Post-graduation transitions: non-EU international student mobility in the Netherlands

This study explores how non-EU international graduates from Dutch higher education institutions experience the transition from study to employment in the Netherlands, with particular attention to the Orientation Year and the subsequent move to the Highly Skilled Migrant (HSM) scheme. Despite an apparent mismatch between the volume of international graduates and actual labor market opportunities, the factors affecting the retention of domestically trained graduates have received little attention. To address this gap, this research will investigate the intersections of labor market entry, migration governance, and the lived experiences of migrant students using the analytical lenses of aspirations/capabilities and temporal governance. Drawing on in-depth interviews with non-EU alumni who are currently utilizing the Orientation Year to seek employment or have made the subsequent transition to the HSM permit, the study highlights the complex and intersecting dynamics of post-study mobility in the Netherlands by foregrounding the tension between the framing of international graduates as desirable talent with the restrictive governance structures that condition their stay beyond their studies.