DONALD TRUMP ERA POWERS INDIAN INTEREST IN CANADA

TORONTO: Universities in Canada are witnessing a surge in the number of applicants from India as well as students enrolled in US schools exploring a transfer, a trend experts attribute to the growing anti-immigrant sentiment in America since the election of President Donald Trump.

For instance, the University of Toronto, a premier Canadian public university, saw 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, the varsity’s vice-president (international), Professor Ted Sargent, said, “That’s up 60% year over year. It’s increasing every year and this is a big jump for us.”

Obviously, other factors play into the choice. Principal among them are the excellence of the institution and employability offered by a degree there.

Asked if the anti-immigrant 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 and the US, and also from researchers and faculty members: “There’s a real upswing in interest in University of Toronto. 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.