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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Mac Davidson, 46, moved from Canada to Panama for a warmer, cheaper lifestyle.</li><li>He faced challenges adjusting to cultural differences and learning Spanish in Panama.</li></ul>Mac Davidson, 46, was done with the intense <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lived-three-continents-loved-canada-town-london-disappointing-2024-10">Canadian</a> winters. After living in Manitoba his whole life, a friend convinced him to leave for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moving-latin-america-retirement-expensive-social-security-panama-costa-rica-2024-6">somewhere much warmer</a> — and cheaper.In 2015, Davidson settled down in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/panama-8-day-visit-3-different-countries-2024-8">Panama City</a>, working as a technical support manager. He met his wife in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/retired-boomer-moved-florida-panama-weather-best-places-move-cheaper-2024-7">Panama</a>, and the two bought a $150,000 home and now raise their children in the capital.It initially took months for him to adjust to cultural differences, and he needed to quickly improve his Spanish. Despite some frustrations with the medical system and reservations about his children's education, he doesn't plan to leave the country, especially given the costs of retiring comfortably in Canada or the US."I love it here but have met many other <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moving-us-to-switzerland-better-quality-of-life-staying-abroad-2024-9">foreigners</a> who couldn't take it. It's not for everyone," Davidson said. "If you move here thinking you can do everything the same as back home, then you are better to stay where you are."<h2 id="9db1a2ca-2037-4282-aa70-6e9c4bca1a46">Moving to Panama</h2>Davidson was born and raised in southern Manitoba, and got a bachelor's from the University of Manitoba. Most of his positions have been in customer service and technical support.He said the winters were always "torture," while summers were "incredibly short." He wanted to move, but he wasn't sure how navigating the job force in another country would work.In the mid-2010s, he met a Canadian working in real estate in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boomer-moving-to-panama-new-mexico-hamptons-best-places-move-2024-4">Panama</a>. Davidson helped him with side projects such as his website and listings. The friend encouraged him to consider living in Panama, which Davidson had visited twice before.Even though he had just received a promotion at work, he decided he needed a change of location. Plus, he was single and had no children, and had enough saved that he considered it worth the risk. He came on a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.embassyofpanama.org/visas-1">Friendly Nations Visa</a> applicable to Canadians and Americans, as well as residents from four dozen other countries.<h2 id="608b070e-21f1-43ed-b6e7-2c7c565066f2">Adjusting to life in Panama City</h2>His friend helped him secure a home a block from the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boquete-panama-how-to-retire-in-paradise-cost-of-living-2024-8">beach</a> where many other expats lived. He was instantly in awe of how green Panama is, though because he moved during the rainy season, adjusting to the heat and humidity took a few months."Even when it's December or January, for a split second, my body still cringes as I'm opening the door to step outside and be hit with the minus 25-degree cold of winter," Davidson said.<div type="image" title="Beaches near Coronado, Panama City." height="2252" width="4000" msid="114259740" hostid="261" sizebytes="590740"></div>He was taken aback by how many people had metal guards around their homes or on their windows for security purposes. He added that it took time to get used to the number of guards with guns across the city. While some neighborhoods resemble high-end <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moving-from-florida-to-california-pros-cons-los-angeles-orlando-2023-11">Florida</a> destinations, he noted, some are better to avoid as a foreigner.Davidson said he expected he could get by with the basics of Spanish, though he said it's mandatory even in expat communities to speak at a decently proficient level. He said much of the city doesn't speak English, and everything from buying groceries to paying bills to renewing car insurance is entirely Spanish."Finding a lawyer that speaks English was tough too, and I had to get my friends to help me go through the immigration process," Davidson said, describing the process as a nightmare due to the amount of required paperwork and complications of finding translators.One of his neighbors helped him secure a remote technical support manager role at a large American tech company, where he's worked since."After moving here and getting paid nearly as much as I was getting paid in Canada, there's a big difference in terms of standard of living," Davidson said. "It's a lot different down here in terms of how far your dollar goes."<h2 id="92896100-2938-45f6-b6fe-a19876b7cc2b">Living for cheaper in Central America</h2>He met his wife in Panama, and they had two children. They bought a home for $150,000 in a gated community, and he said the valuation has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.globalpropertyguide.com/latin-america/panama/price-history">increased</a>.He said prices and daily expenses are much more affordable in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/panama-private-island-resort-isla-palenque-photos-2024-9">Panama</a> than in Canada or the US (Panama's currency is tied to the US dollar). Food costs for his family are $700 monthly, though he acknowledges he doesn't shop at the cheapest local outlets and often opts for pricier imported brands.<div type="image" title="Looking down towards the canal from Ancon Hill." height="2252" width="4000" msid="114259741" hostid="261" sizebytes="776588"></div>He said average home prices in Panama City are often half what he saw in Manitoba's cities, which were about $400,000 when he checked earlier this year. A waterfront property by the beach in Vancouver can easily exceed $1 million, while he frequently sees beachfront properties in Panama well below $500,000. He and his wife pay $50 monthly for a community maintenance fee.His electric bill, including garbage pickup, is $100 a month, while his water bill is $10 monthly. He said he fills up his Nissan for about $35, though he works remotely and saves on commuting costs. The prices for durable electronics and appliances are about comparable.He said he tries to make friends with his neighbors, who help him pay local fees instead of inflated "foreigner" prices."When my wife is paying for something, I'll stay in the shadows so they don't see me because as soon as they see me, they say, you married a foreigner and therefore you must be rich, and we're going to give you the foreigner prices," Davidson said. "It's worth your while that if you're going to get somebody to come work at your property doing gardening or landscaping or repairs on your house, to have a local take care of that price bargaining for you."Whereas in Canada he said he got "taxed like crazy for everything," taxes in Panama are much lower.Davidson acknowledged that doctor's visits in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-tiny-house-castle-panama-boquete-bambuda-castle-2024-9">Panama</a> are expensive with long wait times, a downgrade from Canada's universal healthcare. Panama has a public medical system, though he said many recommend avoiding it for its inconsistent quality."There are some give and takes; a lot of things are cheaper here, but you're not getting some of the benefits of what you have in Canada or other parts of North America," Davidson said.He said sending his children to private schools is worth the extra $450 monthly. The school year runs from March to the beginning of December, and many private schools teach in English, though many include religion in their curriculums. He's worried that the quality of education, even at private schools, may not compare to the Canadian system."We are having a debate about whether we should move for the kids and their education in Canada or keep them here and try to get them into American universities," Davidson said.Still, Davidson said he and his wife are planning to retire in Panama and are purchasing additional properties as investments to help cushion them for retirement in 15 to 20 years.We want to hear from you. Have you recently moved to a new country or state? Please fill out this <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" class="" href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOXLp473qeB2LrvDah5eRtCvIjZXRk6JGexTp37FMdSgXg_Q/viewform?usp=sf_link">quick form</a> or email this reporter at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:nsheidlower@businessinsider.com">nsheidlower@businessinsider.com</a>.

