Indian students prefer Canada for studies

New Delhi: The number of Indian students choosing Canada to pursue higher education has increased exponentially.

"In the last decade, there has been a massive rise of around 357 per cent in the number of Indian students enrolling in Canada growing from around 7,000 students in 2006 to 32,000 students in 2014," Hakan Bjorn, director of International Recruitment in the Canadian government said in a statement.

The universities have observed that Indian students are increasingly choosing Canada as their preferred destination for higher studies and doctoral degrees.

In the University of British Columbia (UBC), which also has exchange partnerships with University of Delhi and IIT-Delhi, there has been a rise of 80 percent in the applications received from Indian students in the last two years.

As per the data provided by the UBC, currently 500 students from India are studying there. Citing Canada's liberal post-secondary work permit and immigration policies as the main reason for the growth, Vinay Chaudhry,

chairperson of Education Committee of Indo-Canadian Business Chamber, said: "Unlike US/UK, Canada sees international students as a valuable addition to its ageing workforce."

"A lot of Indian students are choosing Canada because they value the opportunity to be able to work for two-three years after completing their post-secondary education," Chaudhry added.