美英簽證收緊影響MBA生源

如果沒有商學(xué)院的幫助，喬•周(Joe Zhou)從中國遷至美國、然后成為一個高科技創(chuàng)業(yè)者的夢想就已破滅了。最終他如愿以償——但整個過程不是那么一帆風(fēng)順。

Mr Zhou faced having to return home shortly after graduating from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business because he failed in his petition for one of the US federal government’s annual allocation of work visas.

在從波士頓大學(xué)奎斯特羅姆商學(xué)院(Boston University Questrom School of Business)畢業(yè)后，由于未能申請到工作簽證(美國聯(lián)邦政府每年發(fā)放的工作簽證數(shù)量有限制)，周先生曾面臨不得不很快回國的窘境。

Mr Zhou was saved by nearby Babson College, however, which offered him one of a small allocation of H1-B work visas earmarked for the school’s Global Entrepreneur in Residence programme.

不過，附近的巴布森商學(xué)院(Babson College)救了他，該校從分配到的少量H1-B簽證中給了他一份。這些簽證是為該校的常駐全球創(chuàng)業(yè)家(Global Entrepreneur in Residence)項目發(fā)放的。

“It was critical,” says Mr Zhou, who provides mentoring support for Babson students in return for the right to remain in the US. He also works on his start-up, First Blood, an online gaming platform he co-founded this year.

周先生表示：“這個簽證至關(guān)重要。”目前，他為巴布森商學(xué)院的學(xué)生提供輔導(dǎo)，以換取留在美國的權(quán)利。此外，他還在運作著自己的初創(chuàng)公司第一滴血(First Blood)，這是他今年和人共同創(chuàng)辦的一家在線游戲平臺。

The challenge for overseas business school students to stay and work in the countries where they completed their qualifications has never been easy. In the wake of Donald Trump’s election as US president and the vote in June by the UK to leave the EU, many are concerned it will become more difficult.

商學(xué)院海外學(xué)生在取得文憑的國家留下來工作，從來都不是件容易的事。而在唐納德•特朗普(Donald Trump)當(dāng)選美國總統(tǒng)和今年6月英國退歐公投之后，許多人擔(dān)心留下的難度會進一步加大。

Only a quarter of the employers who plan to hire MBA graduates in the US this year expect to take on overseas candidates, according to figures from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), responsible for the GMAT business school admission exam.

根據(jù)負責(zé)商學(xué)院GMAT入學(xué)考試的管理學(xué)研究生入學(xué)委員會(Graduate Management Admission Council，簡稱GMAC)提供的數(shù)據(jù)，今年計劃聘用MBA畢業(yè)生的美國雇主中，只有四分之一的雇主預(yù)計會接受外籍求職者。

Moreover, 47 per cent of those who did hire MBA graduates last year told GMAC they would not consider employing graduates born outside the US. Among the reasons given were that overseas hires cost too much, required time-consuming paperwork and often posed language barriers.

此外，在去年曾聘用MBA畢業(yè)生的雇主中，47%的雇主告訴GMAC，他們不會考慮聘用在美國境外出生的畢業(yè)生。他們提供的原因包括聘用外籍畢業(yè)生成本太高、相關(guān)手續(xù)太費時間、往往還有語言障礙。

The vote to leave the EU, driven in part by fears about immigration, has raised concerns that UK visa restrictions will be further tightened on overseas MBA students wishing to remain to work.

英國退歐的投票結(jié)果在一定程度上源自對移民的擔(dān)憂，而這一投票結(jié)果已引發(fā)留學(xué)生擔(dān)憂：英國可能進一步收緊針對希望留下工作的外國MBA學(xué)生的簽證限制。

Post-study employment opportunities were already hampered for this group in 2012 when the UK government removed the tier-1 visa for graduates to remain in the UK to work, which led to a sharp decline in applications from Indian students at some business schools — and at universities.

對外國MBA學(xué)生群體來說，他們學(xué)成后就業(yè)的機會在2012年就已大大減少。當(dāng)時英國政府取消了讓畢業(yè)生留在英國工作的一類簽證(tier-1 visa)，導(dǎo)致部分商學(xué)院和大學(xué)的印度學(xué)生申請量大幅減少。

Almost 10 per cent of the intake on masters courses at Henley Business School in the 2011/12 academic year were from India. A year later this was down to 2 per cent.

2011/12學(xué)年，近10%的亨利商學(xué)院(Henley Business School)碩士課程新生來自印度。一年后該比例下滑至2%。

Henley’s saving grace was increased applications from other markets, particularly China, says Peter Miskell, head of postgraduate studies.

