NEW DELHI, June 22 — Canadian High Commissioner to India Chris Cooter said Monday that Canada remains open to Indian students and that now may be the “best time ever” to apply, seeking to dispel misconceptions about the country’s immigration and student visa policies.
Speaking to ANI, Cooter said there is a widespread but inaccurate perception in India that Canada has become less welcoming to international students following recent changes to its immigration system.
“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 imposed a cap on international students several years ago due to housing shortages and concerns about 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, and we wanted to clean that up. But we’ve done that,” he said.
Highlighting Canada’s continued appeal as a destination for higher education, Cooter said the country currently hosts around 400,000 international students.
“We now host 400,000 students in Canada. That’s more than the EU, the UK, and Australia combined. It’s more than the U.S. hosts,” he said.
Reassuring Indian students and their families, the envoy said Canada continues to offer high-quality educational opportunities and a welcoming environment.
“So yes, you are very, very welcome as students. Parents and students, please do consider Canada. We believe we provide a very high-quality education, whether that’s at a university or a polytechnic institution, which we call colleges,” he said.
Pointing to the global standing of Canadian universities, Cooter noted that several institutions rank among the world’s best.
“Many of our universities are in the top 100 globally, including McGill University and the University of Toronto, which are among the top-ranked institutions,” he said.
Emphasizing that current enrollment remains below the established cap, Cooter said there is still significant room for new international students.
“Students are welcome. We haven’t even reached those caps. So this is probably the best time ever to apply as an Indian student because we want you there and there’s space within these caps,” he said.
Addressing concerns about visa processing delays and inconsistencies, Cooter said the Canadian government is actively working to improve the system following Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to India earlier this year.
“Both businesspeople and students tell us about the problems they face in obtaining visas. It can seem inconsistent or take too long,” he said.
“As a result of the prime minister’s visit here only two and a half months ago, we are actively working on fixing those problems and making the experience much better for students, parents, and business travelers,” he added.
Cooter said Canada aims to establish one of the most efficient visa systems in the world.
“I’d like to see us become best in class. If we have to have visas, let’s do it better than everybody else. We are very actively working on that right now,” he said.
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