An expat in Panama explains what movers can expect to pay and the pros and cons of raising kids abroad

<ul class="summary-list"><li>More American students are moving abroad for college to save costs, experts have observed.</li><li>To prepare to move abroad for college, it's best to start research early.</li></ul>If you've considered <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/college-overseas-abroad-canada-mcgill-university-no-debt-2024-7">sending your kid abroad for college</a>, you're not alone.Amid <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/college-tuition-costs-too-much-make-degrees-matter-less-jobs-2023-9">soaring tuition fees</a> and a desire to carve out niche college experiences, college advisors Business Insider spoke to have observed that more students and their parents are looking into opportunities to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-mom-spain-sent-kids-european-college-dublin-university-2024-7">move abroad for college</a>.Greg Kaplan, the founder of Kaplan Educational Group and author of "Earning Admission: Real Strategies for Getting Into Highly Selective Colleges," told BI that he has seen interest increase "tenfold."Although students choosing to spend a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nyu-student-hated-study-abroad-semester-florence-italy-2023-3">semester abroad</a> is nothing new, completing a full degree overseas has been less common in the past, he said. But when they factor in the cost and the fact that you can still get a job in the US with an international diploma, it becomes "extremely attractive," he continued.Here are some tips from college advisors and students who have made the move.<h2 id="b7a5d8f8-2111-4abe-9070-ae42f98c5a27">1. Choose the right college for you</h2>To want to go abroad for school is one thing — to decide <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-choose-college-campus-tour-data-2023-12">which college to go to</a> is a whole other story."It's really important to home in on the type of environment you want," Kaplan said. For example, students can ask themselves if they would prefer living in a college town or a city college.Additionally, students should think about what industry they want exposure to, Kaplan said. The school's location can be a gateway to certain industries. London, for example, is great for students interested in finance, while Stockholm is ideal for students interested in the tech industry, he added."There are <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-couple-sent-both-kids-college-europe-france-spain-cost-2024-7">thousands of universities in Europe</a>, but when we start focusing on what we want out of that education, that really does allow us to narrow that list to make something more manageable," he said.<h2 id="a1d70dfa-2df0-4117-acc3-fc073ff8a2f3">2. Recognize that other parts of the world operate differently</h2>When <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/college-applications-advice-admissions-expert-apply-2023-10">applying for college</a> abroad, it's key to take note of the different requirements for your application."In some countries, the education system is much more centralized. They tend to go by some pretty hard metrics. So testing is a lot more important," said Robert Harry, an associate director of college counseling at Kent School, a boarding school in Connecticut.Additionally, Harry advised students to make sure that the degrees are <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-student-thailand-countryside-graduate-school-study-abroad-bangkok-masters-2024-8">American-accredited</a>, especially if they are interested in pursuing careers in law or medicine."If your goal is to then come back to America, you have to be very careful with the degrees and the qualifications some of them might not transfer when you come back," he said.<h2 id="026afd53-d18e-4f3e-b1a1-1ce0edac3f66">3. It's never too early to start planning</h2>After securing test scores, the next priority would be determining and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/successful-ivy-league-college-application-look-insider-2024-5">developing an academic passion</a>, Kaplan said."The more experiences a person has within their field of interest, the stronger their application will be. That can be achieved through forward planning," he said.Harry agreed. Unlike in the US, where you might be applying for a college or university generally, you're often applying to study a specific subject at a college overseas. "So you need to prove to them that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-write-best-college-application-cornell-admissions-director-2024-9">you have the foundational knowledge</a> to be successful," he said.For example, a student interested in pursuing economics can read books about different economies around the world or follow columnists that write about the subject, he said.Additionally, while looking for opportunities abroad, Harry advised that one should apply to at least four to six American institutions as a fallback option.<h2 id="5b2ace94-f182-4061-ae7b-1f678888bde2">4. Consider your finances</h2>Sharon Butler, the executive vice president of global education at <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flywire-ceo-says-1-pitch-deck-slide-is-key-to-vc-fundraising-success-2019-8">Flywire</a>, a global payment platform used largely for international student fees, said that although universities abroad can offer cheaper tuition, students should also consider peripheral costs like visas, insurance, and medical tests. While these costs may not immediately come to mind, they can add up."Beyond the rent, look at everyday costs like food, transportation, healthcare, and living costs," said Butler, who works with students looking to move abroad for school.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parents-didnt-support-financially-after-college-2024-7">Creating a budget</a> is crucial, she said. Parents should work with prospective students to determine the expected out-of-pocket cost for the family and devise a strategy to cover that."This advice is relevant for anyone attending university, but it's especially important when moving out of the US, where payment processes may be more complicated," she added.<h2 id="1d396b45-f6ce-4fe4-983b-6195e17c9874">5. Get yourself in the right headspace</h2>Once a decision to study abroad has been made, it's important to get into the right mindset.Amanda Mrozek, who transferred from a college in Michigan to Cologne in 2021, said she <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-moving-germany-college-university-things-to-know-2024-7">wasn't prepared for the stark difference</a> between schools in the US and Germany. "I knew it would be different, but it was kind of a shock when you're alone there," she told BI.Harry agreed that it is important to mentally prepare yourself. "It's not gonna be the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-notre-dame-football-captain-2024-9">typical American college experience</a> that all of your friends are going to be talking about. You are most likely going to be in the minority of kids that go abroad," he said."Recognize that your experience is going to be a bit different, but it doesn't mean it's any less rich or rewarding," he added.<h2 id="9392f39d-a7b7-4f63-bb9d-07a2b6889b20">6. Remember that you won't be away forever</h2>Kaplan said that although many students worry about being homesick, they should remember that studying abroad is <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-gen-z-college-europe-university-abroad-prague-brussels-affordable-2024-8">not the same as permanent immigration</a>. "If you want to return back to the US, you can," he said.Homesickness was one of the hardest aspects of moving abroad for Scarlett Kiaras-Atti, who graduated from high school in Kentucky and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-student-romanticized-uk-edinburgh-scotland-oxford-college-university-london-2024-8">moved to Scotland for college</a> in 2018. "But it's manageable, and you can get through it," said Kiaras-Atti, who added that she texts and calls her family often."Your hometown will always be there, and it will always be waiting to welcome you back," she said.

