Foreign studies, permanent residence seekers should explore these nations

Kerala has been witnessing a sudden spike in migration of youngsters for studies or permanent residence (PR) for the past 2-3 years. A majority opt for either the UK or Canada for these purposes.

But, do you know there are other PR-friendly countries offering immense scope for specialised education, job opportunities and settling down?

“Mostly, three categories of youths approach us for migration. One is those who have completed or would like to pursue their studies in foreign countries and would like to apply for PR option. Secondly, those who prefer to acquire a work experience in a foreign country and return to India later.

Finally, there is a category which focuses on just pursuing foreign education and does not bother about getting a permanent residence there,” Arya Mukesh, General Manager, Insight International Study Abroad Pvt Ltd, Kottayam, said.

Check out these PR-friendly countries:

Ireland
Compared to other countries, the Republic of Ireland is a better choice to settle down with its PR procedures.

The country offers huge opportunities in the Food Production, Information Technology and Pharmaceutical industries as well as in job profiles such as Business Analytics and Management. Ireland's capital Dublin, being the hub for all the multi-national companies and headquarters of major IT-based organisations, opens doors to number of chances for candidates specialised in this field.

“Students with good scores in their graduation prefer migrating or applying for a post-graduation in Ireland. Even if one has to return back to our country, you need not bother much about equivalency as the courses being provided by Ireland campuses are internationally accredited,” Arya said.

» Requirements- Candidates with 50-55% marks in graduation can apply in basic campuses. Meanwhile, students require 70 per cent or above marks to apply to the best universities in Ireland. Instead of IELTS, interested candidates can apply for a language-qualifying test on Duolingo, an application that provides online mock tests, sample papers and quick results.

» Cost- Rs 20- 22 lakh per year (approximately)

Sweden
Sweden is the only PR-friendly country in Europe without language barriers, unlike countries such as France and Germany, which requires the candidates to have knowledge of the native language.

“This country gives a lot of importance to education and candidates with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics(STEM) backgrounds,” said Arya. She added that the country also provides a window of opportunities in the Automobile industry. “Being the Land of Innovations, Sweden is home to a number of automobile manufacturing companies such as Volvo and Scania AB. The country is also a major producer of ingenious equipment such as Bluetooth devices and pacemakers,” she said.

» Requirements- Candidates with BSc, MSc and Btech IT need to attempt the IELTS exam, while other BTech holders do not require the exam's scores. Students with marks above 60% can apply to all major institutions in Sweden.

» Cost- Rs 20- 25 lakh per year (approximately)

New Zealand
Interested candidates should apply for studies or permanent residence in New Zealand based on the various categories (Level 1 to 10) introduced by the country recently. The 'Paradise of the Pacific', which has only eight universities altogether, gives immense importance to a strong educational foundation for its students.

The country also offers numerous chances in the Automobile, Information Technology, Civil Engineering and Business industries. “New Zealand is also known for its dairy and wine production sectors, providing a variety of programmes specialized for these fields,” said Arya.

» Requirements- Candidates with good IELTS and PTE scores can apply for studies or migration.

» Cost- Rs 18- 22 lakh per year (approximately)