Indian students choosing Europe
While Indian students heading to foreign universities have declined across the top three destination countries – Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom – member states of the European Union are seeing a steady rise in the number of Indians travelling to pursue higher studies, writes Nirbhay Thakur for The Indian Express.
Canada witnessed a 32% drop, with permits falling from 278,000 to 189,000, the US saw a 34% decrease, with F-1 visas dropping from 131,000 to 86,110 between fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The UK on the other hand recorded a 26% reduction, with sponsored student visas issued to Indians decreasing from 120,000 to 88,732 during the same time period.
This reduction has come against the backdrop of tightening immigration measures including introduction of caps on student intake and restrictions on dependant visas. On the other hand, Indian students travelling to EU member states for higher education have risen by close to 80% in the last five years.
