Punjab students invest a whopping ₹68,000 crore annually for studying in Canada: Report

Amid growing tension between India and Canada over allegation of ‘alleged involvement’ in the June killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia's Surrey,  a news media report has shown that youngsters from Punjab invest a whopping ₹68,000 crore for education in just Canada itself. 

While the firestorm between Ottawa and New Delhi emerged owing to contradicting approach to extremists of a particular religion, it seems followers of the same have contributed to the large influx of immigrant student pool in the North American country. 

Earlier reports had suggested that Canada remains the top choice among Punjabi youngsters due to its flexible education policy, work opportunities, easier post-graduation immigration possibilities. Mint had earlier reported that Punjab had witnessed a four times rise in foreign enrolment for higher studies among students from Punjab, among them Canada being the most preferred location. 

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According to the Khalsa Vox, in the year 2022, a total 226,450 visas were approved by Canada under the Immigration, refugee and citizenship Canada (IRCC), and a significant portion, approximately 1.36 lakh students, hailed from Punjab. These students are pursuing various courses with an average duration of two to three years.

The current data from student visa processing agencies suggest that around 3.4 lakh Punjabi students are currently studying in various educational institutions across Canada.

The Khalsa Vox publication reported that the surge of Punjabi students on Canadian campuses is a noteworthy trend, with nearly 60 per cent of all Indian students moving to Canada being of Punjabi origin.

Approximately 1.36 lakh Punjabi students made the journey to Canada last year, with each student paying an average annual fee of amount 17,000 Canadian dollars as stated by the Chairman of the Association of Consultants for Overseas Studies, Kamal Bhumla.

Notably, the gargantuan influx of students from Punjab to Canada has also seen a growing corruption, wherein agencies promising a seat in esteemed institutions of Canada. The Canadian authorities had found that several students had been living in Canada on Student visa, but their admission papers were fake. 

The matter came to light in March when these students, after finishing their studies, applied for permanent residency in Canada and the Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA) found their documents fake.

A whopping 700 students faced deportation when the scam by the agencies came to limelight.  However, the Canadian authorities temporarily stalled the deportation orders.