Tag: INDIAN STUDENTS

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-Top News India News USA

U.S. Tops List for Indian Higher Ed Aspirants

Indian students in US Univs increased by 19% in 2021-22: Report.

Indian students constitute more than 25 per cent of the over one million foreign students studying in the United States.

For the third year in a row, a record number of Indian students travelled to the United States to pursue higher education, the US Embassy in India said in a release.

According to the Open Doors Report (ODR), the number of international students from India to the United States increased by 35 per cent and resulted in an all-time high of 2,68,923 students in academic year 2022-23.

Indian students constitute more than 25 per cent of the over one million foreign students studying in the United States. The release of the Open Doors Report marks the beginning of International Education Week (IEW), which celebrates the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide, the embassy’s release added.

According to Open Doors Report data, India surpassed China to become the largest source of international graduate students in the United States for the first time since 2009/10. The number of Indian graduate students rose by 63 per cent to 165,936 students, an increase of nearly 64,000 students, compared to last year, while Indian undergraduate students also increased by 16 per cent.

ODR data also shows India leading in the number of individuals (69,062) who pursued optional practical training (OPT), a type of temporary work permission that allows eligible students to get real-world experience related to their field of study, it added.

The US Embassy and Consulates in India issued record-high numbers of student visas during the main student visa season of June-August 2023. Consular officers across India issued 95,269 visas in the F, M, and J categories. This is an 18 per cent increase over 2022 during the same timeframe.

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said, “You did it, India! Each and every Indian student in the United States and the families supporting their success deserve recognition for this achievement. The decision to study abroad, and your choice of the United States, represents a valuable investment by you and your families.”

“You are bringing our countries closer together and leading us towards a bright future. We celebrate the strength of the Indian educational system that prepares students to compete globally and look forward to seeing India continue to lead. We also look forward to balancing these record numbers. We want to see equal numbers of women pursuing studies in the United States and see more U.S. students coming to experience all that India has to offer,” Garcetti added. (ANI)

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-Top News India News London News

Indian Mission in London Launches New Initiative For Fresher Students

Students can visit special kiosks at the India House (High Commission building) at Aldwych from Sept 26-Oct 9 on weekdays to avail of services like documentation help, consular assistance, opening local bank accounts, and registering with the High Commission for future needs, reports Asian Lite News

Aiming to help the Indian students arriving in the United Kingdom for the September 2023 intake for higher studies, the Indian High Commission in London has launched the ‘Home Away from Home’ initiative to assist fresh Indian students arriving in the UK, said a release from Indian High Commission in London.

Under the initiative, Students can visit special kiosks at the India House (High Commission building) at Aldwych from Sept 26-Oct 9 on weekdays to avail of services like documentation help, consular assistance, opening local bank accounts, and registering with the High Commission for future needs.

The release added that the Complimentary lunch will also be provided as a welcome gesture to students who come for registration. In a post on X the Indian High Commission shared details of its consular assistance.

Apart from this, a welcome event on October 10, hosted by the Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami will also be organised at the Indian High Commission premises in London, and will also be live-streamed.

The event will allow networking between senior and new students and shall orient new Indian students in the UK and provide helpful information to the newcomers, added the official press release. (ANI)

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-Top News Canada USA

Canadian Opposition backs Indian students facing deportation

Canada

A section of Indian students in Canada have been threatened with deportation for allegedly submitting fraudulent admission letters…reports Asian Lite News

Canadian Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has come out in support of Indian students facing deportation from Canada and put the blame on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for it.

Urging the government to stop the deportations, he urged the government to “prosecute fraudsters” and “let honest students stay and work and contribute to Canada.”

“The Trudeau government failed to protect international students from crooked scam artists. Now, Trudeau is punishing the victims by deporting the students–even those that acted in good faith & have been working & paying taxes here for years. Prosecute fraudsters. Stop the deportations. Let honest students stay, work & contribute to Canada,” Poilievre, the leader of the official Opposition in Canada wrote on Twitter.

Poilievre also posted pictures from his meeting with families of students facing deportation.

A section of Indian students in Canada have been threatened with deportation for allegedly submitting fraudulent admission letters and the actual number is much less than the 700 being reported in the media.

India has been raising the issue concerning Indian students facing deportation in Canada with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also taking up the matter with his Canadian counterpart, sources said and noted that Canadian authorities have been repeatedly urged to be fair since the students were not fault.

