Indian students abroad
The number of Indian students studying outside India rapidly increased by 163% between 1999 and 2006 to reach 145,539 as compared to slower growth of 25% between 2006 and 2013 to reach 181,872, according to an analysis of UNESCO data. As of January 2021, more than 1 million Indian students are studying in 85 countries outside India. More than 50% of Indian students study in North America. These are the top study destinations for Indian students, based on number of active students: Students from India in Canada As of 2023, there were 319,130 international students from India enrolled in Canadian institutions. Historical trends The number of Indian students in Canada exceeded the number of Chinese students in Canada in 2018, with the Indian student population quadrupling between 2015 and 2019. The number of Indian students in Canada increased from 48,765 in 2015 to 219,855 in 2019, constituting 34% of Canada's foreign student population. Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic Canada placed a travel ban on India and Pakistan starting April 22, 2021, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the ban being extended further, Indian students from Punjab reportedly travelled to Canada through Moscow, Mexico, Serbia, Qatar, Dubai among other locations, paying up to three times the regular air fare. Canada also does not accept RT-PCR tests from Indian labs because of which students travelling from India are forced to get tested elsewhere before entering Canada. University of Ottawa professor Amir Attaran slammed Canada PM Justin Trudeau's decision to ban flights from India as racist, pointing out that the United Kingdom experienced 6500% higher cases than Canada in the same time period but did not face a similar travel ban to Canada. Student Visas and Migration Canada is a preferred destination for Indian nationals due to strong diasporic presence of the community and the benefits offered by the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). Additionally, international students do not need to pay their tuition fee to be able to apply for a study permit in Canada. Policy experts suggest that Indian students intending to go to the US are instead moving to Canada because of the former's unfavorable quota-based H-1B visa program. The decisions of Australia and New Zealand to close borders to international students in 2021 also contributed to the surge in Indian student migration to Canada. According to student reports from India, study permit refusal rates to Canada were as high as 60% during the Fall 2021 semester. Students with poor academic records and those from less fortunate financial backgrounds were refused study permits, according to Narpat Singh Babbar, a Canadian education consultant. Study permit rejection rates remained as high as 50% in 2022, mostly driven by young Punjabi applicants. Deportation of Punjab-based students 700 students from Punjab faced deportation from Canada early in 2023 after it came to light that their education offer letters were fake. Chandigarh University offered to help out students facing deportation by offering them admission in the same batches, and by using credit scoring mapping to transfer