social and economic impact on all countries involved. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the Canada (that is, developed countries other than Korea). The study shows that there is an increasing tendency among Bangladeshi students to explore more job opportunities, more prosperous lives, and a higher standard of education for themselves and their children in developed countries. The study has initially been conducted through in-depth interviews with 10 Bangladeshi students, some of whom have already moved to third countries to while others plan to do so, with the goal of permanent settlement. The study findings show that Bangladeshi students are attracted by Korean scholarship opportunities and educational facilities but, when compared with other developed countries, do not find Korea a viable long-term settlement prospect. Thus, many of these students consider Korea a ‘transit country’, a temporary host providing an education which enables them in order to look for employment opportunities and permanent settlement elsewhere. This study intends to provide policy suggestions to help make Korea a more ‘skilled migration-friendly’ country similar to Australia, the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and others, so that not only Bangladeshi students, but the other international students may more frequently decide to stay in Korea rather than using it as a 'bridge' to move to other developed countries.