Canada's international student population climbs – in part due to strong interest from India
Tania Kaushal is one of tens of thousands of international students from India now attending a college or university in British Columbia.
"I'm from Punjab and Punjabis are crazy about Canada," she said.
Kaushal is an accounting student at Langara College in Vancouver and hopes to move to the city permanently.
"Most of my friends live in Canada and in Vancouver," she said.
For her and many others, it was the large Indian community in British Columbia that convinced her to study here.
"My whole family settled there so that's why I opted for Canada. They also told me Canada is best for post-graduate studies," said Anterpreet Kaur, another Langara College student.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, a total of 23,950 study permits were authorized in the first two months of 2022 -- and more than half were issued to students from India.
In British Columbia, there are more than 143,000 international students according to the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training. India ranks as the top source country, making up more than a third of the demographic.
Rudolf Kischer, of MKS Immigration Lawyers, noticed this growing trend and said it's a result – at least in part -- of what's going on in India.
"Things are changing in India. There's a growing middle class. People have the funds to send their children abroad which is extremely expensive," he explained.
He added that there's also been a massive shift in the Canadian immigration process over the last five years.
"We moved from the system where we chose immigrants from overseas to a system that almost exclusively chooses immigrants in economic categories: people who are already studying or working in Canada," he said.
In other words, studying in Canada is one way to land permanent residency, which many international students say they want.
Kischer also said Canada is an attractive country for international students from India because both countries speak English and the job market is less competitive in Canada, which many students agree with.
"It has great opportunities over here as compared to India," said Isha Sharma, also a Langara College student.
"I didn't find any opportunities there. There were opportunities but there was more competition there. So I thought of moving here and getting a job here," said Gomzy Khurana, another international student from India.
India has long been a big contributor to Canadian immigration. According to the IRCC, 25 per cent of the total number of permanent residents in 2019 were from India.
In August, 2021 census data revealed that Mandarin and Punjabi are the most common non-official languages in Canada, with more than a million people predominantly speaking one of the two.
Statistics Canada also noted a large increase in the growth of the number of Canadians who predominantly speak South Asian languages such as Punjabi, Gujarati, Hindi or Malayalam since the last census in 2016, a rise which was fuelled by immigration.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
B.C. wildfires likely to spread with weekend temperatures expected to soar, province says
Wildfire and emergency management officials in British Columbia are urging residents to be prepared for increased fire activity as temperatures are expected to soar above 30 C in parts of the province this weekend.
Listowel, Ont. football player drafted, despite only three years of experience
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.