US No Longer Most Sought Place Indians - Focus Shifted to Canada, Australia and New Zealand

The US remains the favourite destination for thousands of young Indians looking to add a foreign degree to their curriculum vitae. But the American dream seems to be slowly losing its appeal among the Indians.

The reason is quite obvious tighter visa rules. These tighter visa rules and bleak prospects of finding work in the US after postgraduation there has been hurting US universities. And countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany and France have been gaining.

Several overseas education consultancies saw a massive drop in a number of students showing interest and seeking admission in the US. Few of consultancy firms even stopped offering assistance to US aspirants as they shifted focus to Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

Canada, in fact, has emerged as a leading study destination for Indians due to the flexibility of work and study options it offers. According to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Canada, the number of Indian students who secured Canadian visas saw a rise of a whopping 60 per cent. Of the 3.17 lakh Canadian study visas granted during the year, almost 83,410 were granted to Indian students.

Australia is another country that several Indians are looking at as an alternative to the US because it provides an easier pathway to permanent residency for master’s students. Post-study visa regime is what has attracted the students. New Zealand is another popular destination for many Indians.

With the US making life difficult for Indians also with the recent racket where 129 of 130 students arrested were Indians, Indians opting the US as the option for higher studies is most likely to decline in days to come.