Jaishankar on June 8 while addressing a press conference in New Delhi had said that India will continue to press the case of Indian students stating that is unfair to punish a student who undertook their education in good faith and action should be taken against the culpable parties who misled them.

“For some time now, there is this case of students, who the Canadians say, did not study in the college in which they should have and when they applied for a work permit, they got into difficulties. From the very start, we have taken up this case and our point is, the students studied in good faith. If there were people who misled them, the culpable parties should be acted against. It is unfair to punish a student who undertook their education in good faith,” Jaishankar told reporters.

According to sources, some Indian students in Canada have been threatened with deportation for allegedly submitting fraudulent admission letters and while according to some media reports some 700 students are protesting their deportation, the actual number is much less than that being reported.

Most of these students had gone to Canada during 2017-2019. After completing their studies, some of them obtained work permits, while others continue to study in Canada.

Sources said it was also pointed out that there were gaps in the Canadian system and a lack of diligence, owing to which the students were granted visas and also allowed to enter Canada.

Since then, Canadian parliamentarians across political parties have spoken in support of the students, sources added.

Immigration Minister Sean Frasier has indicated that Canada is actively pursuing a solution for international students who are facing uncertainty. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the need for fair treatment of students.

Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal also on Friday wrote letters to the Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and Canada High Commissioner to India Cameron Mackay to solve the issue of 700 students who are facing deportation from Canada.

Canadian parliamentarians from different political parties also spoke in support of the students, and immigration minister Sean Frasier indicated Canada is pursuing a solution for international students who are facing uncertainty. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau too acknowledged the need for fair treatment of the students.

Addressing a media briefing last week, Jaishankar said the matter involved students who the “Canadians say did not study in the college which they should have studied” and then faced difficulties when they applied for work permits.

“Our point is that, look, the students studied in good faith. If there were people who misled them, the people who misled them, the culpable parties should be acted against. It is unfair to punish a student who undertook their education in good faith,” he said.

“If a student has done no wrong, they accept the idea that they have to find some solution for it. So, we will continue to press [this issue], and I would very much hope that the Canadian system is fair in that regard.” (ANI)

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Canada

Fake documents: 700 Indian students face deportation in Canada

On becoming eligible for permanent resident status in Canada, the students, as per rule, submitted relevant documents to the immigration department…reports Asian Lite News

The Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA) has issued deportation notices to over 700 Indian students whose admission offer letters to educational institutions were found to be fake.

Talking to indianarrative.com on phone from Toronto, Chaman Singh Batth said that after passing +2, about 700 students applied for study visa through Education Migration Services, Jalandhar headed by one Brijesh Mishra. These visa applications were filed in 2018 onwards till 2022.

Mishra charged each student between Rs.16 to Rs. 20 lakhs for all expenses including admission fees to a premier institute Humber college. Air tickets and security deposits were not included in the payment to the agent.

Batth said after he and other students landed in Toronto and were heading to Humber college, a telephone call was received Mishra telling them that all seats in the courses offered to them got filled adding that they would now have to wait till the start of the next semester after 6 months or else they could get admission to some other college and safe time. He, however, returned their Humber college fee which further made students believe his genuineness.

Unsuspecting students as advised by Mishra contacted another college, less known, and took admission to available 2-year diploma courses. The classes commenced and after completion of the courses, students got work permits. On becoming eligible for permanent resident status in Canada, the students, as per rule, submitted relevant documents to the immigration department.

Batth says, “all trouble started when CBSA scrutinised the documents on the basis which visa was granted to the students and found admission offer letters fake. Deportation notices were issued to all the students after granting them an opportunity for a hearing.

To a question, Batth replied that the agent very cleverly did not himself sign our visa application files but made each student sign to show that the student was a self-applicant without hiring the services of any agent. This was deliberately done by Mishra as he had faked the documents.

The CBSA officials were now not accepting the claims of innocence of the “victims” as there was no evidence to prove that agent Mishra prepared and arranged all documents.

The CBSA was also not accepting the failure of the Canadian visa and airport authorities that issued visas and allowed them entry by checking the authenticity of all documents.

The only remedy left for the students is to challenge the deportation notices in court where proceedings may continue for 3 to 4 years. It is common knowledge that hiring the services of Canadian lawyers is a very costly proposition.

