Indian Students Going to Canada Drop by 41%, While Russia Sees 34% Rise: Govt to Parliament

The number of Indian students seeking education overseas fell by 15% in 2024, with Canada suffering the biggest plunge—a whopping 41% drop, the Ministry of Education told Parliament on Monday. In contrast, the number of Indian students opting for Russia rose sharply by 33.7% over the previous year.

Education Trends: A Dramatic Fall in Canada, Rise in Russia
Replying to a question by IUML member E. T. Mohammed Basheer in Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar shared three years of facts on Indian students abroad.

Based on the report:

In 2022, 7,50,365 Indian students were abroad.
This increased to 8,92,989 in 2023, a post-pandemic high.
In 2024, however, it fell to 7,59,064, a decline of 15%.
The sharpest decline was in Canada, whose Indian students numbered 1,37,608 in 2024, down from 2,33,532 in 2023—a 41% fall.

Canada's Tightened Visa Regulations & Diplomatic Standoff Reduce Student Intake
The record plunge in Indian students choosing Canada can be directly linked to tighter student visa norms implemented last year. These comprised:

Increased rates of visa refusals
Increased scrutiny of applications

Suspension of study permits
Aside from policy shifts, the diplomatic crisis between India and Canada has also contributed to this trend. Tensions mounted in October 2023, when Canada recalled 41 diplomats from India after New Delhi called for equivalence in diplomatic presence following the assassination of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Things got worse in October 2024, when both nations expelled diplomats, causing further tension in bilateral relations.

Russia Experiences a Boom in Indian Students
Conversely, Russia experienced a 33.7% growth in Indian students in 2024. Although the ministry did not detail reasons for this trend, low-cost tuition, access to medical education, and geopolitical balances may be driving student decisions.

With changing international dynamics and shifting visa policies, the dynamics in Indian students' foreign education trends will remain dynamic in the next few years.