Indians See 86% Dip In Canada Study Permits: Diplomacy, Cost Of Study Or Social Media At Blame?

There was an 86% drop in the study permits for Indians aspiring to pursue their studies in Canada in the October-December 2023 quarter, as compared to the same months in 2022.

This indicates that Canada is no longer the top study destination for Indian students. The data was shared by Canadian immigration minister Marc Miller, who said the numbers were unlikely to rebound in the near future.

An earlier news report had stated that while the Canadian government processed almost 146,000 new study permit applications for Indian nationals from July to October in 2022 but across the same period in 2023, it processed fewer than 87,000.

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Why is Canada no longer the number one study destination for Indian students?

There could be a number of reasons behind why lesser students are opting to study in Canada:

Diplomatic tensions between India and Canada

Marc Miller attributed the fall to fewer Indian students applying to study in Canada to the diplomatic tussle between the two countries for the killing of a Khalistani terrorist in Canada.

Reuters

Escalating cost of studying

In December, it was reported that Ottawa doubled the cost of living requirement, mandating Indian students to keep more dollars in their bank account.

Given that cost of studying is the strongest determining factor among international students in choosing study destination, according to an ApplyBoard report, it is only natural that an escalating cost of living in Canada has deterred Indian students from picking it as a study destination.

Social media the evil?

A Better Dwelling report suggests that not diplomatic tussle but a different reason could be why Indian students are opting out of studying in Canada.

The report attributes it to social media being filled with stories of hardship faced by international students in Canada, which bring out the escalating cost of living and unfulfilled promises of opportunities.

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Hopeful that Canada will still remain top study destination

Indian experts are nonetheless hopeful. They project that 2023 numbers for Indian students who went to Canada would still be higher, since diplomatic tensions began only after admissions for the September admission cycle had closed.

TOI quoted Mathai, an expert on Canadian education affairs, as saying that Canada would continue to be the number one destination that Indians went to in 2023.

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