prasad1
Active member
When 19-year-old Sachin failed to score the grades he needed to get into a good Indian college, his father, a small shopkeeper, took a loan and dug deep into the family savings to help him secure a Canadian student visa.
The 2 million rupees ($25,035) they scraped together covered the fees for English language tuition provided by Western Overseas, one of dozens of visa consultancies in Ambala, about 250km from of New Delhi, that promise better lives through study overseas.
"My dream is to settle abroad as I see no future in India," said Sachin, who uses only a single name. He now plans to fly to Canada where he hopes to complete a two-year diploma in business management and eventually secure a longer work visa.
While middle-class Indians have for decades sought better prospects in other countries, worsening economic conditions are now driving families from poorer rural areas like Sachin's to make big investments to set up new lives for their children overseas.
Sachin says his two friends now in Canada earn about C$1,200 ($918) a month through part-time work while studying for diplomas.
With many countries now lifting COVID restrictions, the number of Indian students heading to places like the United States, Canada, Australia, UK, Ireland and New Zealand was almost one million in early 2022, roughly doubling from pre-pandemic levels, according to government and industry estimates.
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DAZZLING PROSPECTS
Several foreign universities and their local partners are organising education fairs at costly five-star hotels and through virtual sessions in small towns to woo students.
At one such event, over 500 students gathered recently to explore opportunities with over 40 universities from Australia and Canada at a luxury hotel in Chandigarh, about 40 km from Ambala.
The 2 million rupees ($25,035) they scraped together covered the fees for English language tuition provided by Western Overseas, one of dozens of visa consultancies in Ambala, about 250km from of New Delhi, that promise better lives through study overseas.
"My dream is to settle abroad as I see no future in India," said Sachin, who uses only a single name. He now plans to fly to Canada where he hopes to complete a two-year diploma in business management and eventually secure a longer work visa.
While middle-class Indians have for decades sought better prospects in other countries, worsening economic conditions are now driving families from poorer rural areas like Sachin's to make big investments to set up new lives for their children overseas.
Sachin says his two friends now in Canada earn about C$1,200 ($918) a month through part-time work while studying for diplomas.
With many countries now lifting COVID restrictions, the number of Indian students heading to places like the United States, Canada, Australia, UK, Ireland and New Zealand was almost one million in early 2022, roughly doubling from pre-pandemic levels, according to government and industry estimates.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DAZZLING PROSPECTS
Several foreign universities and their local partners are organising education fairs at costly five-star hotels and through virtual sessions in small towns to woo students.
At one such event, over 500 students gathered recently to explore opportunities with over 40 universities from Australia and Canada at a luxury hotel in Chandigarh, about 40 km from Ambala.
