More than six lakh Indian students went abroad to study in 2022, according to the data presented by the Union education department in Rajya Sabha. 4,44,553 students went overseas for higher education in 2021, and 6,46,206 students went overseas till the end of November this year, according to the data presented by the ministry.
Though the usual favourites of Anglosphere countries figure among the top choices for Indian students in 2022, here are some countries that have made their mark this year as prominent study-abroad destinations:
USA: Maintaining its position as the top study abroad destination in the world, the USA which often lures Indian and international students with its American dream has figured among one of the most important countries for Indians who want to pursue STEM, Business, Law, etc.
According to the Open Doors Report, 82,000 visas were issued between June and August 2022 to Indian students, the highest number among all countries.
Indian students contribute $8 billion to the US economy, former US Consul General in Mumbai, David Ranz had told the Free Press Journal.
Canada: Canada has turned out to be the North American alternative for Indian students. 35 % of the study permits in Canada are availed by Indian students.
More than 500,000 international students are now able to benefit from its new policy, announced on October 7, 2022, that temporarily lifts the 20-hour limit for off-campus work aimed at addressing Canada’s labour shortage.
According to data released by the Ministry of External Affairs, 60,258 Indian students chose Canada as their study destination in the first six months of 2022
Indians along with thirteen other nationalities can also benefit from the Student Direct Stream as the study permit processing time is much lesser. Allaying fears of students about their permits being finalised, IRCC has maintained that 452,000 study permit applications were confirmed between January 1 and August 31, 2022, compared to about 367,000 finalised in the same period in 2021 (January 1 to August 31, 2021), which represents an increase of about 23%.
Though attacks on Indian students were reported in 2022 in Canada, ICCR has maintained that despite being one of the safest countries, crimes do occur. “While Canada ranks among the safest countries in the world, crimes do occur. Criminal law in Canada is enforced by police forces across the country and we understand investigations into these incidents are underway,” an IRCC official told FPJ.
UK: Indian students have surpassed Chinese nationals in the United Kingdom. 1,17,695 study visas were sponsored to Indian students in one year till June 2022, an increase of 215% compared to 37,396 visas sponsored in 2019, according to the British High Commission.
Despite PM Rishi Sunak-led UK government being mired in controversy over its opposition to an increasing number of international students, with Home Secretary Suella Braverman being a key figure in the sentiment, increasing support from organisations such as Universities UK, Russell Group has led No. 10 to rethink its plans.
UK’s skilled worker visa has also garnered interest among Indian students who have the option to leave their studies and participate in the UK workforce as against going through the graduate route visa, a move which can be problematic to students according to experts, as reported by FPJ.
Australia: Though the inflow of Indian and international students to Down Under was impacted by the Covid pandemic, the country has regained its momentum as Indian students in Australia, until June 2022, stood at 52, 186 compared to 48,346 in 2021 from 63,264 students in 2020, according to the Australian Trade and Investment Commission.
Despite Australia-bound Indian students having a reason to be happy, a 50% decline in visa applications to vocational students from India and many Ph.D. candidates from the country also waiting on the document to conduct academic research in Australia, have been plaguing the destination.
Official numbers by the Department of Home Affairs, obtained by FPJ, suggest normalcy as a record 1,65,700 offshore student visas between June 2022 and 2 December 2022 were granted to international students, a spike of 58% compared to 2019.
The Australian Government also recently announced a new budget allocation of AUS$36 million, which will be used to streamline the visa application process for international students and shorten the time it takes for decisions to be made.
Germany: The only non-English speaking country in the list, the European powerhouse has slowly but steadily broke into the top five choices for Indian students in 2022.
The number of Indian students in Germany has increased threefold in the past seven years. Indians form the 2nd largest group of international students enrolled at German universities. Currently, there are 33, 753 Indian students studying in Germany.
Though the German Ambassador to India Dr. Phillip Ackermann flagged some concerns about fake language and residency documents by Indian students wishing to study in Germany by noting that 15% of student visa applications are fake, the number of students has increased year after year. Engineering Sciences (68.21%), Mathematics, Natural Sciences (11.93%) Management, Law & Social sciences (13.975) are the most popular subjects among Indian students.
The inclusion of Akademische Prüfstelle (APS) certificates, which will be given out by the Academic Evaluation Centre before applying for student visas, has signified that the norms are getting stricter for students.
(The second part will include the next five study destinations that shone in 2022)
