An Empirical Analysis of Transnational Migration and Post-Study Decisions of Kerala’s Educational Migrants

Abstract

As the migration of students from Kerala goes on unabated, the current paper
focuses on the factors that motivate students to migrate. Migration decisions of
students to a certain extent are influenced by their aspirations to take advantage of
better employment prospects in the destination country. This is obvious from their
post-study plans which in turn depend on the push factors especially those relating
to bleak employment prospects and poor quality of lives in their home state. Poststudy decision plans of the students are also inextricably linked to their choice of
destination country. Those who have emigrated to the United Kingdom and the
European Union have expressed their preference to stay back in their host country
to further their career prospects and enjoying a better quality of life. Contrarily, those
who have emigrated exclusively for securing higher education in countries like China
and Russia prefer to return to their home state. Amongst the emigrant students
who prefer to remain abroad, the majority are aspiring first-generation learners from
urban areas belonging to low-income families. This establishes the role of
unfavourable local conditions in determining the post-study decisions of emigrant
students.