Indian Students Abroad

The number of Indian students studying outside India rapidly increased by 163% between 1999 and 2006 to reach 145,539 as compared to slower growth of 25% between 2006 and 2013 to reach 181,872, according to an analysis of UNESCO data. As of January 2021, more than 1 million Indian students are studying in 85 countries outside India. More than 50% of Indian students study in North America.

These are the top study destinations for Indian students, based on number of active students:

Students from India in Canada

As of 2023, there were 319,130 international students from India enrolled in Canadian institutions.

Historical trends

The number of Indian students in Canada exceeded the number of Chinese students in Canada in 2018, with the Indian student population quadrupling between 2015 and 2019. The number of Indian students in Canada increased from 48,765 in 2015 to 219,855 in 2019, constituting 34% of Canada's foreign student population..

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

Canada placed a travel ban on India and Pakistan starting April 22, 2021, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the ban being extended further, Indian students from Punjab reportedly travelled to Canada through Moscow, Mexico, Serbia, Qatar, Dubai among other locations, paying up to three times the regular air fare. Canada also does not accept RT-PCR tests from Indian labs because of which students travelling from India are forced to get tested elsewhere before entering Canada.

University of Ottawa professor Amir Attaran slammed Canada PM Justin Trudeau's decision to ban flights from India as racist, pointing out that the United Kingdom experienced 6500% higher cases than Canada in the same time period but did not face a similar travel ban to Canada.

Student Visas and Migration

Canada is a preferred destination for Indian nationals due to strong diasporic presence of the community and the benefits offered by the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). Additionally, international students do not need to pay their tuition fee to be able to apply for a study permit in Canada. Policy experts suggest that Indian students intending to go to the US are instead moving to Canada because of the former's unfavorable quota-based H-1B visa program. The decisions of Australia and New Zealand to close borders to international students in 2021 also contributed to the surge in Indian student migration to Canada.

According to student reports from India, study permit refusal rates to Canada were as high as 60% during the Fall 2021 semester. Students with poor academic records and those from less fortunate financial backgrounds were refused study permits, according to Narpat Singh Babbar, a Canadian education consultant. Study permit rejection rates remained as high as 50% in 2022, mostly driven by young Punjabi applicants.

Deportation of Punjab-based students

700 students from Punjab faced deportation from Canada early in 2023 after it came to light that their education offer letters were fake. Chandigarh University offered to help out students facing deportation by offering them admission in the same batches, and by using credit scoring mapping to transfer their course units.The Canadian government also offered a reprieve. In June, Canada’s immigration minister Sean Fraser said genuine students who are victims of fraud would be allowed to stay after an investigation.

Students from India in the United Arab Emirates

Around 219,000 Indian students are living in the United Arab Emirates, as of 2021. Indian students in the UAE are heavily engaged in primary and secondary education, with more than 98,000 Indian students studying in private schools in Dubai alone. Of 30,000 students enrolled in Dubai's free-zone universities in 2019, 14% were from India.

Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic

From June 23, 2021, UAE eased travel restrictions with India, allowing Indian students access to Dubai's educational institutions. Dubai's Indian schools reported 50% on-campus attendance rates for pupils studying in the post-spring break session in 2021. Many students had not attended classes physically for up to a year.

Students from India in the United States of America

211,930 Indian students were recorded in the United States as of 2022.

Economic Significance

Indian students pumped USD 7.6 billion into the US economy during the 2019-20 period.

Historical trends

In 2010, the number of Indian students studying in the US crossed 100,000. According to the 2017 report, the number of Indian students in the USA numbered 186,000. In 2019, Indian students opting for the US declined by 4%. At least 207,000 international Indian students were recorded to be present in the United States in 2020. As of 2022, India has surpassed China to become the top country with most international students in the United States.

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

Enrolment in the 2020 Fall Semester dropped by 43% following the Covid-19 pandemic. In July 2020, the American administration announced that international university students may have to leave the United States if their studies moved completely online, putting the future of tens of thousands of students in jeopardy. First-time student visa applicants expressed their concerns about shut embassies and limited staff availability, with many postponing their study plans. In May 2021, certain categories of Indian students were exempted from US travel restrictions.

Student Visas and Migration

The country-cap on Green Cards has been slammed as 'discriminatory' by Indian-American advocacy groups, particularly because its leaves qualified Indian professionals in the US waiting for decades to obtain permanent residency. Permanent residency is an important factor for many Indian students, and this is reflected in comparative admission rate trends in the US and Canada. US lawmakers have expressed their disapproval of the US immigration system that has driven international students, particularly those from India, north to Canada.

Students from India in the United Kingdom

There are 139,539 Indian nationals on study visas in the UK, as of 2022.

Historical trends

The number of Indians granted study visas grew by 307% between 2019 and 2022, increasing from 34,261 to 139,539. India also displaced China as the most common nationality granted UK study visas, with the East Asian country recording 102,842 such nationals in 2022. Together, Indian and Chinese nationals comprise half of all study visa grants in the UK.

Student Visas and Migration

In 2021, a two-year post-study work visa for international students was officially instated.

Rise of Punjabi applicants

High study visa rejection rates by Canada have contributed to the rise of Punjabi student applications to the UK.

Students from India in Australia

As of July 2022, there are 96,000 Indian students in Australia.

Historical trends

After peaking in 2009, the number of Indian students studying in Australia fell following violent attacks against Indians in Australia. By 2015, the number had risen to exceed the 2009 number. During 2013-14, 34,100 Australian visas were issued to Indian students, a rise of 38% as compared to the previous period. There were 115,000 Indian students present in Australia in 2020, and 77,000 Indian students present in Australia in 2021. According to data furnished in India's Rajya Sabha in 2021, the number of Indian students registered in Australia was as high as 92,383. In the second half of 2022, India overtook China as the number one country lodging student visa applications in Australia.

