Linking international student mobility to skilled migration: the case of Denmark

The emphasis on innovation in the context of globalising knowledge economy has made a highly educated and well-qualified workforce a precondition for sustained growth. At the same time, more and more students are pursuing their education abroad. The present paper focuses on the increasing tendency to link intensifying international student mobility to the demand for highly skilled labour. Among the EU member states eager to secure their positions in the globalising knowledge economy, this tendency has led to both cooperation and competition. On one hand, countries cooperate in the process of internationalisation of higher education by harmonising diverse institutional structures. At the same time states are also in competition to attract and retain international students as future knowledge workers. Denmark is one of such countries where internationalisation of higher education stands high on the national agenda for solidifying the country’s position as a knowledge society. Looking at the Danish case, this paper illustrates the policy areas as well as the central issues that come to the fore when a host country seeks to link international student mobility and skilled migration. The discussion provides an insight into some of the key challenges surrounding the internationalisation of higher education in the quest for highly skilled labour in the context of knowledge economy.