Thinking about sending your kid abroad for college? Here are 6 tips from college advisors and students for a successful move.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>This summer, I studied abroad in the UK as a Yale student.</li><li>Some of my classmates were working professionals, which inspired me.</li></ul>As a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yale-graduate-lives-with-mom-nyc-move-out-2024-8">Yale student</a>, my life doesn't slow down in the summer. Ahead of this year's fall semester, I interned at my local public defender's office, got a new job doing policy research, and participated in some political action.I also took classes at the London School of Economics for six weeks — aided logistically and financially by the Yale <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/college-student-studying-abroad-classmates-taking-luxury-trips-2024-4">study abroad</a> office but ultimately organized by myself. That meant I had to move to the UK and immerse myself in its educational system. I studied macroeconomics and public policy analysis.Although I was only there for a few weeks, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed my experience with the UK <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-my-kid-to-argentina-for-a-friendlier-school-system-2022-1">school system</a>.<h2 id="f7215bf2-1212-430c-aead-b1eca6dd3578">My classmates in London were different than what I'm used to</h2>Studying in London was my capstone to a busy summer. I enrolled in my <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/learning/best-free-online-courses-from-top-universities">college courses</a> with two different aims: macroeconomics to refresh my skills for any future economic study and public policy analysis to help me with my job as a writer and research associate.In my first class, I met mostly undergraduates — primarily Americans and Yale students.But I was one of only a few undergraduates in my second class. Many of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/childhood-best-friend-lost-touch-reconnect-college-2024-2">my classmates</a> were — or were about to graduate and aspired to be — professionals and bureaucrats working for governments and NGOs worldwide.This was my first time interacting with a demographic of this sort in a classroom setting. It brought a more professional atmosphere to the whole class and broadened my perspective on what <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/landed-6-figure-government-job-after-military-stress-management-2024-9">government work</a> can look like overall. I've interacted with graduate students or college fellows in classes before, but it was nothing like this.I felt more comfortable being part of a distinctly international <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/day-in-the-life-nyu-student-intern-content-creator-2024-1">academic community</a> (although with a slight American bias) than I expected. I could suddenly see my future self in my classmates.<h2 id="9665b14e-da1e-4919-beed-2775d870444b">Studying abroad helped me dream bigger</h2>Like many civic-minded <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/daughters-take-student-loans-ivy-league-schools-2024-9">Ivy League students</a> with presidential-sized ambitions, I have fantasized about studying in the UK for graduate school since I started planning out my future career.There are a myriad of scholarships for American <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/college-graduates-more-likely-have-friends-participate-community-civil-engagement-2024-10">college grads</a> to study abroad in the UK. Plus, the opportunity to immerse myself in a different environment while learning about public policy would be invaluable. There's a romanticism to it — the idea of strolls through the Magdalen College grounds in autumn has a certain pull.But it's always been a bit of a scary prospect. I would be separated from my family. I'd be living in a new country with essentially no ties to home. Famously, I'm one for adventure, but even that is a bit much.My perspective changed when I finally took a trip to Oxford to tour the campus during my semester in London. It was beautiful. To be honest, it made Yale look like a "normal" college: The sprawling grounds, massive towers, and lovely <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/preferred-college-life-oxford-over-college-us-2024-1">downtown Oxford</a> really hammered home that Yale was modeled after the older school. The sheer scale of everything in Oxford — not to mention the age — was incomprehensible.I might have been intimidated if I had taken that trip as a child; the idea of moving for two years to study in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/travel-budget-tips-international-traveler-2024-10">foreign country</a> straight out of college is a little scary. But seeing the school in person made it feel more realistic.Plus, studying (and surviving) in the UK only made me more determined.<h2 id="8c3b9e4b-6c63-4afe-ab96-a497f77ef785">I'm now looking toward the future</h2>Although I still have a few years left in college to figure out what I want to do, I now see a new path I might take.After graduation, I want to pursue an advanced public policy or political science degree — potentially as preparation for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/student-loans/is-law-school-worth-it">law school</a> with my sights on a legal or political career. I either want to spend much time abroad in the UK for my studies or fully enroll in a British university.All of that now seems doable for me because of the time I spent studying abroad.

I'm a Yale student who just spent a semester abroad in the UK. I now know I want to eventually move overseas for grad school.

<ul><li>On an average, a loan could get extended by around ₹3.5-5 lakhs depending on the rupee exchange value at the time of the loan, said Ashwini Kumar, VP at MPower Financing.</li><li>Apart from tuition cost, Indians students also have to support themselves abroad and living expenses are going up as well.</li><li>The third part of the triple whammy is from rising interest rates. </li></ul>19-year-old Sakshi Shewale from Mumbai has been planning to go to Georgia in Europe for her medical course. The course costs around ₹30 lakh for the five-year course and unlike many others, her father is bankrolling it, without her having to take a loan. Yet, in the last few months a lot has changed. Europe is in the throes of a possible recession, the value of Indian rupee is depreciating and more importantly, inflation in the continent is also impacting budgeted expenses. “Looks like I might have to take a loan after all because my living expenses will change drastically. I have spoken to students who live there and they all tell the same story,” Shewale sighs. Her story is similar to a number of Indian <keyword id="15304331" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="students-wanting-to-study-abroad" source="Orion">students wanting to study abroad</keyword> but those who have already taken admission this year have it worse – on rupee depreciation alone. Since the beginning of 2022, the rupee has fallen more than 7% against the dollar. <div type="image" title="rupee" height="900" width="1200" msid="94974075" hostid="261" sizebytes="49035"></div> ‘Loans could balloon by ₹3.5-5 lakh’ If a student had taken a loan in March this year, when rupee was at 75 against the dollar, it would add a few lakh into the loan, as per Ashwini Kumar, VP at MPower Financing, a public benefit corporation that helps students to study abroad. For every dollar of the loan, an extra ₹7 is added and it would inflate the loan and the interest as well. “On an average, a loan could get extended by around ₹3.5-5 lakh depending on the rupee exchange value at the time of the loan,” Kumar told Business Insider India. The problems don’t end there. Apart from tuition costs, Indian students also have to support themselves there and living expenses are going up as well. The Eurozone inflation is being <a href="https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/09/30/record-inflation-which-country-in-europe-has-been-worst-hit-and-how-do-they-compare">pegged at 10%, as per estimates</a>. Inflation in the US too has recently <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/us-inflation-soars-to-8-2-per-cent-highest-in-40-years/articleshow/94842348.cms">hit a 40-year high</a>, messing with economics of students abroad. Most Indian students head to these destinations. The third part of the triple whammy is from rising interest rates. This financial year, the Indian central bank raised repo rates four times and the base rates now stand at 5.9%. More interest rate hikes are expected in the near term and most experts see base rates stabilising once it’s around 6-6.5%. “Loans linked to MCLR and BPLR will see a gradual increase in the interest rate in the near future. The EMIs of current and future borrowers will rise due to this,” said Ankit Mehra, CEO and co-founder of GyanDhan, an education loan market place. Moreover, the psychological impact of a possible depreciation in rupee will also largely play on the minds of US and Europe-bound students and their parents, said Kumar. Students still eye foreign degrees Studying abroad is going to become much more expensive. However, experts say that this is not discouraging students from pursuing their higher education dreams. Shewale too intends to absorb the extra costs but does not intend to change her plans. “The return on investment in terms of quality of education, career growth, international exposure, skills developed, and networking has more intrinsic worth,” said Mehra. Kumar too says that students who are planning to go abroad this year and the next, have been planning it two years before, and it’s unlikely that the road bumps will change their plans, though some may choose to delay it. “There are a few sections of society wherein parents are managing the EMIs on the border, which is due to get affected. A student who had to arrange ₹25 lakh for their overseas education prior to the rate hike will find it difficult to arrange for additional funds given the parental income has not increased proportionally to the hike in the interest rates,” said Mehra. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/maggi-maker-nestl-indias-net-profit-grows-8-3-to-668-crore-in-q2/articleshow/94960866.cms">Maggi maker Nestlé India’s net profit grows 8.3% to ₹668 crore in Q2</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/ultratech-cements-profit-tumbles-42-yoy-to-756-crore-due-to-higher-power-raw-material-costs/articleshow/94964556.cms">UltraTech Cement’s profit tumbles 42% YoY to ₹756 crore due to higher power, raw material costs</a>

