In recent days, various visa agents have witnessed an upsurge in Indian students going to Europe and Australia for higher studies after changes in Canada’s visa guidelines that no longer appear as welcoming as before. It should be noted that Canada last week ended its fast-track student visa regime under which many Indian students went to study in that country in 2023. The Student Direct Stream (SDS) and Nigeria Student Express schemes that covered 16 countries, including India, also had a much shorter processing time and a higher acceptance rate than the regular visa process.
Moreover, Canada had last year tightened its Post Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), a route through which many students found work and eventually became permanent residents of the country. And Canada in January this year announced a two-year cap on new international student permits, which doesn’t apply to master’s and PhD programmes.
These latest restrictions prompted a student from Pala in Kerala to withdraw his application from a college in Toronto where he had already paid a semester’s fee. This student, who did not wish to be named, wants to go abroad in search of a better life but eventually return home.
As per the data from the External Affairs Ministry on January 1, Canada had 4.27 lakh Indian students — more than any other country. This is followed by more than 3.37 lakh in the US, 1.85 lakh in the UK, and more than 1.22 lakh in Australia. In the European Union, Germany, France and Ireland have the highest number of Indian students.
Another analysis of immigration data published by the US think tank National Foundation for American Policy in April showed that between 2016 and 2019, the number of Indian international students enrolled in US universities declined by 13 per cent but increased by 182 per cent at Canadian universities.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had in September, posted on X, saying “We’re granting 35 per cent fewer international student permits this year. And next year, that number’s going down by another 10 per cent…. Immigration is an advantage for our economy — but when bad actors abuse the system and take advantage of students, we crack down.”
