India-Canada tensions raise concerns for Indian students

The chances for Indian students hoping to pursue higher education in Canada are in jeopardy due to diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa.

India-Canada raise concerns for Indian students: The Indian government released a statement warning Indian students in Canada about “growing anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence.”

The statement cautioned students and other Indian people to travel with care but did not totally advise against it. However, it cautioned them against travelling to places or regions where there was a “deteriorating security environment” or a “anti-India agenda.”

There is considerable worry that the Indian government may keep inciting anxieties about life in Canada, which could reduce interest in higher study there.

However, when India issued a similar warning to Canadian students the previous year, it had little to no effect. Canadian police services were unable to identify any increase in anti-Indian violence at the time.

“Indian International Students Dominate Canadian Campuses Amid Growing Concerns”

According to the Canadian Bureau for International Education, over 40% of the more than 800,000 international students studying in Canada are from India.

They are by far the biggest group in Canadian schools, with China coming in second at roughly 12% and the Philippines at 4%. Indian students outnumber Canadian students at at least six Ontario colleges.

India is the country from which the most foreign students come to Canada; their numbers increased by 47% to 320,000 last year. Many postsecondary institutions’ financial stability depends on the high international student tuition rates, which are several times more than those for Canadian students.

Some Sikhs in the Indian state of Punjab worry about both retaliation from the Hindu-nationalist government of India and a threat to their chances of finding better lives in North America.

Just 2% of India’s 1.4 billion people are Sikhs, yet they dominate Punjab, a state of 30 million people where their faith originated 500 years ago. The majority of Sikhs outside of Punjab reside in Canada, which has seen numerous rallies that have irritated India.