Indian students going abroad to face a triple whammy of inflation, forex and interest rates

Universities and <keyword id="20257650" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="higher-education-institutions" source="keywords">higher education institutions</keyword> in India can now admit students twice a year similar to the admission process followed by universities abroad, according to the <keyword id="19932585" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="University-Grants-Commission" source="keywords">University Grants Commission</keyword> (UGC) Chairman Jagadeesh Kumar. The two admission cycles will be July-August and January-February from the 2024-25 academic session. "If <keyword id="21269142" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-universities" source="keywords">Indian universities</keyword> can offer admission twice a year, it will benefit many students. Such as those who missed admission to a university in the July/August session due to a delay in the announcement of board results, health issues, or personal reasons. Biannual university admissions will help students maintain motivation since they do not have to wait one full year to be admitted if they miss admission in the current cycle," UGC Chairman Kumar said on Tuesday. Currently, UGC Regulations allow the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to admit students in one academic session in a year starting in July/August. An 'Academic session' is twelve months, beginning in July/August. Indian HEIs, therefore, follow the academic session that begins in July-August and ends in May-June. UGC had decided in its 571st commission held on 25 July 2023 to permit <keyword id="22014108" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="biannual-admissions" source="keywords">biannual admissions</keyword> under Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and Online modes in January and July during an academic year. As per the information furnished by the HEIs on the UGC DEB portal, in addition to a total of 19,73,056 students were enrolled in July 2022 and an additional 4,28,854 students joined in January 2023 in ODL and online programs. Considering the tremendous response and interest from the students in ODL and online programs in biannual admissions, in its meeting held on May 15 this year the UGC took a policy decision to allow Higher Education Institutions who offer programs in regular mode to admit students twice in a year, either in January/February or July/August from the coming academic year, the UGC chairman said. Those institutions that have the required infrastructure and teaching faculty can utilize the opportunity to admit students biannually. Offering biannual admissions is not mandatory for the HEIs; it is the flexibility that UGC provides to the HEIs who want to increase their student intake and offer new programmes in emerging areas. To be able to admit students twice a year, HEIs must make suitable amendments to their institutional regulations. UGC Chairman Kumar said, "With biannual admissions in place, Industries can also do their <keyword id="22014800" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="campus-recruitment" source="keywords">campus recruitment</keyword> twice a year, improving employment opportunities for the graduates." Biannual admissions will also enable the HEIs to plan their resource distribution, such as faculty, labs, classrooms and support services, more efficiently, resulting in a better functional flow within the university, he said. Noting that Universities worldwide already follow a biannual admission system, he said that if Indian institutions adopt the biannual admission cycle, they can enhance their international collaborations and student exchanges. "As a result, our global competitiveness will improve, and we will align with the global educational standards," the UGC Chairman said. Biannual admissions can substantially increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio and make India a 'Global Study Destination' as envisioned in National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, he said. Further, Kumar said that if HEIs adopt biannual admissions, they need to work on administrative intricacies, good planning for increased use of available resources, and providing seamless support systems for the smooth transition of students admitted at dissimilar times of the year. 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Universities in India can now admit students twice a year on lines of foreign varsities: UGC chairman

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Growing up, I was always stressed, overworked, and described as type-A; it got worse in college.</li><li>When I studied abroad in Argentina for a semester, I learned there is a different way of living. </li></ul>From my early days as an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/school-classroom-spending-elementary-teacher-books-math-class-items-2023-11">elementary school student</a>, I've always associated striving with success. As a child, my self-worth was closely tied to how much I could accomplish and how busy I was. If I wasn't doing something productive, I felt useless.I retained that belief through high school until I had an eye-opening experience while <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/black-nyu-student-study-abroad-program-racism-traveling-2023-9">studying abroad in college</a>.<h2>My identity came from what I could produce</h2>Throughout <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/half-new-us-graduates-work-high-school-level-jobs-2024-2">high school and college</a>, I was a typical overachiever — high honor roll, above 4.0 GPA and involved in every extracurricular I could pack into my schedule.If my time wasn't punctuated by a never-ending to-do list, I felt like I was wasting my days.While pursuing a double major in undergrad at a small liberal arts college in Ohio, I was given an incredible opportunity to study abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/paid-for-college-first-generation-low-income-student-2023-10">low-income, first-generation college student</a> from West Virginia, this felt like an unparalleled opportunity to see the world.I thought I'd spend six months improving my Spanish and exploring South America, but I never expected the experience would be a catalyst for changing the way I think about education and my identity.<h2>In Argentina, 'busy culture' doesn't exist</h2>In the US, many of us are conditioned to stay busy from an early age. For better or for worse, this need to hustle is stitched into the fabric of our culture. Since I'd barely traveled abroad before <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/buenos-aires-is-a-great-city-for-expat-families-2023-11">I moved to Argentina</a>, this American hegemony was all I knew.In Argentina, though, this "busy culture" is pretty much nonexistent.This was one of the first things I noticed when I enrolled in classes at two local universities in Buenos Aires.Back in the US, my conversations with peers were typically focused on how busy we were. We'd dedicate walks to class and dinner conversations discussing all the homework we had to finish before the end of the evening, and that was normal to us.However, in Argentina, nobody seemed to wear busyness like a badge of honor. In fact, if I talked too much about what I had to do, my new friends started to worry."But what are you doing for fun?" they'd ask, and a lot of times, I genuinely had no answer.In the moments when there was a lull in the conversation, I started to reflect on why I always felt the need to be busy and the effect it was having on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-zers-talking-about-money-troubles-tiktok-finance-high-cost-2024-2">my mental health</a>. I began to loosen my grip on some of those thoughts while studying in Argentina.<h2>Time and punctuality are relative</h2>While studying in Argentina, another area where I became less anxious and stressed had to do with time and how I managed it.As a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-type-a-b-c-or-d-personalities-mean-2018-8">type-A student</a> with a bursting schedule, my college days were dictated by my paper planner and Google calendar. I cultivated one obligation after another as if I were conducting some bizarre overachiever's symphony.I'd easily become annoyed if something happened to throw off my schedule, and I had little tolerance for life to be unpredictable.In Argentina, however, I learned that time and punctuality are relative. During my months in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/buenos-aires-surprising-things-first-trip-american-argentina-2023-6">Buenos Aires</a>, almost nothing happened when it was scheduled to occur. Buses ran late, business hours felt like suggestions, and friends never arrived for coffee dates when they said they would.At first, this lack of punctuality and reliability was irritating. There was no way for me to plan when everything around me was so unpredictable. I was often frustrated because I felt like I had no control over my circumstances.In life, we often feel as if we're in control of our circumstances. However, we're really quite powerless when it comes to situations beyond ourselves.No matter how much I wanted my professor to arrive on time or for the bus to come when it said it would, there was literally nothing I could do about it.While studying in Buenos Aires, I learned there was no use in stressing about these things. I started to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-right-way-to-set-boundaries-with-people-2023-10">understand boundaries</a> and what it truly means to accept the things I cannot change.<h2>Argentina showed me a different way of living</h2>No matter where you call home, life is full of stressors. However, one of the most rewarding aspects of traveling is it shows us how different communities deal with everyday inconveniences and troubles.As a student in Buenos Aires, I learned I didn't have to tackle my problems with an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/death-casual-fringe-friendships-gen-z-sad-jobs-alone-2024-2">American perspective</a>. Instead of running myself to the point of exhaustion and dying on every hill, I had the power to let things go.Not everything was my battle, and I stopped fighting them like they were. I'm still giving myself grace to step into the rhythms of this new mindset, but I began to lean into it during my time in Argentina.

