Visitors or immigrants? The Determinants of international students' migration into Lithuania

LTŠiuo straipsniu siekiama supažindinti su tarptautinių studentų migraciją lemiančiais veiksniais ir studentų ketinimais po studijų baigimo pasilikti Lietuvoje ar vykti namo. Straipsnio objektas yra tarptautinių studentų migracija. Pagrindinis šio straipsnio tikslas yra pateikti statistinius duomenis ir įvertinti pilnose studijose Lietuvoje studijuojančių tarptautinių studentų migracijos veiksnius. Straipsnyje daugiausia dėmesio skiriama migracijos klausimams, neliečiant kitų, pavyzdžiui, švietimo temų. Tyrimui atlikti buvo naudojami šie metodai: lyginamoji analizė, mokslinės literatūros sintezė ir apibendrinimas, pirminių ir antrinių šaltinių analizė, internetinė apklausa. Straipsnyje pateikiami apklausos rezultatai apie Lietuvoje pilnose studijose studijuojančių tarptautinių studentų migraciją lemiančius veiksnius ir jų norą likti Lietuvoje po studijų baigimo. Studijų kaina ir studijų kokybė buvo išskirtos, kaip dvi svarbiausios priežastys, lėmusios pasirinkti Lietuvą. Reikėtų paminėti, kad daugiau nei pusė apklaustųjų patvirtino, jog svarsto apie galimybę po studijų baigimo pasilikti Lietuvoje.

ENInternational students continue to draw a lot of attention worldwide due to two main reasons. Firstly, attracting foreign students is considered to be brain gain: students from abroad not only provide economic benefits (they pay for education), but also enrich the study process in itself. They come from different background that those of local students and as a result can approach problem-solving differently. Secondly, international students is rather specific group of migrants: those who come to study are young, during studies they gain a degree recognized within the country, become familiar with the local culture, learn the language, establish social connections. They also often have some working experience in the country and therefore are more integrated than other groups of migrants. Since the late 1990s, competition for skilled workers and the internationalization of education have become fundamental to a successful knowledge economy, especially in the current globalization context. As a result, many developed or fast developing industrial countries have experienced an inflow of scholastically skilled immigrants.A good portion of these immigrants have received their advanced education in the host country and often have chosen to become permanent residents during or after their educational experiences in the host country. Previous research on the phenomenon of decision making of migration has tended to focus on migration between a particular sending and receiving country (Lee et al., 2005; Li, 2003; Massey, 1994) or on international migration patterns in general (Castles and Miller, 2009; Massey and Malone, 2002; Quinn and Rubb, 2005). Further studies have concentrated on the impact that the increased foreign student complement has had on the host country since they have become a main source of skilled workers, at both policy and practical levels (Finn, 2003; Gao and Liu, 1998; Massey and Malone, 2002; Pang and Appleton, 2004; Tremblay, 2005). The object of this paper is international students’ migration. The aim of this paper is to provide statistical data and assess determinants of migration international students, who enter to enrol in a full study program in Lithuania. The paper is mostly focused on migration issues, eschewing other, for example, educational topics. The following research methods have been used: comparative analysis, synthesis and summary of scientific literature; analysis of first secondary sources; internet survey.