Canadian Universities Reassure Indian Students of Their Safety Amidst Ongoing Canada-India Tensions

Amidst the ongoing tensions between Canada and India, Canadian universities are continuing to assure Indian students about their safety while studying in the country in an effort to prevent any negative impact on the educational sector.

According to a Reuters report, as the new academic year begins in Canada, some students from India are considering postponing their courses while others are assessing the situation - whether the diplomatic tensions between the two countries could affect their studies.

Tensions in relations between India and Canada rose in September after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested that New Delhi might be implicated in the murder of a Sikh separatist advocate in British Columbia. But India, on the other hand, has strongly denied any involvement.

Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, was shot dead in British Columbia in June.

Ashok Kumar Bhatia, President of the Association of Consultants for Overseas Studies, confirmed to Reuters that a significant number of Indian students are concerned about their safety amid rising tensions between the two countries.

While speaking to the agency, Joseph Wong, vice president of the University of Toronto, said that the institution has taken steps to reassure its students, adding the school has also communicated with partners in India, including several education institutions.

"We've also reached out to various partners in India, some of them are educational institutions, and foundations that we are working with to reassure our progress that we are committed to continuing on collaboration.”

Last year, Canada hosted a record number of international students (551,405) from a total of 184, most of whom were from India (226,450 students), data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) showed.

Other countries sending most students to Canada include:

• China (52,165 students)
• Philippines (23,380 students)
• France (16,725 students)
• Nigeria (16,195 students)
• Iran (13,525 students)
• Republic of Korea (11,535 students)
• Japan (10,955 students)
• Mexico (10,405 students)
• Brazil (10,405 students)

By the end of last year, there were another record number of 807,750 international students on valid study permits. International students contribute C$20 billion or $14.6 billion annually to the Canadian economy.

Earlier this year, the Canadian Housing Minister Sean Fraser proposed to consider capping the number of international students as part of efforts to solve its housing affordability crisis. Some provinces in the country did not applaud the plan, saying they had not been consulted on the matter.