I was a stressed-out, type-A college student. My study abroad experience in Argentina helped me become less anxious.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Nicola Prentis has been an expat for over 20 years and currently lives in Spain with her two kids.</li><li>Facebook turns 20 years old on February 4 and has had a big impact on her life abroad.</li></ul>Facebook turns 20 on February 4. The social media site has helped enhance and sustain my life as an expat — even if it did help get me caught cheating on a partner.During my Istanbul years, between 2006 and 2009, it was just a place to post status updates and keep in touch with friends back home.Accidentally leaving my laptop open on a Facebook message chat is what informed my then-Turkish boyfriend that I'd cheated on him. He'd been away on military service, and I'd been alone in Istanbul for 18 months. I'd made decisions I wasn't proud of.But the fling was over, my boyfriend was back, and up until that terrible discovery, our <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/signs-youre-in-a-strong-relationship-2017-2">relationship had been going well</a>. In the long two years that followed, while we tried to rebuild the trust, he'd scour my Facebook activity for evidence of more cheating.I eventually disabled my profile and didn't resurrect it until I was free of the destructive cycle the relationship had become. At that point, I could see that the problem wasn't Facebook.The social media site was a vital lifeline but did nothing to enhance my expat experience.<h2>Starting two careers from zero</h2>When I <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/single-mom-not-allowed-bring-kids-home-spain-hague-convention-2024-1">moved to Madrid</a> in 2012 and created a new profile, Facebook pushed beyond helping me keep up with folks back home.my friendships were based on IRL writing groups. While we did have a Facebook group, it wasn't the backbone of how we met up, and I certainly wasn't using it for networking. It wasn't until another writer invited me to join "Binders" — a fast-expanding network of writers — that Facebook changed my life for the better.As a blogger and educational writer, I didn't have a professional network in media, but fellow Binders shared industry advice, editor contacts, and calls for pitches. Suddenly, I could get my writing into household names like Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, and The Independent.Thanks to that Facebook group and others I joined later, I learned how the digital publishing industry worked, how to refine an idea into a story, pitch, follow up, and negotiate fair rates. To date, I can trace over 50 published articles to those groups. Those Facebook groups gave me a real writing career that has allowed me to stay afloat through <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-single-working-mom-expat-divorce-overseas-singapore-2023-9">single motherhood</a> as an expat. Late-night phone scrolling still helps me find ideas and places to pitch.Facebook was instrumental in my most recent career change when, in 2021, I started a business teaching personal finance online. Still today, Facebook groups are where I'm picking up advice, opportunities, and a network of people to learn from in the online business world.<h2>Building parenting communities</h2><div type="image" title="Woman on beach with two children in Spain" height="1512" width="2016" msid="107374232" hostid="261" sizebytes="416788"></div>When I moved to Girona, a city in Spain where I knew no one, I made friends and sought advice via parent groups, often canvassing for answers to logistical questions in bigger Barcelona and Madrid groups as well as the Girona ones.Being a freelancer in Spain is monstrously complex, with millions of rules and implications for tax and social security. The advice I get from Facebook groups is often better and faster than I get from the accountant I have on retainer. Sometimes, my Facebook expat network and work collide, like the time I bought a secondhand kids' bike, and the seller's husband became my favorite content writing client ever.Facebook brings out the connectors in any field, those people who genuinely enjoy bringing people together and to whom I'm forever grateful as I'm a fully paid-up introvert. My local "mamas and papas" group is co-hosted by an amazing woman who regularly holds family meetups. She's just about to cater to that other hard-to-navigate need, dating as a foreigner who's been burned out by Tinder, with a speed dating night.<h2>Looking for love</h2>But even with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/facebook-dating">relationships, Facebook</a> has played a helping hand. Gone are the days when that cutie you lost contact with became a "What if?" Like, Tobey, the tall, good-looking German engineer I English tutored in the Yellow Submarine hostel in Brisbane in 2003. At the time, I wasn't ready to date as I was getting over another heartbreak. That was the year before Facebook launched.In 2022, my comment on the photo of a family friend I hadn't seen for over 10 years led to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/couple-scheduled-first-kiss-on-google-calendar-took-away-anxiety-2023-2">short but on-the-brink-of-serious relationship</a>. And I'm just about to visit an ex in Australia from 21 years ago. Over the years, I'd looked him up without success and recently spotted someone else tagging him in a local news post.If I moved again, I'd join a few Facebook local groups with the word "expat." Then I'd look for more nuanced groups to fit with being a parent, or hobbies and work, knowing I'd have instant connections, advice, and pre-made friends when I arrived. Facebook makes it possible to slot in as if you've already been hanging out for ages, whether you're meeting for the first time or just for the first time in decades.Got a personal essay about living abroad or parenting that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:akarplus@insider.com">akarplus@businessinsider.com</a>.

