Canada To Be Top Destination For Indian Students Despite Row: Expert To NDTV

Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Friday, leading educational consultant Viral Doshi said that despite the apprehensions following the India-Canada diplomatic row, Canada will remain a preferred destination for Indian students. He said employment opportunities in the country are also unlikely to be affected.

In a freewheeling discussion, Mr Doshi also spoke about the UK emerging as a top destination for Indian students and how he has been telling students to come back and work in India, which is a "happening place" today. 

Given the current India-Canada face-off and the diplomatic spat, will going to Canada for higher studies be difficult for Indian students? 

We need to put things in perspective. If you look at Canada, over the years, you have seen an exponential increase in the number of students applying to Canada. Why is that? 1) It is a very friendly nation. They welcome you with open arms. 2) There are lots of facilities for research and extracurricular activities. 3) Job opportunities are tremendous; and the fourth attraction is to get that permanent residence to settle down in Canada. As a result, Canada has become a very popular destination in the last 10 years.

But, lately, because of the political fallout, a lot of people have been asking me what is going to happen in Canada? I still believe it's a hiccup. I think things will improve. If I talk to students at the ground level in Canada, they are extremely happy. The political fallout has not impacted them at all. I think we read more about it in our papers out here, so we feel that the impact is there.

But, answering your question, as students are now getting ready to apply for next year, there is a bit of apprehension. Parents and students both are concerned about what will happen - will the visa come on time, will we get there, will our children be welcomed out there, will we get a job after that or not? These are apprehensions. I think, in spite of all these apprehensions, people are still applying. There may be a slight drop in applications, but people are still applying because Canada is a very favoured destination.

So what they are going to do is they are going to apply. There may be a small drop, but they will  have a wait-and watch attitude. And, sometime by May-June, when the decisions come out and they see what the political scenario is, I think then they will take this issue. But I don't see a major drop in applications to Canada at all. I think, on the contrary, people will still apply to Canada, and I think who we must give credit to are the Canadian universities. The admission directors have really reached out to students and parents, both through emails and seminars, and made them very comfortable. (They have said) "Look here, this is a hiccup. It's not impacting college life at all. So please do apply". 

I think parents eventually want an assurance. That assurance is coming from the Canadian colleges. So I really, honestly, don't feel it's going to be too much of a change, believe me. But yes, people will talk about it in the cocktail circuit - What should we do? What we shouldn't do. But, eventually, when it comes to applications, people will still apply but have a wait-and-watch attitude and see whether the visas are coming on time. If they do get the visas, they will definitely be going.

But, if not Canada, then where else for Indian students? We know the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia are popular choices. But do you see students branching out beyond these options to, let's say, Europe and other countries?

If you look at overseas education, I would say between USA, Canada and UK, they must be taking 90% of students who are going overseas today, and the balance 10% would have gone to Australia, maybe to Europe, to Singapore, to Hong Kong, to Dubai. But still, I believe, things are not going to change so rapidly that people will be looking at other countries. 

But yes, people are looking at other countries. To some extent, Europe is getting a little more popular right now because of the cost. (It's) Very friendly. But Europe has its disadvantages of being a little more insular. In colleges you study in English, but outside it's in a foreign language. The networking in European colleges has become a bit of a challenge because, again, it's populated with the local population out there. That does become a challenge. And eventually, when you go to college, you also go for the networking, isn't it? You also go for the whole atmosphere out there. This is sometimes a bit of a challenge in the European colleges.

But in Europe, Netherlands is becoming quite popular. France is also getting out there. Germany, for people who want to do technical education, is looking quite popular. But it's not really exponentially increased (like) what you see in other countries. Today, when you tell me you want to go overseas... As I said, 90% will go to USA, Canada and UK. And if students will not go to Canada, they will look at UK as a very serious option for two reasons - in UK the cost is as much as Canada, it's not as expensive as America; you finish in three years and the job placements in UK are fabulous now. I think the whole scenario has changed with the new visa regime. So UK is going to become a very strong destination. 

