New Foreign Destinations for the Indian Students

It may appear strange but it is true that unlike the past trend of Indian students choosing America, Canada, Britain and Australia for their higher studies, now there is a steady increase of their going to Russia, Germany, Uzbekistan and hard to believe destination of Bangladesh

According to data from the Bureau of Immigration, the total number of Indians studying in Canada, the UK, and the US fell by 164,370 in just one year. Canada alone saw a 41% decline, from 233,532 in 2023 to 137,608 in 2024, making it the hardest-hit destination. The UK and the US also recorded significant drops of 27% and 13%, respectively.

A total of 7,50,365 Indians were studying abroad in 2022, and in 2023, the number increased to 892,989. However, 2024 witnessed a 15 per cent decline, with 7,59,064 Indians studying abroad.

The data, broken down by country, showed a startling 41 per cent drop in the number of students opting to study in Canada, from 2,33,532 in 2023 to 1,37,608 in 2024.

At the same time, student migration to the US fell 13 per cent from 234,473 to 204,058 while it fell 27 per cent to 98,890 in the UK.

The total numbers for these three nations fell sharply from 604,926 in 2023 to 440,556 in 2024, a 27 per cent decrease in a single year.

Tighter immigration rules, visa denials, and study visa regulations in some of the most popular countries — such as Canada, the UK, the US, and even Australia — are probably responsible for this.

The diplomatic tensions between Delhi and Ottawa act as a backdrop for the decline. A major diplomatic crisis arose in September 2023 when then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of orchestrating a plot to kill Sikh extremist activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen.

Canada recalled 41 Indian diplomats in October of that year after the Indian government declared it would remove their diplomatic immunity and their families’ security precautions.

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, a government agency that deals with international students, strengthened its regulations at the same time by giving the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) the power to revoke employment and study permits under some circumstances.

In October 2024, amid charges and rebuttals surrounding Nijjar’s murder, relations further soured as both countries expelled each other’s diplomats.

Many Indian students reconsidered studying in the US last year due to uncertainty around the Trump administration’s plans, which was probably the cause for the fall in Indian students preferring the US.

In the case of the UK, the numbers dropped possibly due to stricter visa regulations and post-study work policies. The UK government said last year that, with the exception of postgraduate research courses and courses with government-funded scholarships, international students enrolled in courses beginning in January 2024 will no longer be permitted to bring family members.

The decline of Indian students studying in Australia can be attributed in large part to recent changes to policies, such as increased visa costs, more stringent rules, and concerns over housing affordability.

While the traditional favourites saw declines, several new destinations gained popularity among Indian students.

Germany saw 34,702 more Indian students in 2024. Uzbekistan and Bangladesh saw increases of 9,915 and 8,864 students, respectively.

Meanwhile, Russia recorded a 34% uptick in Indian student enrolments. Factors like affordable education, easier visa policies, and growing academic partnerships have made these countries attractive alternatives. The number of Indian students in Russia climbed from 19,784 in 2022 to 23,503 in 2023 and then to 31,444 in 2024.

The number of Indian students studying in France has also increased, rising from 6,406 in 2022 to 7,484 in 2023 and 8,536 in 2024 and beyond.

Malaysia, Singapore, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, and Ireland are among the other countries on the list that are favoured.

The number of students in New Zealand increased significantly as well, from 1,605 in 2022 to 7,297 in 2024.