Despite rising costs and tight immigration policies, Indian students continue to choose Canada as a leading destination for higher education.
Talking to The Tribune, Saurabh Arora, CEO of University Living, said according to the Living’s Indian Student Mobility Report (ISMR) for 2023-24, Indian students collectively spent $11.7 billion while pursuing higher education in Canada during the last academic year, with Punjab alone contributing $3.7 billion.
He said the ISMR report highlights Punjab, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh/Telangana as the top contributors to India’s international student population, followed by Gujrat, Tamil Nadu and Delhi. After Canada, the other top destinations for Indian students are the USA, Australia and the UK.
The report also reveals that Indian students’ overall expenditure on international education has surged to $60 billion in 2023, up from $37 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $70 billion by 2025. The number of Indian students studying abroad is expected to grow from 11.8 lakh in 2022 to 15 lakh by 2025, at an annual growth rate of 8 per cent.
Canada remains a preferred destination due to its robust academic programmes, post-study work opportunities and immigration pathways, say immigration experts. They said although Indian student enrolment in Canada was expected to grow from 2.80 lakh in 2022 to 3.49 lakh by 2025, it remained to be seen how these numbers would shape up in the upcoming season following the recent restrictions.
On an average, each Indian student spends about $27,000 on tuition fee alone, and when accommodation and living expenses are added, the total reaches approximately $40,000. This means Punjab’s contribution, initially reported at $3.7 billion, could realistically be closer to $7 billion annually.
Arora further said Canada’s restrictions on study permits were part of a broader effort to control the rapid growth in student inflow while enhancing the quality of education and ensuring adequate facilities like housing and job placements post-graduation. He stressed that for Punjabi students, Canada had long been seen as not just a place for academic pursuits, but also a gateway to settlement.
Arora further explained that while these new policies had caused concern, especially in Punjab, they were not likely to significantly dampen the long-term appeal of Canada. “For students from Punjab, where education abroad is often linked to future settlement opportunities, the recent policy changes may slow the influx in the short term. But the fundamentals — strong academic programmes, work opportunities and pathways to immigration — still make Canada a highly attractive destination,” he added.
Sumit Jain, owner of Jain Overseas in Jalandhar, pointed out that although Canada remained the most sought-after destination, the new immigration restrictions had created uncertainty among Punjabi students, leading to a drop in applications for the 2024 intake. “We’re seeing fewer applications for the upcoming intake as students are weighing other options due to the new rules,” he said.
Sachin Jain, Country Manager for ETS India and South Asia, echoed similar sentiments, but highlighted that opportunities remained abundant in Canada for students with strong academic records. “Even with the revised student cap of 4.37 lakh by 2025, Canada still offers ample space for qualified international students, especially those with high language proficiency and academic credentials,” he explained.
He said while other destinations like New Zealand, Germany, France and Ireland were becoming increasingly attractive, particularly for STEM and management programmes, the demand for studying abroad remained high.
Meanwhile, the HSBC Quality of Life Report 2024 also showed that 78 per cent of affluent Indian parents aim to send their children abroad for higher education, despite the financial challenges in preparing for this investment.
Workforce outflow will hit state’s future
“Punjab is witnessing an alarming trend of students moving abroad, which could undermine the state’s economic stability in the coming years,” said Dr Vishal Sarin, Professor of Economics at LPU. He highlighted that families were often selling agricultural land to fund foreign education, with many students prioritising long-term settlement abroad over education. Sarin stressed that this ongoing outflow of skilled workers threatens Punjab’s future workforce.