Canada has proven to be one of the most preferred destinations for higher education, especially for Indian students. Today, thousands of youngsters are willing to study in Canada because of its welcoming nature that provides various benefits for international students. There is a high-quality education given by Canadian universities along with internship opportunities. The liberal government’s policies allow students to work in Canada after completing their education and also get a permanent residency based on that experience. All these add up to become a great package for a career-driven young mind. It all becomes even better with Canada’s low cost of living.
Canada covers the needs of all kinds of students through a range of available programs. For students interested in the best universities, there are institutions like University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, University of Alberta, and many other universities. For students who cannot afford costly programs and need shorter duration courses, Canada’s community colleges are the best for them.
Even during the pandemic years, Canada was able to issue a study permit to plenty of applicants who desired to study in Canada. The reason for the continuous interest of so many Indian students are:
1. High Quality Education
One of the best reasons to study in Canada is that the quality of education is very high throughout the country, irrespective of the type of university or institution. Canadian universities and colleges have a wide range of academic programs available for all kinds of students and streams. A student can easily find any program in the field of their interest whether in management, accounting, minig, healthcare, petroleum, sports or any other stream.
2. Emphasis on skill development
Canada has developed a system called co-operative work (co-op), to address the common argument that world class education is not just about what is learnt in classrooms but is also about how prepared one is for the real world. Co-op is an integral part of a lot of programs in most universities and colleges.
Co-op provides work opportunities to students in their respective fields, while studying. This gives the students a chance to interact with the real work environment at an early stage and also inculcates discipline among them. A co-op is normally for about 4 months per year. Thus, a student enrolled for a 4 year program can get a head start of 16 months of valuable Canadian work experience when they start looking for a permanent job after completing the course.
3. Earn while you learn
In addition to co-op, students can also work part time for about 20 hours per week on campus or outside. They can also apply for Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) that allows them to work in Canada for upto 3 years after their graduation.
The permit lets these students be exempt from Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirements. That makes it easier for Canadian employers to hire them.
4. Pocket friendly
Tuition fee in Canada is fairly cheaper as compared to universities in other popular study destinations. The return on investment is also suitable for Indian students who study in Canada as they get wonderful work opportunities, full time as well as part time. There are also a range of scholarships for deserving students in many Canadian universities. This helps them cut down the educational expenses.
5. Permanent Residency
IRCC provides a platform to these students to live permanently in Canada as they spend a lot of time in the country and understand Canadian culture well. The PGWP program helps them relate with the work culture too. Thus, they become perfect to be a permanent resident in Canada.
Recently graduated students who are working in Canada under a PGWP can apply through the Express Entry system. They can submit an online profile under one of three Federal Economic Programs or a participating provincial immigration program to the Express Entry Pool.
6. Study permits get easily approved through SDS
Applications of Indian students are processed through the Student Direct Stream (SDS), which is a fast tracked method for post-secondary students to get a study permit. IRCC included India, among 6 other countries, during the launch of SDS in 2018. This makes it convenient for Indian students to get a study permit easily and without much delay.
7. Student-Friendly COVID-19 Policies
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Canadian government took various initiatives to make it easier for international students to study in Canada. A vaccine passport system was introduced which exempted fully vaccinated students from quarantine upon arrival. There was also an option for students to complete the courses online and still qualify for PGWP. This was done as many students were not able to travel to Canada due to the Covid-19 restrictions. Some provinces like Quebec and Nova Scotia also offered free Covid-19 vaccinations thereby increasing the interest of students to study in Canada.
8. Multiple job options after graduation
Since Canada is going through serious labour shortages in many fields, there are a lot of opportunities for students who came to study in Canada and completed their graduation with job-ready skills.
Thus, many Indian students are getting interested in moving to Canada for their higher education and the number of study permit applications keeps on increasing every year.
