Trump era powers Indian students’ interest in Canada

TORONTO: In the backwash of the Trump Effect, universities in Canada are witnessing a surge in the number of applicants from India.

The University of Toronto or UofT, for instance, is a premier Canadian public university and has recorded a steep increase in the number of applicants for the school year beginning in September — up from 793 at the end of February last year to 1,263 this year. This is a record year in that sense of the university located in Canada’s largest city, and its vice-president, International, Professor Ted Sargent, said, “That’s up 60 per cent year over year. It’s increasing every year and this is a big jump for us.”

According to the department of immigration, refugees and citizenship of Canada, 32,835 Indian students enrolled in Canadian universities in 2016 — as opposed to 32,059 in 2015.

Obviously, other factors play into the choice — principal among them are the excellence of the educational institution and employability offered by a degree there. Asked if the antiimmigrant environment in the United States played into the decision as well, Sargent said, “I think it’s probably part of the mix. Once they (the students) get past those two things, excellence of education and employability, they then say, ‘Will I feel accepted, will I feel safe?’”

He said he noticed this trend among students from India as well as from the United States, and also from researchers and faculty members. “There’s a real upswing in interest in UofT. There’s definitely a spike going on right at the moment.”

That increase may accentuate in the years ahead if American policy turns immigrant-unfriendly.