Sumeet Singh enrolled for a graduate project management course at Algoma University in Brampton, Canada, in May 2021.
He is now prepping to go to Canada to join in-person classes at the university from the Fall semester later this year.
“I have received my student visa and though it was slow and took over a month because of the pandemic situation in India, it was smooth,” Singh said.
The student decided to study the first semester online and travel to his university campus from the second semester due to travel restrictions following the Covid-19 crisis situation in India this summer.
A resident of Noida, he is fully vaccinated against the virus thanks to a special drive by the state government to facilitate vaccination for students who are planning to go overseas for their education.
“I have been working in India for a few years after my management degree and feel that studying in Canada will enhance my chances of getting a white-collar job there, in line with my education and work experience,” he said.
“I am a Punjabi and have several friends and relatives who have immigrated to Canada and live there.
In a couple of years, I hope to get a pathway to permanent residence.” It is, in fact, the flexible pathway to the post-study work permit and, as a follow-up, permanent residence visa under the Canadian experience class that is drawing many Indian students to choose the country over other overseas education destinations.
According to official figures shared by the Canadian High Commission in Delhi, for the first four months of 2021, nearly 100,000 study permits were issued to students in India, up from about 66,000 in the first four months of 2020 and from about 96,000 in the first four months of 2019.
“In the new normal situation after the pandemic since 2020, students prefer to study in countries with flexible mobility and visa issuance policies,” said Ajay Sharma, president of Delhi-based consultancy firm Abhinav Immigration Services.
“Canada has scored in the perception of students and their parents over other destinations because of a flexible visa policy for international students even during the pandemic.
Subject to meeting the quarantine requirements, Canada continued to permit the entry of students through a significant period of the pandemic.” According to the latest update from the Canadian government on July 5, 2021, as part of the country’s first phase of easing border measures, quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated international students with a valid study permit to attend an approved designated learning institution has been eased.
“Canada has always been a favourite destination for Indian students because of the availability of a variety of study programmes, affordable tuition costs, lifestyle, and post-study work opportunities,” said Piyush Kumar, regional director (South Asia) of IDP Education — an education consultancy with a global network.
Kumar added that the proactive approach by authorities of several universities in Canada during the pandemic in helping international students get access to financial aid and a simplified admission process have added to the attraction of Canada for international students.
“Additionally, this year, Canada has unveiled a new one-time immigration programme, through which over 90,000 students will be given permanent residency in Canada.
Indian students are likely to benefit the most from this scheme considering that they were among the largest numbers of international students who applied for residency last year.” In an official response to questions from TIMESOFINDIA.com, the Canadian High Commission in Delhi said that currently, to be able to enter Canada as a student, one has to have a valid study permit or letter of introduction that shows they have been approved for a course at a designated learning institution with a Covid-19 readiness plan approved by its province or territory.
To be considered fully vaccinated, travellers will need to have received the full series of a Covid-19 vaccine — or combination of vaccines — accepted by the Government of Canada — at least 14 days prior to entering the country.
Covid-19 readiness plans of Canada’s designated learning institutions aim to protect the health and safety of all students and the surrounding community with guidelines on how they will manage the quarantine period for international students, including arrangements for transportation to the students’ quarantine location and how they can access food and medications during this period of time.
An international student must have a 14-day quarantine plan, in case it’s needed, even if they believe they meet the criteria of being a fully vaccinated traveller.
The fact that Canada has followed a pragmatic policy to support international students throughout the pandemic crisis has proved to be a big advantage.
Irrespective of whether a student has opted for a blended or online mode of education, they will still be eligible for post-study work rights.
Furthermore, all Canadian universities and colleges have made unconditional offers to Indian high school students who don’t have their CBSE/ISC/state board final results, which is reassuring for students and their parents.
“The post-graduate work permit (PSWP) eligibility of international students already in Canada or studying from their home country has not been affected by the online courses they are taking in the absence of in-class instruction.
For PGWP, the time to complete a degree has now been extended to December 31.
Furthermore, in certain sectors including food, health and infotech, students are being allowed to work more than 20 hours,” said Lakshmi Iyer, executive director and head of education at consultancy firm Sannam S4.
Sarthak Satpathy, who plans to join the University of Canada West in Vancouver this Fall, chose Canada because of the residency pathway.
He has started classes online for an MBA course from his home in Jamshedpur since July and plans to travel to Canada in October.
“I decided to do the first semester online because of all the restrictions due to the pandemic.
I have been working for over a decade and I’m now going to Canada to pursue the path to permanent residence through education,” he said.
“The post-study work permit has not been impacted despite the pandemic and restrictions and the fact that I’m doing the first semester online from India.” Satpathy added that the flexible rules for international students in Canada are an advantage in the post-Covid world.
Canada’s visa operations for students have been opened up in phases since May 2021 and Canadian visa application centres are currently accepting appointments for biometrics.
Passport submissions request have resumed from July 5.
Students can also book appointments for medical tests as part of their visa application.
Visa approvals are taking more time — between 8 to 12 weeks — compared to an average of four weeks before the pandemic.
“Flights to Canada from India are an area of concern as are the backlogs.
Direct commercial and private passenger flights to Canada remain suspended until July 21, 2021,” Iyer said.
The other concern is that Canada only permits students who have taken one or a combination of approved vaccines.
The approved vaccines include Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Covishield, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).
That puts a few students from India, who have been vaccinated with Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, in a fix.