Economic hardships, racism and fear of young students getting involved in the Khalistani movement in Canada are some of the reasons that have badly affected the inflow of Indian students to the country, which was one of the most popular destinations for higher studies till recent years.
Speaking to Sputnik India on the issue, strategic affair analyst, Qamar Agha, said: "It was bound to happen as problems have been rising there for the past few years and the Indian parents have realized the fact that it's not worth sending their children to a country like Canada".
Explaining how economic recession that unfolded in the year of 2008 has slowed down its economy, which in turn has resulted in various other issues, Agha said the on-going crisis has made life miserable, especially for foreign students who have to pay a number of bills, including university fee and accommodation, to survive in Canada.
"To stay and study in Canada has become really expensive and this forces students to work part time to support themselves, which in turn affects their studies," he said, adding that it, at times, leads to a struggle between locals and foreigners.
"Indian students are being attacked there. There's also a problem of racism, which gets worse in a tight economic situation," he observed, adding that it had a very negative impact on parents back in India.
To a query if the strained India-Canada relations also have led to reduction in the number of applications from Indians to study in Canada, Agha said the ongoing feud over the killing of Khalistani movement supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Sikh separatist leader involved with the Khalistan movement, has "certainly impacted the whole affair".
"Indians, especially Sikhs, are worried that their child may get involved in some trouble when Canada has an-going Khalistani movement in the country and it has actually resulted in reduction of the number of students wanting to study in Canada," he told Sputnik India.
According to reports, the number of students from India applying to study in Canada has dropped sharply in the second half of this year.
For the period from July to October, the number of applications for new study permits from India dropped from a total of 145,881 last year to just 86,562 in the same period of 2023, a decline of nearly 40 percent, the reports said.