I've been an expat for 20 years. Facebook has been at the center of both the best and worst parts of my life abroad.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I moved back to the US when I was 14 and it was a culture shock. </li><li>I was used to international schools with smaller classes and more diversity. </li></ul>My family moved back to the US unexpectedly when I was 14, just in time for me to start my <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/9th-grade-teacher-shares-what-she-wishes-parents-would-do-2022-9">freshman year of high school</a>. That meant that I would attend an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/differences-in-public-school-between-us-and-mexico-2023-11">American public school</a> for the first time since first grade.That summer, "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/mean-girls-cool-details-you-never-got">Mean Girls</a>" came out. Watching it, I felt mounting anxiety as reality set in: I had left behind my global, third-culture kid, international-school life. All the stereotypes of American high schools came to mind, from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/pennsylvania-football-player-17-dies-after-collapsing-on-field-2023-9">football players</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/nebraska-high-school-cheerleader-competed-alone-states-squad-quit-2023-2">cheerleaders</a> to cliques and social hierarchies.<h2>I went to international schools abroad</h2>Growing up abroad and having experienced many formative years of education in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/school-classrooms-around-the-world-2017-7">international-school system</a> was one of the greatest privileges of my young life. I attended schools in Japan and Luxembourg, both of which taught students of over 40 nationalities. Teachers hailed from a fair number of countries as well: To name a few, I had German, French, American, Australian, Japanese, Irish, and Canadian teachers.I found the quality of education in international schools incomparable to that of US schools. Small class sizes — about 15 to 20 students per class — meant a lot of face time with teachers, who had the time to cater their lessons more directly to their students.There was no need for state testing or to check the boxes of state requirements, so there was ample room for creativity and experiential learning. Instructors filled our days with music, art, drama, and language. I learned how to play various African drums, held a mock trial for "Of Mice and Men," planted my own vegetable garden, rewrote and performed a Charles Dickens play, got dressed up in ancient Egyptian attire and cooked an Egyptian feast, and spent time in a traditional Japanese farming village.<h2>It was a multicultural environment</h2>The schools integrated the multicultural environment into the learning process. I learned Japanese, French, German, and snippets of Luxembourgish, and conversations in Swedish, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, and many more languages surrounded me constantly. The schools hosted around-the-world days that featured traditions and foods of the many nationalities represented at the schools. The schools intentionally designed field trips to immerse us into our surroundings, from visits to the historic sites of Hiroshima to museums showcasing the art history of Florence.Had I stayed for high school, the opportunities for social outreach on an international scale would have increased. Volunteer opportunities to build schools in Cambodia or Tanzania were part of the curriculum. The International Baccalaureate, or IB, is also the standard at international schools, a departure from the American education system. The IB involves a rigorous two-year program in the last two years of high school that requires students to focus on tracks such as languages and arts or math and science, culminating in intensive exams.<h2>Going back to the US was a culture shock</h2>The transition from international schools to the US school system for high school was an incredible culture shock. I landed in Gig Harbor, Washington — an incredibly beautiful town that lacked almost any trace of cultural diversity — about an hour southwest of Seattle.The small-town mentality that takes root where most residents were born and raised in the same place was a marked departure from the revolving doors of the international-school system. I could count the nationalities of students in Washington on one hand, and when new people learned that I'd moved from Luxembourg, they'd ask what state that was in.Other questions included whether it'd been difficult for me to learn English and where my accent was from. There was no one with whom I could share a common experience because western Washington was as far as most of my peers ever traveled by that time.<h2>It took me a while to fit in</h2>My educational experience was equally as disappointing because my first two years of high school were riddled with tests — such as the Washington Assessment of Student Learning — and a repeat of many past units I'd already learned in international schools.The massive class sizes — about 400 students per grade — made for more impersonal experiences with students and teachers. The vast number of students and state regulations limit teachers' freedom to creatively shape their curricula. Where school once engaged and excited me, I didn't feel like the curricula at my US school challenged me creatively or intellectually.By the time I was in my junior and senior years of high schools, AP classes had become my haven. Finally, I'd found a set of teachers in the US who pushed me academically, inspired critical thinking, and incorporated experimental-learning elements into their classes. Equally, I found a set of students who were more attuned to the world. I no longer felt quite as much like an outsider, like the girl with the mysterious accent, or like the perceived foreign-exchange student who never left.

