By Verghese V Joseph –
Every year, over 3 million Indian students travel to different countries to pursue their higher education. For decades the US has been the choicest destination for the students who desire to study abroad but in the past couple of years, there is a visible change in this preference. Canada and Australia have become the most sought after countries for Indian students.
India is now all set to overtake China as more number of its students enroll for studying in Canada.
Interestingly, India continues to be a very big driver in Canada’s international education sector. According to ICEF Monitor, in 2018, the number of Indian students grew by another 40% in 2018, for total overall growth of just under 350% since 2014. This amounts to more than 1,72,600 Indian students in Canada last year, a benchmark that means that India will now surpass China as the leading sending market for Canada. Chinese numbers rose 2% last year to reach just under 143,000.
While they are showing contrasting trends in recent years – China is flattening out as India surges – the two countries together accounted for 55% of all visiting students in Canada. More broadly, the top 20 source markets, as reflected in the table below, sent nearly 86% of Canada’s foreign students in 2018.
Interestingly, the latest student data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) describes another year of very strong growth in Canada’s international student enrolment. The number of foreign students studying in Canada rose 16.25% last year, marking a third consecutive year of double-digit growth and an overall increase of 73% in the five years since 2014.
The number of international students holding Canadian study permits (as of 31 December) reached 572,415 in 2018, up from 492,545 the year before. This compares to the 690,468 foreign students in Australia as of November 2018, and the 458,490 EU and non-EU students in the UK during the 2017/18 academic year.
According to Polycarp D’Silva, Managing Director, Canadian Educational Services (a leading provider of educational services in Canada), “Canada is currently the only country to encourage International students to get an open work permit after their education and then apply for their Permanent Residence. For a long time UK used to encourage that but stopped a few years ago followed by Australia which is cutting back on International students applying for Permanent Residency. Fortunately, Canada being such a vast country with a very small population encourages International students to apply for Permanent Residency in Canada.
Over the years Canadian Educational Services, based in Toronto, has assisted hundreds of international students to come to Canada and be successfully integrated into the mainstream life as successful Canadians. “Our services do not just end with the students getting their Letter of Acceptance” says D’Silva. “We continue assisting our students even after they come to Canada with airport pickup, settlement services like: banking, boarding and lodging, resumes, job finding, etc.,” D’Silva added.
According to last year’s enrolment of composition of each country, the UK was the second-ranked study destination in the world (after only the US), followed by Australia in third, and Canada in fourth. Based on the continued rapid growth of foreign student numbers in both Australia and Canada, it seems likely that there is further change afoot in that global table of leading study destinations.
Aside from India, the fastest-growing markets for Canada in 2018 included Bangladesh (+53%), Iran (+48%), Vietnam (+46%), Colombia (+41%), Philippines (+29%), Kenya (+29%), and Brazil (+17%).
In terms of level of study, 13.5% of Canada’s international students were in secondary schools, 76.5% in post-secondary programmes, and 10% in “other studies”, including exchange programmes and language studies of six months’ duration or more.
Job Prospects
A lot of international students studying in the US are now looking at working in Canada as an option. Finding jobs in Canada as an international graduate similar to the US; you still need a job offer from a Canadian company. But the visa process is smoother and less restricted. There is no lottery process for the H-1B.
There are two type of jobs for which International students studying in Canada are eligible. While only citizens of Canada can apply for government jobs, International students pursuing a full-time or a part time course are eligible to apply for jobs in the private sector.
Immigration Canada recognizes how hard separation, even brief separation, can be for families. That’s why international students are eligible to bring their families with them when they come to Canada to study. While here, your spouse or common-law partner would be eligible for an open work permit.
As per Canada’s multiyear immigration plan, government will accept more than 1 million people as permanent residents in next three years. Hence, if you are planning to get job in Canada from India as a skilled worker, it’s the perfect time to apply Permanent residency (PR) visa as the first step.
New Visa Stream for Indian Students
Canada knows that it needs a younger working force to keep up with its aging population. Well, what does that have to do with the studying in Canada? Simple, the country has opened up faster immigration visas options for students who want to study in Canada.
One of these visa options is the Student Direct Stream (SDS). If you live in India, China, the Philippines and Vietnam, your study permit application to Canada is prioritized.
Normally a Canadian study permit will take at least five weeks to be processed for an Indian applicant, but with the new Student Direct Stream, Canada aims to cut down that application time even further. The SDS is said to reduce processing times by no less than 25%, not bad right?
Canada has upped its game when it comes to being an international standard of education and plans to have more than 450,000 international students in its borders by 2022.
If you are an Indian student hoping to study in Canada through the SDS, there are a couple of things you should know. The great thing about this stream is that it enjoys a faster processing time. You must also have higher language ability in either English or French in order to qualify.
India Perspective
Many Indian students go to Canada to study every year. The quality education offered by Canada is highly valued in international job markets also. Canada is known for its research-oriented industry. Canada is also one of the best places to pursue your higher studies and the country attracts thousands of students each year from abroad. International students can gain valuable education at a very low fees compared to other countries across the globe.
Students can work 20 hours a week while in school and can earn approximately a minimum wage of CAN $14.00 per hour, amounting to C$ 400 to C$ 1,000 per month. After a two year diploma, an International student can apply for a 3 year open work permit and work full time. Normally after a one year program, a one year work permit can be applied for.
The average Indian salary in Canada is $34,320 per year or $17.60 per hour. Entry level positions start at $25,350 per year while most experienced workers make up to $49,871 per year.
Cost of Living in Canada
While the average cost for leasing a two-bedroom apartment in Canada is approximately CAN $ 999.00 per month, Ontario tends to skew higher. Recently, Toronto moved into a tie with Vancouver for the most expensive place to live in the country. … Meanwhile in Quebec, you’ll find some of the most affordable options in Canada.
Degree Factor
Countries like Canada, US, UK and Europe follow 4-years degree program and they do not recognize the Indian Degree, but that does not mean that the Indian degree is not valued.
Most universities in Canada open their doors to applicants from January to April, so application processing times can be quite busy during this period. As colleges and universities are receiving endless applications from students, it would be wise for students to apply maybe at least 9 months to a year before their semester intake. The intakes are January for the winter semester, May for the summer semester and September for the fall semester.
If a student plans to study in September, then they must sure that they apply before August or the application could be refused immediately by the university.
It is interesting to know that some of the top courses to study in Canada for International Students are:
- MBA.
- Computer Science & IT.
- Business & Finance.
- Core Engineering & Engineering Management.
- Physical & Earth Sciences and Renewable Energy.
- Agricultural Science & Forestry.
- Biosciences, Medicine & Healthcare.
- Media & Journalism.