CONFERENCEImpact of international student migration on population trends in Latvia
Janis Paiders
University of Latvia, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences
Elina Apsite-Berina
University of Latvia, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences
DOI: 10.22364/fg.15.26
Keywords: student migration, international students
Abstract
The official Latvian Sustainable Development Strategy to 2030 contains a policy goal of increasing the level of international students in Latvia to 10 per cent of the overall student population by 2030. Achieving this goal will depend on the actions and efforts of individual educational institutions, both state- and privately-funded. Research indicates that international students are attracted to Latvia from diverse locations. Besides specific target countries like Egypt, India and China, there are considerable constant and stable flows from former Soviet countries and other EU countries. Growing the number of international students is very important for both private and state universities, due challenging local demographic trends and associated decreases in local students. Foreign students are also an important source of revenue for institutions of higher education. Whilst the increase in international students generates financial benefits in the short term, the proportion of graduates remaining in Latvia and entering the local labour market is modest. This presents a challenge for policymakers as they seek to maintain and grow the workforce in Latvia.