At most Canadian universities, the summer session begins in May, while the fall session begins in September. “While fall students have dropped out, we have not yet seen spring students reverse their decisions,” said Piyush Kumar, regional director for South Asia at foreign education consultancy IDP. “That was surprising even for us.”
Indian students make up the largest proportion of study permit holders in Canada. According to the Canadian government, as of July 2023, 1.08 lakh Indian citizens received study permits in Canada.
In 2022, this number stood at 2.26 lakh. In comparison, China was a distant second with 51,810 student permits. According to 2022 data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Canada is the second most popular destination for Indian students after the United States of America.
Commenting on the impact of recent developments on students, Kumar said it is only natural to worry when something unexpected happens. What is reassuring is that while students have investigated and asked if there were any problems, there are no such concerns locally, Kumar said.
Vamika Chadha, a student pursuing her master’s degree at Seneca Polytechnic College in Toronto, said that while there have been fears, the current clashes are between governments. “Everything is normal. It’s not like anything will happen to the students in terms of safety and security.”
Despite deteriorating relations with China in recent years, that community continues to thrive there, she said.
He quoted another student Kumar spoke to as saying: “Bas News Main Zyada Dekhaya Ja Raha Hai, Yaha Aisa Kuch Nahi Hai. Sab achha hai. [It is just being shown more in the news, there is nothing like that here. All is well].”
The Indian government advisor had said that “in view of the deteriorating security situation in Canada, Indian students in particular are advised to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant.”
While it is business as usual for now, things may change if relations between both countries deteriorate further or if there is an adverse situation in Canada towards the Indians, Kumar said.
That seems unlikely for now.
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