美英簽證收緊影響MBA生源

Without the help of a business school, Joe Zhou’s dream of moving from China to the US and becoming a tech entrepreneur would have failed. In the end it worked out — but all has not been plain sailing.

如果沒有商學院的幫助，喬.周(Joe Zhou)從中國遷至美國、然後成爲一個高科技創業者的夢想就已破滅了。最終他如願以償——但整個過程不是那麼一帆風順。

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.

在從波士頓大學奎斯特羅姆商學院(Boston University Questrom School of Business)畢業後，由於未能申請到工作簽證（美國聯邦政府每年發放的工作簽證數量有限制），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。這些簽證是爲該校的常駐全球創業家(Global Entrepreneur in Residence)項目發放的。

“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：“這個簽證至關重要。”目前，他爲巴布森商學院的學生提供輔導，以換取留在美國的權利。此外，他還在運作着自己的初創公司第一滴血(First Blood)，這是他今年和人共同創辦的一家在線遊戲平臺。

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.

商學院海外學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)當選美國總統和今年6月英國退歐公投之後，許多人擔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.

根據負責商學院GMAT入學考試的管理學研究生入學委員會（Graduate Management Admission Council，簡稱GMAC）提供的數據，今年計劃聘用MBA畢業生的美國僱主中，只有四分之一的僱主預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畢業生的僱主中，47%的僱主告訴GMAC，他們不會考慮聘用在美國境外出生的畢業生。他們提供的原因包括聘用外籍畢業生成本太高、相關手續太費時間、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.

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

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學生羣體來說，他們學成後就業的機會在2012年就已大大減少。當時英國政府取消了讓畢業生留在英國工作的一類簽證(tier-1 visa)，導致部分商學院和大學的印度學生申請量大幅減少。

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學年，近10%的亨利商學院(Henley Business School)碩士課程新生來自印度。一年後該比例下滑至2%。

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

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

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GMAC總裁兼首席執行官桑吉特.喬弗拉(Sangeet Chowfla)的說法，在英國退歐公投之前，對畢業後能否留下工作的擔憂就是留學人士的一大心病。喬弗拉指出，儘管英鎊疲軟增大了留學英國的吸引力，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：“歐洲以英語教學的管理學研究生課程大幅增加，使得歐洲大陸的其他求學目的地更具吸引力。”

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.

荷蘭奈爾洛德商業大學(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，奈爾洛德的留學生受益於荷蘭相對寬鬆的移民規定，它允許學生簽證持有者在畢業後工作最長一年時間。

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

他說：“將會出現一輪向歐洲北部國家的轉移。”

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院的人數，是因爲這些學生畢業後不想在英國工作。

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.

他擔心的問題不僅是印度學生顯著減少最終可能抵消其他國家申請人數的增加，還包括亨利商學院留學生的生源日益依賴於少數幾個國家。

“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生構成。簽證限制加大了這麼做的難度，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院(Grenoble Graduate School of Business)院長兼教導主任聖地亞哥.加西亞(Santiago Garcia)的說法，比起就讀其他碩士課程的學生，MBA學生在選擇就學地點時更有可能考慮在留學國家工作的問題。

“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（學生）多數比較年輕，他們大體上還未融入就業市場。”

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.

根據加西亞教授的說法，如果其他地區的簽證收緊，法國對學生的吸引力可能加大。加西亞教授指出，法國學生簽證持有者每年可工作964小時，大致相當於一年的兼職工作或半年的全職工作。