Study and Work Abroad Becomes Tougher Due to Strict Rules
2 Min Read
The study and work abroad dynamics are shifting in the opposite direction. While every student planning to work abroad had a simple aim—study, work, and settle abroad—now that dream becomes tougher to complete. As destinations like the USA, UK, Sweden, Canada, and Australia have implied tougher immigration restrictions, from rising visa fees to student visa cuts, these changes are re-shaping study and work abroad pathways for international students.
From Australia to America, the dream of studying abroad is getting harder to hold on to, while some destinations are rising salary thresholds others are shrinking student-visa slots. These restrictions have made international talents and skilled workers rethink their decisions, budgets, and destinations.
The USA’s most talked-about change that implied recently is the $100,000 one-time fee for each new H-1B petition, effective for those field on or after September 21, 2025. With this change, there comes even tougher rules for international talent to find home in the US, as the fee signals deeper shifts in status-change complications, tougher green-card backlogs, social media vetting, stricter OPT and post-study rules, and reduced travel flexibility for H-1B holders.
Something similar is the condition of international skilled workers in the UK. In the UK, from July 22, 2025, the minimum salary for the Skilled Worker visa jumped from £38,700 to £41,700 per year, making it tougher for skilled workers to secure a job. The fewer job roles and higher salary barriers are pushing many out of reach of advantageous opportunities.
The next destination Sweden has likewise raised its bar from June 2025. The foreign national applying for work permits must earn at least SEK 29,680/month to survive in the nation. This amount is expected to rise further to SEK 33,390/month from June 2026. In this transformation, many mid-level jobs simply no longer exist on the threshold.
Canada and Australia are also holding tight on students and workers’ migrating from around the world. Canada is reducing immigration approvals for students and workers as a part of a broader strategy to scale back migration flows. The rate has recuded to 10-16% in 2025.
Australia on the other hand made a dramatic move too, dropping the student visa issuance by 34% in FY24, along with the government raising fees and controlling visa grants, signaling a strategy to ‘drive net migration down’ by 2025.
In final words, Indian students and skilled workers who are planning to study or work abroad must rethink their options based on visa eligibilities, flexible post-study opportunities, high earning potential, and even search for destinations that have easy visa process and great benefits.
Source: INDIA TODAY
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