"Best time to ever apply as an Indian student": Canadian envoy says not shutting doors on Indian students

Speaking to ANI, Cooter said there is a widespread but inaccurate perception in India that Canada has become less welcoming to international students following changes to its immigration system. "The reason is that there is a kind of misperception in India that Canada is shutting the doors. That is not at all the case," he said.

Cooter acknowledged that Canada had introduced a cap on international students a few years ago due to housing shortages and concerns over the quality of some educational institutions. "It's true that a couple of years ago we did impose a cap because we had issues--there simply wasn't enough housing, there were some fly-by-night colleges, we wanted to clean that up. But we've done that," he said.

Highlighting Canada's continued appeal as a study destination, Cooter said the country currently hosts around 400,000 international students. "And now we host 400,000 students in Canada. That's more than the EU, UK, and Australia combined. It's more than the US hosts," he said.

Reassuring Indian students and their families, the envoy said Canada continues to offer world-class educational opportunities and a welcoming environment. "So yes, you are very, very welcome as students. And parents and students, please do consider Canada. We think that we provide a very high-quality education, whether that's university or polytechnic--we call them colleges," he said.

Pointing to the global standing of Canadian universities, Cooter added, "Many of our universities, for example, are in the top 100--McGill, University of Toronto in the top 20 or so."

Emphasising that student intake remains below the current cap, he said, "Students are welcome. We haven't even reached those caps. So actually, this is probably the best time ever to apply as an Indian student, because we want you there and there's space in these caps."

Addressing concerns about visa processing delays and inconsistencies, Cooter said the Canadian government is working to improve the system following Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to India earlier this year, from February 27 to March 2.

"Both the business people and the students tell us about the problems they have with getting the visa. It seems inconsistent or it takes too long," he said.

"I can tell you that as a result of the Prime Minister's visit here only two and a half months ago, we're actively at work on fixing those problems, making the experience much better for the student, for the parent, for the business people," Cooter added.

He emphasised that Canada aims to make its visa process among the best globally. He said, "I'd like to see us be best in class. If we have to have visas, let's do it better than everybody else. And so we are very actively working on that right now." (ANI)