Indian student visa applications for Canada rising

CHANDIGARH - At a time when countries like Britain and Australia are seeing an unprecedented rise in student visa applications from India, Canada is not concerned about this as it has seen a 100 percent rise in applications, a diplomat here said Sunday.

“During the last few years, we have seen a 100 percent increase in the number of Indian students applying for study visa’s to Canada. We do not see any threat in the unprecedented rise, rather it’s an issue that how we manage all this,” Canada’s consul general here, Scott Slessor, told reporters.

“Students are welcome to Canada but at the same time we have to check the authenticity of their documents,” he added.

The UK Border Agency had stopped taking applications for some time after it received a record number of applications from the Punjab region. Similarly, Australia has also tightened its rules to keep a tab on unscrupulous and non-serious students.

“India is one of the biggest sources of international students to Canada. Canadian institutes are known for their world-class infrastructure and international exposure. That is why we are seeing a surge in the number of Indian students applying for study visas every year,” said Slessor.

He also said that the Canadian government is continuously monitoring the quality of the institutes.

“The education sector is booming in Canada. But our universities and colleges are not coming up overnight. There is a regulatory authority in Canada that keeps a tab on the status of quality education. There are very strict rules that every institution has to follow,” Slessor pointed out.

Slessor inaugurated a Canadian education road show, which was organised by city-based Canam Consultants Limited. More than 500 students participated in the event.

Slessor said after China, India is probably Canada’s biggest source of international students.

Gurbans Sobti, trade commissioner of the Canadian consulate here, said: “Last year, around 5,600 Indian students had gone to Canada for higher studies and we are expecting this number to considerably increase this year. From China, there were 15 percent to 20 percent more students who go to Canada for studies.”

–Indo Asian News Service