Ground Report: The Decline of Indian Student Enrollment in Canada

Canada was one of the top foreign study destinations for Indian students. This is estimated until August 2023. Students take inexpensive Canada to India business class flight deals at Flyopedia.ca that make their journey expense affordable. This way they make their Canada journey comfortable and affordable. However, from October to December 2023, study permits for Indian students decreased by 86 percent. According to data shared by Canada’s immigration minister Mark Miller, “Only 14,910 Indian students chose Canadian institutions. While 1,08,940 student permits were issued during the same period in 2022.” So, why did Canada suddenly drop off the list?

Gurtej Sandh runs his agency in Chandigarh’s Sector 17. He told India Today TV that several factors caused the drop in the number from India. It is one factor out of diplomatic tensions between India and Canada. “We have noticed a drop of over 50 percent in applications for study permits being sought from Canadian institutions. This has been a major setback for the immigration business because a large number of applicants were from Punjab,” Gurtej Sandhu said. The following are the reasons for the decrease in study abroad permits.

Housing and Job Crisis

Did you know? 41% of Canada’s international student population is made up of Indian students. This made a significant impact on Canada’s economy. It’s estimated that Punjab-based students alone spend over Rs 68,000 crore on education. They spend time in Canada each year. A total of 2,25,450 Indian students received study permits the year before. However, 1.36 lakh of them come from Punjab. There are currently around 3.4 lakh Punjabi students studying in Canada. Hence international students have helped boost Canada’s economy. But, some people also blame them for the country’s housing and employment issues.

Rental prices in Canada have risen to unaffordable levels. According to a recent report, “the country needs 3.5 million new housing units by 2030 to make housing more affordable.” This report was given by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The shortage of housing units has led to challenges for international students. According to a study conducted by Professor Tania Das Gupta of York University, landlords were exploiting international students by demanding large upfront payments for:

• Substandard
• Overcrowded
• Unsafe
• Even illegal accommodation.

These factors make Indian students uncomfortable and hence force them to avoid Canada. Another study conducted by McGill University discovered that 38.6 percent of international students faced sexual harassment and 23.6% experienced sexual assault.

Work Permit Restrictions

The cap has dashed the hopes of lakhs of undergraduate students who came to Canada seeking a work permit and permanent residence (PR) status. The economic downfall creates a situation of job losses. There is a statistic where a government agency stated the condition of reports that “the country’s unemployment rate in December 2023 was 5.8 percent. This is the highest since January 2022.”

During this time, there were 1,245,200 people without jobs. International students were the hardest hit. They were unable to find:

• Part-time work
• Vulnerable to exploitation.

Students have been forced to accept low-wage jobs. This is due to a lack of employment. According to the capping, only postgraduate and doctoral students will be eligible for a work permit. Further, students can make travel arrangements easily. They can Book last minute flights to India and back, whenever they want at Flyopedi.ca. This way, they can easily travel to their home town and come back with ease.

Unaffordable Education

Education in Canada, like rentals, has become more expensive since December 2023, when the government unexpectedly increased the Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) amount from $10,000 to 20,635 Canadian dollars.

“Earlier, students were required to pay only Rs 5.7 lakh as GIC or now have to pay Rs 13.2 lakh. This becomes Rs 22-23 lakh if institutional fees are also included. All students cannot afford this amount and are now avoiding Canada,” Sandhu said, adding that parents were hesitant to send their children to Canada for undergraduate studies because they would no longer be eligible for a work permit or PR.

“Education in many European and oceanic countries is cheaper. The students are now keen to get admission in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand colleges,” says Gurtej Singh. However, we hope that the situation will improve for students. But students shouldn’t be disheartened. They can study in different countries including the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Flyopedia.ca is the best platform for students to book Affordable International Canada To India flights, as well as many other student-friendly deals.