Rush to study abroad: What the numbers say on Indian students, their countries of preference

Source: The post is based on the article “Rush to study abroad: What the numbers say on Indian students, their countries of preference” published in Indian Express on 20th March 2023

What is the News?

Some 700 Indian students are facing deportation from Canada after admission offer letters provided by an immigration agency were established as fake.

About Indians studying abroad

Indians now study in 240 countries around the world. Canada, Australia, the UK, and the US remain the top choices.

The number of Indians choosing to study abroad rose from 4.5 lakhs in 2017 to 5.2 lakhs in 2018 to around 5.86 lakhs in 2019. The pandemic resulted in this number crashing to 2.6 lakhs in 2020.

In 2022, Indians going abroad for higher education have touched a six-year high of over 7.5 lakhs.

About Indian students’ choice of countries for studying abroad

US: India has surpassed China to become the country with the most international students in the US in 2022.

UK: Britain granted 1.4 lakh sponsored study visas to Indians in 2022, a major increase from the 34,261 visas in 2019.

– In 2019, the UK announced a post-study work visa called the “graduate route”. This allowed international students, including those from India, to work, or look for work, in any career or position for two years after successfully completing their studies.

Canada: As of 2019, there were over 2.2 lakh Indian study permit holders in Canada, constituting 34% of Canada’s foreign student population.

France: In 2019, there were 10,000 Indian students in France; the country aims to attract 20,000 Indian students by 2025.

Greece: It plans to increase its outreach to Indian academic institutions through the official “Study in Greece” platform. The two countries have signed a Cultural and Educational Exchange Programme for 2022-2026.

Other countries: Several countries are now making specific efforts to liberalize student visas for Indians.