When the parents of cheated students tried to repeatedly contact the agent in Jalandhar, his office was found locked continuously.

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-Top News Asia News

Indian students in a spot amid Ukraine-Russia tensions

Air India’s special flights would be operated on February 22, 24 and Feb 26…reports Asian Lite News

Indian students pursuing higher education in Ukraine have been caught in an uncertain and difficult situation amid the eastern European country’s growing tensions with neighbouring Russia.

While parents are worried about the well-being of their children, the students are going through the hectic process of looking for flight tickets to return to India.

Students at the Ternopil Medical University in Ukraine capital Kyiv are in constant touch with the Indian Embassy. The varsity is also extending assistance to the students. There are around 20,000 Indian nationals in Ukraine. Most of them are medical students.

Nirdesh Dosi — a resident of Rajasthan, who is pursuing MBBS said: “In both the advisories issued by the Indian Embassy, it has been mentioned that the situation is ‘bad’. After the second advisory, even students are thinking to return to India. Besides, the university has also kept the option of going home open.”

Considering the rise in tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Indian citizens — whose stay in the country is not essential — have been advised to leave Ukraine, for now.

The Indian Embassy has further told the students to keep checking its social media handles such as Facebook and Twitter for all the updates.

Around 50 per cent of Indian students have already booked tickets for home while the rest of them are trying to book one.

An air ticket from Kyiv to India costs around Rs 25-30,000. Air India is currently operating three special flights. The price of tickets is, however, on the higher side at Rs 60,000 due to which the students are facing difficulties to book one.

Air India’s special flights would be operated on February 22, 24 and Feb 26.

Another student from Gujarat, requesting anonymity said, “We need to look for tickets at least a week before… Moreover, the university has stated that online classes won’t be held. We have been allowed to leave for a month but at the same time, asked to rejoin classes after a month. But we will miss out on the syllabus.”

“Parents are quite worried. I am being told daily to book ticket and come back… things, however, don’t look easy,” he added.

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-Top News USA

Over 2000 Indian students in Canada face uncertain future

The students, many of whom have moved to different cities to stay with friends or relatives, say they have been scammed….reports Asian Lite News

Over 2,000 Indian students, who face an uncertain future after three Montreal colleges closed last month by declaring bankruptcy, have demanded intervention by the Canadian government to give them justice.

The CCSQ College, M. College, and CDE College had collected millions of dollars in tuition fees from these students before closing.

The students, many of whom have moved to different cities to stay with friends or relatives, say they have been scammed.

They are staging rallies to highlight their plight.

As some of the impacted students and their supporters raised slogans for justice at a rally in the Toronto suburb of Brampton on Wednesday, anxiety was writ large on their faces.

They shouted slogans seeking intervention by the Canadian government to help them complete their courses from other colleges.

Those who were nearing completion of their courses must be allowed to finish on the basis of their old credits, they demanded.

Many said they are running out of money as they cannot legally work for 20 hours a week – as allowed to international students.

Manpreet Kaur, a student from Longowal in Punjab, said she had deposited over $14,000 annual fee at M. College and was waiting to start her classes in early childhood education in January when the college declared bankruptcy.

“When I landed in Canada on October 9, I was told that since the college couldn’t find enough students the classes would start in January. But on January 6, students got an email about the college going bankrupt. It smacks of a scam,” said Manpreet who finished her masters in computers in India before coming to Canada.

Vishal Rana, a student from Karnal who was studying at CCSQ college to become medical office specialist, said, “I had just four months left of my 16-month course when the college suspended studies. I don’t know where to go.”

Rana had paid $24,000 in fees.

Harwinder Singh, who came from Pehwa in Haryana to study a two-year business management course at M. College, said, “I deposited $21,500 for this course and I have finished only six months of my course. I am surviving on some money I saved while working. I don’t know what will happen.”

Gurkamaldeep Singh, a student from Moga, said he would have finished his business management course from M. College by June. “Now my biggest worry is whether I have to redo my course. We are told that the government has given the colleges to find buyers so that studies can resume.”

Gurkamaldeep said the students should be allowed to complete the remaining part of their courses at other institutions.

“We should give us course completion letters so that we can join other colleges and also apply for work permits in order to survive,” he said.

Over 700 students, who were taking online classes sitting in India, are among those who have been impacted by the closure of these colleges.

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