Canada Loses Charm for Panjabi Students

With a 50% dip in the number of students from Panjab moving to Canada after the Class XII examination this year, most educational institutes across the state have reported significantly better enrollment in various courses in the new academic session. In 2023, 37% of total student visas were for Indians. 319K students from India moved to Canada. Of these, nearly 18K were Panjabi students. In 2024, the Canadian govt. capped the number of approved study permits at approximately 360K, a 35% reduction from the previous year, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data. From Oct to Dec 2023, there was an 86% drop in study permits issued to Indian students, from 108,940 to 14,910. This was because India sent back Canadian diplomats who would process the permits. Various immigration companies, IELTS centers and ticketing agencies, which had seen a big boom during the past six-seven years, are seeing a steep downfall in their business. This has ushered in a boom time for colleges and universities in Panjab. Dr RS Deol, Director, Lyallpur Khalsa College Technical Campus, said, ‘The imposition of curbs on immigration imposed by Canada has come as a huge blessing for colleges in our region.’ The online counseling being conducted by IK Gujral Punjab Technical University (IKGPTU) is also getting a good response this time. Aman Mittal, Vice-President of Lovely Professional University, said, ‘On our part, we too have been counseling students regarding far better placement prospects in India for them. Our courses like those in forensic sciences, aero-sciences and block chain have been in huge demand this year.’ (SDW Vol. 1 Issue 14, Story 4).