Canada election sparks hopes for revived Indian student interest amid declining enrolments

With Canada set to hold federal election on Monday, study abroad consultants are pinning hopes that the incoming government will be more supportive of Indian students already enrolled or weighing study options in Canada.

Hit by a real estate crisis, stricter immigration policies, and tensions in New Delhi-Ottawa diplomatic ties, Indian student flow to Canada plunged more than 40% between 2023 and 2024, according to ICEF Monitor, a market intelligence resource for the international education industry. However, with US President Donald Trump taking a stricter stance on international students, Canada may again start attracting more Indian students, experts said.

“The 2025 federal election presents an important opportunity to reflect on Canada’s future and the vital role international education plays,” said Anuj Gupta, head-client relations, Canada & Germany at AECC, a study abroad consultant.

The election is expected to be a close contest between Liberal party leader and current Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre.

The Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) has meanwhile called on the next federal government to set up a Pan-Canadian International Education Council.

Indian students mostly pursue courses in STEM, agriculture & agriculture food, healthcare, trade & transport, etc in Canada. Most of the skilled professional programmes have a co-op or internship programme allowing students to learn through real-world experiences.

Moreover, recent trends on immigration in Canada have been very positive—the North American nation approved more than 30,000 Permanent Residency (PR) invitations in the first quarter of 2025, said experts.

Canada is among the top four overseas education destinations for Indian students—the others are the US, UK and Australia.

“We have seen the bottom of the ocean, and I feel whoever is the winner will create some positive vibes, especially for ‘Study in Canada’,” said Arvind Manduva, cofounder, I20 Fever, a study abroad consultancy. “Many of whom were on H1B (visas) applied for PR in Canada in Trump’s 1st term. This is likely to happen now as well.”

If the Trump administration removes the Optional Practical Training (OPT) benefit, then Canada is likely to become the biggest destination for Indian students heading overseas, experts said.

Also, top-ranked US universities charge around $70,000 (about Rs 60 lakh) for a single course per year, sharply higher than CAD60,000 in Canada (about Rs 36 lakh).

Vaibhav Gupta, chief marketing officer at iSchoolConnect, a study abroad platform, said however that Indian students will start considering Canada again only if there is a major policy change to attract foreign students.

According to the education ministry, the number of students heading to Canada fell sharply to 137,608 in 2024 from 233,532 the year before.

“We are witnessing the same at iSchoolConnect. Our inquiries regarding Canada are almost negligible,” said Gupta.

According to Career Mosaic, student enrolments declined by 70% between 2021 and Fall 2024, with a further 33% drop projected in 2025 for Canada.

“With sustained policy focus and the upcoming elections, Canada could recalibrate its international student framework and become a top destination for Indian students,” said Manisha Zaveri, joint managing director, Career Mosaic, a study abroad firm.

Aditya Shanker Raghuwanshi, chief executive, Masterclass Space, however, has a cautious stance on the polls and Canadian government policies.

“Indian students should not consider too much a shift from the immigration policy of liberals,” he said, referring to the ruling Liberal party in Canada.