The US may still host the largest population of Indian students, but those making a fresh choice are clearly opting for Canada over America since 2017-18. This year too, a significant number of students are choosing Canada.
Visa numbers shows 83,540 students flew out to Canada in 2017, compared to 44,741 to the US. The number grew further in 2018, and till Q3 in 2019, over 50,000 students have signed up for the country. At several education fairs, parents and students have been choosing Canada over US, said Karan Gupta, education consultant. “It is a cheaper option and the quality is on par with the best universities of the world,” he added.
Interestingly, with UK again granting the two-year, post-study work visa, it may see fresh interest, said other consultants. “For long, Canada used to be a back-up. But now, it is option one. The easy passage in terms of no SAT requirement, easy visa processes, post-study work visa and permanent residency are all alluring for Indians. But Canada has large class sizes but most Indian are fine with that,” said counsellor Pratibha Jain.
In 2016, Canada issued 52,845 study permits to Indians and by 2017-end, the count had risen to 83,540. In comparison, there was a 28% drop in the number of F1 visas granted to Indian students in 2017-18. According to data from the US department of state, student visas issued decreased from 74,831in 2015 to 42,694 in 2018.
According to Unesco data, in 2000, 59% of all Indian students overseas were enrolled in US universities followed by 7% in Australia, 6% in the UK and less than 1% in Canada. By 2017, the share of Indian students in the US dropped to 45% and the UK remained stagnant at 6%. In contrast, Australia gained to touch 15% and Canada 7%.