USA will increase, but education in the USA is very expensive in the private colleges. But there will be an increase in US admissions also. People are going to play safe now. They will apply to Canada. They will also apply to colleges in the USA and UK and a few of them will also apply to colleges in Singapore. 

Singapore is a good destination to go to, but the challenge in Singapore is you have limited colleges. You've got SMU (Singapore Management University), NUS (National University of Singapore) and NTU (Nanyang Technological University). So not too many choices out there. 

So Europe does become a destination. But, when I say Europe, actually it's going to be more of UK. UK will definitely see a substantial increase in applicants applying out there. Because of the  positive impact of the visa regime out there, more and more people have been looking at UK over the last five years, which was not the case before the new visa regime set in. So I don't think new countries... they will see an upsurge, but not as substantial as the UK will see and Canada will see. But, believe me, Canada will not have a drop in applications. It'll be a wait-and watch review and take a decision by next June, July. 

For students already in Canada, what's next? You have already mentioned that this diplomatic row has not penetrated classrooms, thankfully. Is it going to be difficult for Indians to get jobs in Canada? 

Honestly, this is something that we feel, in our minds, that this is going to impact us. I think that Canadians have not taken this... I don't think the political situation has impacted recruitment out there because they all know the Indian students are hardworking. Academically they have been very strong, so they do become an attraction for every company. So, I honestly don't believe this political fallout will impact employment at all. And, I don't think companies even go down to that level to say "oh, because of this fallout we will not take you". 

I think Canadians are very magnanimous. If you look at... just remove the political fallout, I think students will always be welcomed out there. They will be very happy out there. I don't think the job placements will be impacted. It's all in our minds right now. I think as things settle down, people will see that, really, it does not impact employment at all. It will not impact employment.  Because Canadians are very fair.

If you go to Canada, you will see how fair they are, how welcoming they are. Even today, I had somebody visiting Canada who said it's just normal. Nothing has happened. Nothing has changed in the ground reality. 

Further clearing the air around the ground reality in Canada, should students in Canada apply elsewhere for jobs after they finish their studies? 

The question is where? You require visas to study in any country, isn't it? So you are not going to get a visa to USA or to the UK to go and work out there. Honestly, I've been telling students for the last year or two to come back to India. You can't get a better place than India. Why should they work anywhere else? India is a happening place today. This is a place for students to come back to. And if you really want to go back to Canada, maybe work for a year or two out here and go back for your post-graduate degree there. 

Hopefully, by then, the situation will be much better, I'm sure. And you'll get the job that you want, eventually, out there. So I don't think there should be a knee-jerk reaction. Jobs will be good out there. And, if they don't, come back to India, young people, this is where the action is for the next 10-15 years. 

So do you think employers often look favourably at candidates who have completed their education at prestigious institutions abroad? 

Not at all. I think Indian colleges have come of age. Look at the marvellous colleges that we have in this country. From Ashoka... to NMIMS (Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies). They're fabulous. And IIMs and IITs. So, if you ask any recruiter in this country, given a choice... if you have two students, one with an overseas education and one from India, they will always prefer the Indian one. Why? They are more adaptable. They are more malleable and they are able to fit into the whole working system out here. 

So that's why when students go abroad, I tell them go there for the education. Don't think you'll have any distinct advantage when you come back to this country. Yes, you'll have a good education, but you'll be on a par with any other student who has gone to a good Indian university. 

So the advantage of going abroad which was there maybe 20 years ago, I think with the coming of age of our education system, I think they will be on a par or... to some extent, slight 55-45 preference to Indian students. Talk to recruiters, they will tell you the same thing, they will prefer a student from here than one who has gone overseas. But going overseas is not necessary to have an advantage out here. It's for the education, the overall holistic education that you get when you go overseas. 

Well, Mr Doshi, your parting short for all those students who may be interested in or prepping their college applications to study abroad this year? 

I would say keep your doors open. Don't restrict yourself to one particular country. Let's see how things evolve. Canada will not change. It will be the same as it was before. Please apply everywhere. Keep your doors open and take a call sometime in April-May next year, when the situation, hopefully, will improve and you get all the results coming in.