I moved back to the US when I was 14. After years of living abroad, it was a culture shock to come back. 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Youth unemployment in China hit a record high of 21% in May.</li><li>There's a major mismatch between open jobs and what Chinese youth want.</li></ul>Young people in China are fed up with their employment prospects, so they're <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-are-full-time-children-china-2023-7">becoming "full-time children,"</a> "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/disenchanted-chinese-youth-join-a-mass-movement-to-lie-flat-2021-6">lying flat</a>," and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-college-grads-lying-flat-zombie-photos-youth-unemployment-2023-7">sprawling on the ground like a zombie</a>.It's a growing problem for China — and could become an issue for the US economy.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-debt-economy-implode-stock-market-wall-street-xi-jinping-2023-6">China's economy is on shaky ground</a> as it emerges from very strict lockdown pandemic measures. Trade has slowed dramatically and the country holds about $9 trillion in debt, threatening the world's second largest economy's financial stability.On top of that, China can't seem to get its young college graduates into the workforce. The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-real-youth-unemployment-rate-50-percent-lie-flat-2023-7">youth unemployment rate in China</a> for those aged 16 to 24 rose to a record 21% as of May 2023, up from 15.4% two years prior. That's compared to the US youth unemployment rate of 7.4% in May.It could cause diminished productivity in China which could strain the US because it is <a target="_blank" href="https://apps.bea.gov/international/factsheet/factsheet.html#650">highly dependent on China</a> for goods and services. Despite <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-trade-war-covid-companies-moving-supply-chains-2022-12">some efforts to decouple from China</a>, it's still the third largest export market for the US, and American companies earn billions of dollars annually from sales in China. In 2022, US exports to China were $197.3 billion, up 2.8% from 2021, and imports from China were $563.6 billion, up 7.1% from 2021.On the heels of high youth unemployment numbers in May, China's government later announced it would no longer be publishing those statistics, with a spokesperson of the National Bureau of Statistics <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/business/china-youth-unemployment.html">saying</a> in August that the surveys researchers use to collect the data "need to be further improved and optimized."The announcement that the data would no longer be published drew criticism and sarcasm on China's social media site Weibo, with one user saying: "Put in a clearer way, the current data looks very bad, so don't look at it for now." And not only does it look bad for China —Benn Steil, senior fellow and director of international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Insider, "it obviously is going to have an impact on the rest of world.""China is really facing a crisis in terms of its ability to boost productivity growth," Steil said.He noted that well-educated Chinese youth are overwhelmingly expecting to go into service sector jobs like computer science rather than manufacturing — and there are not enough available jobs in the former sector, so those graduates' skills are not being put to use."The fact that there aren't these jobs in the service sector is a direct result of bad national economic management in China," Steil said.He added that as long as "bad economic policy is China" is stunting productivity, there will be "significantly fewer export opportunities for US companies."Additionally, as senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington Christian Yao <a target="_blank" href="https://theconversation.com/chinas-youth-unemployment-problem-has-become-a-crisis-we-can-no-longer-ignore-213751">wrote</a> in a recent commentary piece, a prolonged youth unemployment crisis in China could trigger civil unrest, impacting international relations by threatening to destabilize trade and supply chains.A June report from the think tank China Macroeconomy Forum said that the crisis could persist over the next decade and intensify in the short term, and there's significant improvement to be done in ensuring the skillsets college graduates earn match the jobs available. A New York Times <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/business/china-youth-unemployment.html">translation</a> of the June report said: "If it is not handled properly, it will cause other social problems beyond the economy, and it could even ignite the fuse of political problems."<h2>Why youth have such a big impact on the economy</h2>Compare China's situation to the US's own jobs-skills mismatch at the height of the pandemic when there were too many jobs available, despite millions of unemployed workers.The difference is that workers in the US were able to exercise some power to negotiate higher wages in industries like labor and hospitality, and therefore fill the labor shortages. The reason that's not happening in China is because its government is not making an effort to expand jobs in the service sector, instead investing in sectors like property and construction that have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/china-buckles-under-zero-covid-xi-bets-big-bloat">historically been unproductive</a>, Steil said.Additionally, nearly three years of on-off COVID-19 lockdowns, the pandemic's hit on the economy, and the current downturn have hit young people's confidence in China's public governance and created a sense of disenchantment, Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, told Insider."I think people have given up believing in the whole structure," said Wu, referring to the governance and economic systems in China.Wu thinks China's youths — like those of Japan in the 1990s after an asset-price bubble from 1986 to 1991 popped — may be entering into a<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-millennial-salaryman-job-wages-rent-home-ownership-birthrate-2023-5"> "Lost Decade"</a> of economic stagnation and price deflation, which contributes to their disillusionment and a loss in direction.Goldman Sachs researchers <a target="_blank" href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelligence/pages/why-has-youth-unemployment-risen-so-much-in-china.html">wrote</a> in a May note that young people are particularly vulnerable in economic downturns like the one China is having because they have less work experience — and a mismatch between the skills they acquired and the jobs available means they're even more vulnerable to uncertainty."The stakes are high for correcting these imbalances, given how important the youth population is to China's economy," the note said. "This cohort spends heavily in areas such as culture and education, rent, transportation and communication."Given many recent college graduates in China cannot find employment in the areas in which they studied, they're turning to other options, like becoming "full-time children" — a phrase that became popular on social media site Douban last year referring to adult children who stay at home with their parents and perform households tasks because they cannot find a job elsewhere.One "full-time child" <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-youth-unemployment-full-time-children-rcna91813">told</a> NBC News that "if my business had been very successful, I probably wouldn't have become a full-time daughter. It is an involuntary decision, but it is an option."Still, it's not a permanent solution. Steil said that the longer China cannot employ the growing number of young people that are graduating from college each year, it'll hurt the economy in a time when China cannot afford to be even more destabilized."If young people in China can't get productive opportunities within the country, we may see mass emigration, we may see a pickup once again in Chinese student numbers in the United States, and we may see the Chinese choosing not only to study abroad, but to stay abroad. And that's not something that China should welcome," Steil said.The unemployment crisis is "disproportionately affecting the younger segment of its population, and this is really China's future," Steil said. "So it's a big problem."