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

Due to border closure starting the second half of 2020, the number of new Indian students studying in Australia declined by 83% At least 12,740 Indian nationals holding Australian student visas were stuck outside Australia as of January 2021. In March 2021, Indian students and other temporary visa holders staged protests in Delhi and Chandigarh, objecting to Australia's uncompromising approach that kept them out of the country for a year despite the Covid-19 cases in India being relatively low at the time. Unhappy with the country's lack of support to international students, enrolled students took to social media to warn others against studying in Australia. Some Indian students made the switch to Canada owing to its friendlier approach towards international students.

Student Visas and Migration

There have been calls for fast-tracking permanent residency for onshore Australian residents from India, with stress on creating smoother pathways to migration for international students.

Ban on students from Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir

In the first half of 2023, reports emerged that students from Punjab and Haryana were banned or restricted from applying to five Australian universities. The universities feared their ability to fast-track applications would be compromised by Home Affairs due to the number of applicants from these states intending to actually work, and not study. In 2020-21, at least 600 student applications with forged documents from these states surfaced to light.

In mid-2023, Australian universities expanded the bans to include Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir.

Students from India in Saudi Arabia

As of 2021, there are 80,800 Indian students in Saudi Arabia. About 26 institutions in Saudi Arabia offer scholarships to Indian students. Female students on scholarships are required to be accompanied by relatives.

Historical Trends

70,800 Indian students were present in Saudi Arabia as of 2018.

Students from India in Oman

At least 43,600 Indian students are enrolled in institutions in Oman. 7,000 of these students belong to the Tamil community alone.

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

3,000 Indian students obtained transfer certificates as their families prepared to leave Oman during the pandemic.

Students from India in Germany

There are 33,753 Indian students present in Germany, as of 2022.

Historical Trends

During the 2014-15 period, Indian students studying in Germany constituted 4.9% of international students in the country. By 2019, the number of Indian students in Germany increased to 25,149.

Students from India in New Zealand

There were 29,000 Indian students enrolled in New Zealand, as of 2015.

Student Visas and Migration

A 26% student visa refusal rate was reported for Indian students applying to study in New Zealand between July 2019 and February 2020.

Students from India in China

Around 23,000 Indian students were enrolled in Chinese higher education institutions as of 2019, with a majority of them studying medicine.

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

In February 2020, India evacuated more than 600 of its students from Wuhan. Many Indian students have been stuck outside China following travel restrictions placed during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Students from India in Russia

As of 2021, at least 16,500 Indian students are registered in Russian institutions. Of these, 6,000 students are pursuing research and higher studies.

Students from India in the Philippines

Around 15,000 Indian students are present in the Philippines. Between 2,500 and 3,200 Indian students are studying medicine in the Philippines. Low tuition costs and the abundance of English speakers in the country drive attraction to the country. Agents are known to have extorted money from unsuspecting students travelling to the Philippines in hopes to further their education.

Students from India in Bahrain

As of 2017, there are more than 10,000 Indian students in Bahrain.

Students from India in Kyrgyzstan

As of 2020, more than 10,000 Indian students are studying in Kyrgyzstan.

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

16,000 Indian students found themselves stranded in Kyrgyzstan during the Covid-19 pandemic. At least 145 were flown back by Air India to Delhi and various cities of India.

Students from India in France

As of 2019, there were 10,000 Indian students in France. The country aims to attract 20,000 Indian students by 2025.

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

In July 2021, France announced that fully vaccinated Indian students, among other Indian nationals, can travel to France without restriction.

Students from India in Bangladesh

An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 Indian students, mostly from Jammu and Kashmir, are enrolled in medical institutions in Bangladesh.

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

In March 2020, at least 64 students unsuccessfully attempted to cross the Bangladesh-India border from Bangladesh to India in a bus. As of May 2021, scores of Indian students are unable to return to their colleges in Bangladesh due to travel restrictions in place during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Students from India in Italy

As of 2021, almost 5,000 Indian students were present in Italy.

Historical Trends

In 2020, there were 1,500 Indian students in Italy.

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, a travel ban prevented Indian students from travelling to Italy.

Students from India in Spain

Approximately 4,500 students from India moved to Spain for education in 2019.

Students from India in Singapore

As of 2012, there were 3,000 Indian students in Singapore.

Students from India in the Netherlands

At least 3,000 students went to the Netherlands in 2019 for higher studies. Higher quality of education, availability of English-based courses, and access to the European Union, are the key drivers of growth in Indian student arrivals to the Netherlands.

Students from India in Latvia

As of 2020, around 3,000 Indians study in Latvia, constituting almost one-third of all foreign students in the country.

Students from India in Poland

2,449 Indian students were recorded in Poland as of 2022, second only to Turkish students, numbered at 2,854.

Students from India in Iran

There are 1,700 Indian students in Iran, as revealed by India's Rajya Sabha.

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

At least 300 Indian students in Iran were stranded due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Students from India in Tajikistan

Nearly 1,300 Indian students were recorded in Tajikistan.

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

All 1,300 students were stranded in Tajikistan during the Covid-19 pandemic and sought help from the Indian government to return home.

Students from India in Japan

As of May 2016, there were 1,015 Indian students in Japan, according to The Japan Research Institute. In comparison, Japanese universities attract 10,000 Chinese enrollees every year.

Students from India in Switzerland

There are about 1,000 Indian students present in Switzerland.

Students from India in Ukraine

At least 20,000 Indian students were studying in various medical colleges in Ukraine in 2021.

Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War

As of March 2022, 18,000 Indians living in Ukraine, mostly students, were evacuated from Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova as part of Operation Ganga. One Indian student was killed by shelling in Kharkiv

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