European Migration Network

I mmigration of international students is of increasing importance for numerous countries, including Poland. However, internationalisation of the Polish higher education, measured by the percentage of foreigners in the total number of students, must be considered extremely low (still below 1%).

For many years, universities have been the main actors influencing the policy of foreign student recruitment. At the level of the state, for many years there has not been any comprehensive and consistent strategy for internationalisation of universities.

The analysis of recent activities however shows a positive shift in the approach of the state to educational migration to Poland in the context of a decreasing number of potential students due to subsequent generations from the period of population decline reaching the university starting age.

The problems with recruiting students to Polish universities belong also to key determinants of the migration policy as evidenced by the strategic documents of the government in the years 2009-2012.

The EMN Study "The Immigration of International Students to the EU” provides an overview of the immigration and mobility policies currently implemented by the Member States to allow international students to enter the EU for the purposes of study. Such policies aim to attract and facilitate the entry of international students whilst at the same time preventing misuse of the international student route to migration. The Study’s focus is on the migration of international students to the EU, It does not include migrants who come to the EU for another purpose, even if they subsequently decide to undertake a course of study.