Educated Gen Zers in China are choosing not to work. It could be a problem for the US economy.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>China has built an expansive intelligence apparatus, with tens of thousands of officers.</li><li>It is focused on combating the "five poisons" that the Chinese Communist Party sees as its top threats.</li></ul>China's growing military and economic might has attracted worldwide attention, but Beijing has also developed a sprawling intelligence apparatus to support its goal of supplanting the US and wielding influence around the globe.For the Chinese Communist Party, achieving dominance abroad requires control at home, so China's massive spy services are designed to quash threats to the CCP's hold on power wherever they arise, according to an assessment by British intelligence.<h2>'The Five Poisons'</h2><div type="image" title="China Ministry of Public Security" height="1365" width="2000" msid="102404196" hostid="261" sizebytes="324622"></div>In a recent <a href="https://isc.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ISC-China.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report to parliament</a>, the British intelligence services detailed the operations and goals of the Chinese intelligence services. China "almost certainly" has the largest intelligence apparatus in the world, with tens of thousands of officers, most of whom work for three civilian and military agencies, the report said.The all-powerful Ministry of State Security is a civilian organization with executive powers that gathers intelligence using human sources and tries to catch foreign spies and intelligence officers through counterintelligence operations.The less influential Ministry of Public Security is also a civilian agency with law-enforcement duties that mainly conducts counterintelligence. Finally, the Chinese military's Strategic Support Force is responsible for signals intelligence. Much like the NSA, it conducts electronic collection and gathers intelligence from computer networks and internet activity.<div type="image" title="China Taiwan Protesters" height="924" width="1500" msid="102404200" hostid="261" sizebytes="53842"></div>According to British intelligence, these services have been tasked with rooting out the "Five Poisons" — Taiwanese independence, Tibetan independence, Xinjiang separatists, the Falun Gong, and the Chinese democracy movement — which the Chinese Communist Party considers its principal national-security threats, and with expanding China's "global reach and influence."China's leaders see Taiwanese independence as the top threat. The island has been self-governed since the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949, but Beijing considers it a breakaway territory and has vowed to absorb it, by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-taiwan-seals-would-fight-a-chinese-military-invasion-2021-12" target="_top">military force</a> if necessary. While the CCP has never ruled Taiwan, President Xi Jinping <a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/what-xi-jinpings-major-speech-means-taiwan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has said</a> "reunification" is "a historic mission" of the party.The Chinese Communist Party perceives Tibetan independence as a major national-security threat. China annexed Tibet, which borders Bhutan, Nepal, and India, in 1951 and it is now an autonomous region within China. There is still a Tibetan independence movement, led by Tibetans overseas, that Beijing has sought to suppress. China also views the Tibetan <a href="https://apnews.com/article/india-dalai-lama-tibet-ac6dde406c3b6e6457d587312a8ec81c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spiritual leader</a>, known as the Dalai Lama, as <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-16689779" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a separatist threat</a>.The plight of the Uighur Muslim minority is <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-22278037" target="_blank" rel="noopener">well known</a> in the West. There are about 12 million Uighurs in Xinjiang, a province in northwestern China. Chinese authorities have sent more than a million Uighurs to "re-education camps" or to jail in recent years and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53220713" target="_blank" rel="noopener">subjected others</a> to mass surveillance, forced labor, and other <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-xinjiang-uyghurs-muslims-repression-genocide-human-rights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forms of repression</a>. Human-rights groups have called Beijing's actions crimes against humanity and the US has called it "<a href="https://2017-2021.state.gov/determination-of-the-secretary-of-state-on-atrocities-in-xinjiang/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">genocide</a>."<div type="image" title="uighur protest china" height="1377" width="2000" msid="102404202" hostid="261" sizebytes="85008"></div>Falun Gong is a religious group established in the early 1990s that <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/18/asia/hong-kong-china-falun-gong-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blends</a> traditional and new age beliefs as well as meditation exercises and texts and promises salvation. It had millions of adherents by the time the Chinese government banned it 1999, viewing the group as a challenge to its power. China continues to jail or send practitioners to "re-education" centers, but <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2018/09/05/what-is-falun-gong" target="_blank" rel="noopener">millions of Chinese</a> still practice Falun Gong, most of them abroad.The Chinese intelligence services are also collecting information on the Chinese democracy movement at home and abroad — <a href="https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/04/the-doj-is-going-after-chinas-police-stations-in-america/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including in the US</a> — in an attempt to subvert it.According to the British intelligence report, Xi has sought to make Chinese intelligence activity more professional through reform and investment. "Expenditure on the internal security apparatus has outpaced even China's recent dramatic military modernisation," the report says, citing estimates that China now spends almost 20% more on domestic security than on external defense.<h2>A whole-of-nation approach</h2><div type="image" title="Xi Jinping" height="1359" width="2000" msid="102404205" hostid="261" sizebytes="132198"></div>While China's intelligence services are focused on countering domestic threats, they are also looking outward for advantages that will advance Beijing's bid for superpower status.Officials from the US and the UK say <a href="https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/chinese-espionage-how-beijing-is-stealing-away-us-global-supremacy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">espionage</a> is a central component of Chinese efforts to become dominant in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-spy-catchers-russia-china-gaining-edge-in-key-tech-2021-11" target="_top">an array of advanced technology sectors</a> and to find shortcuts in developing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recent-spy-case-shows-how-industrial-espionage-helps-chinese-military-2021-12" target="_top">sophisticated military hardware</a>. In 2021, the acting director of the US National Counterintelligence and Security Center said Chinese espionage was responsible for <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/foreign-espionage-threats-u-s-intelligence-matters-podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$200 billion to $600 billion</a> a year in intellectual-property theft.While the Chinese government is focused on countering the US and suppressing threats to its rule, it views the UK through the lens of its struggle with the US, the British intelligence report said, adding that Chinese intelligence services "target the UK and its interests prolifically and aggressively, with economic espionage a prominent motivation."Those services cast a wide net, pursuing classified as well as open-source information from which Chinese leaders may get some benefit. They are willing to use professional spies and everyday citizens, such as businessmen and students, to hoover up that information."In more ways than one, the broad remit of the Chinese Intelligence Services poses a significant challenge to Western attempts to counter their activity," the report said, citing assessments by British intelligence officers. "To compound the problem, it is not just the Chinese Intelligence Services: the Chinese Communist Party co-opts every state institution, company and citizen. This 'whole-of-state' approach means China can aggressively target the UK, yet the scale of the activity makes it more difficult to detect."Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. He is working toward a master's degree in strategy and cybersecurity at Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies.

China's sprawling spy agencies are designed to root out the 'five poisons' at home and abroad, British intelligence says

<ul><li>The cost for studying in the US has gone up by Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh per year.</li><li>Indian students abroad are also facing problems in finding accommodation. </li><li><keyword id="87" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="germany" source="Orion">Germany</keyword>, Spain, France, <keyword id="6359079" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="portugal" source="Orion">Portugal</keyword> and the UAE have emerged as the preferential places to <keyword id="68134" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="study-abroad" source="Orion">study abroad</keyword>.</li></ul> Studying abroad has become costlier amid a sharp fall in rupee. The cost for studying in the US has gone up by Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh per year. The increase in tuition fees in the US, the UK and <keyword id="6355478" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="australia" source="Orion">Australia</keyword> by 10 to 20 per cent is another reason behind the costlier education abroad. Also, the airfares have increased in recent times, which has added burden on students studying abroad. Adding to the woes, the visas of lakhs of Indian students have not been approved in countries like the US, the UK, <keyword id="6356687" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="canada" source="Orion">Canada</keyword> and Australia. There are long delays in getting student visas while at the same time those students, whose visas have been approved, are facing inflation due to rupee depreciation. Indian students abroad are also facing problems in finding accommodation due to the increase in the prices of hostels and homestays. Germany seems to be reaping the benefits due to this delay in the approval of student visas by other countries. According to a recent report by the <keyword id="432632" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="german-academic-exchange-service" source="Orion">German Academic Exchange Service</keyword> (DAAD), the number of Indian students studying in Germany increased from 17,570 in 2017 to 34,134 in 2021. Actually, education is subsidised by the German government. All international students studying in state-funded universities in Germany do not have to pay tuition fees. This is one of the biggest benefits for the international students in Germany and a major relief for Indian students amid the costlier education in other popular countries. Although various courses are available at low cost to Indian students in countries like Germany, the students do not change their preferences easily. <keyword id="2733148" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="sumeet-jain" source="Orion">Sumeet Jain</keyword>, co-founder, <keyword id="4136682" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="yocket" source="Orion">Yocket</keyword>, a community-based platform for overseas studies, said, "Due to the rupee depreciation, the average additional cost to study in the US has gone up by Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh per year. Despite this, the students do not make decisions without comprehensively evaluating various aspects. Some students, who want to pursue post research, for them there is no point in moving to other countries. While many students keep their options open. Students prefer the US for <keyword id="435553" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="stem" source="Orion">STEM</keyword> courses while for non-STEM courses they opt for the UK and Australia. Experts believe that the continued delays in visas have jeopardised the competitiveness of popular places of study. While earlier countries like the US, the UK, Australia and Canada were the first choice of the students, now Germany, Spain, France, Portugal and the UAE have emerged as the preferential places to study abroad. Significantly, the Covid-19 pandemic has proved to be a major obstacle for students who wish to pursue higher education abroad. In the US and some European countries, students are getting a waiting period of one to two years for visas. This simply means that an Indian student enrolling in a US university will be able to get a US visa after one or two years. According to industry experts, the number of Indian students moving to countries such as the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand stood at around 10 lakh in early 2022, almost double the levels before the pandemic. Similarly, the number of visa applications has increased much more than before, due to which now there is a delay in the visa approval. S. Ghosh, a student from Kolkata, said it is taking around 440 days to get a visa. SEE ALSO:

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