研究生教導(dǎo)主任彼得•米斯克爾(Peter Miskell)表示，對亨利商學(xué)院來說，幸虧其他市場(尤其是中國)申請人數(shù)增加。

Concerns about being able to work after graduation were a problem for those studying in the UK before the vote to leave the EU, according to Sangeet Chowfla, GMAC’s president and chief executive. While the weakening British currency makes studying in the UK more attractive, this may be a transitory benefit, Mr Chowfla notes.

根據(jù)GMAC總裁兼首席執(zhí)行官桑吉特•喬弗拉(Sangeet Chowfla)的說法，在英國退歐公投之前，對畢業(yè)后能否留下工作的擔(dān)憂就是留學(xué)人士的一大心病。喬弗拉指出，盡管英鎊疲軟增大了留學(xué)英國的吸引力，但這種益處可能是短暫的。

“The proliferation of English-taught graduate management programmes throughout Europe is making other study destinations within the continent more appealing,” he says.

他說：“歐洲以英語教學(xué)的管理學(xué)研究生課程大幅增加，使得歐洲大陸的其他求學(xué)目的地更具吸引力。”

One is Nyenrode Business Universiteit in the Netherlands. Dennis Vink, director of its Centre for Finance, notes that those coming from overseas to study at Nyenrode benefit from the relatively generous Dutch immigration rules, which allow people to work for up to a year after graduating on their student visa.

荷蘭奈爾洛德商業(yè)大學(xué)(Nyenrode Business Universiteit)就是其中之一。該校金融中心(Centre for Finance)主任丹尼斯•芬克(Dennis Vink)指出，奈爾洛德的留學(xué)生受益于荷蘭相對寬松的移民規(guī)定，它允許學(xué)生簽證持有者在畢業(yè)后工作最長一年時間。

“There will be a shift towards other northern European countries,” he says.

他說：“將會出現(xiàn)一輪向歐洲北部國家的轉(zhuǎn)移。”

The reason visa restrictions have not affected the numbers applying to Henley from China and other south-east Asian countries is that students do not want to work in the UK after graduation, according to Prof Miskell.

按照米斯克爾教授的說法，英國對簽證的限制之所以沒有影響中國和東南亞國家申請亨利商學(xué)院的人數(shù)，是因為這些學(xué)生畢業(yè)后不想在英國工作。

His concern is not just that the marked decline in Indian students may eventually negate the rise in applications from other nationals, but that Henley is becoming increasingly reliant on a small number of countries for all its overseas students.

他擔(dān)心的問題不僅是印度學(xué)生顯著減少最終可能抵消其他國家申請人數(shù)的增加，還包括亨利商學(xué)院留學(xué)生的生源日益依賴于少數(shù)幾個國家。

“We are keen to [attract] a diverse mix of students from different international markets,” Prof Miskell says. “Visa restrictions make this more difficult, as there is a danger of becoming more, rather than less, reliant on China.”

米斯克爾教授表示：“我們非常想要(吸引)來自不同海外市場的多元化學(xué)生構(gòu)成。簽證限制加大了這么做的難度，原因是存在對中國依賴程度加大——而不是降低——的危險。”

According to Santiago Garcia, dean and director of Grenoble Graduate School of Business, MBA students are more likely to choose where to study with an eye to working in that country than those taking masters courses.

按照法國格勒諾布爾商學(xué)院(Grenoble Graduate School of Business)院長兼教導(dǎo)主任圣地亞哥•加西亞(Santiago Garcia)的說法，比起就讀其他碩士課程的學(xué)生，MBA學(xué)生在選擇就學(xué)地點時更有可能考慮在留學(xué)國家工作的問題。

“Masters courses recruit mostly younger [students] who are for the most part not integrated yet in the job market,” he says.

他說：“碩士課程招收的(學(xué)生)多數(shù)比較年輕，他們大體上還未融入就業(yè)市場。”

France may become more appealing to students if visa restrictions are tightened elsewhere, according to Prof Garcia, who notes that students are allowed to work 964 hours a year on a French study visa, roughly equivalent to one year part-time or half a year full time.

根據(jù)加西亞教授的說法，如果其他地區(qū)的簽證收緊，法國對學(xué)生的吸引力可能加大。加西亞教授指出，法國學(xué)生簽證持有者每年可工作964小時，大致相當(dāng)于一年的兼職工作或半年的全職工作。