India-Canada stand-off: No immediate effect on student exchange programmes but concerns still remain
Many hope for a swift return to normalcy to prevent significant disruptions in their business operations.
4 min read
Jain added that more people travel from India to Canada and Canada continues to grant visas to Indians, including students and others. (File/Representational Photo) In light of the recent standoff between India and Canada, business owners and stakeholders in both countries are cautiously observing the situation. While they anticipate no immediate impact on their businesses, there are concerns about potential long-term repercussions and disruptions in people-to-people exchange programmes across various fields. Many hope for a swift return to normalcy to prevent significant disruptions in their business operations.
Aman Mittal, vice-president of Lovely Professional University (LPU), which has students from several countries across the world, said that they have tie ups with the 10 Canadian universities where their students are going to study under the 2+2 programme. As part of the programme, students will study for two years at LPU and for two years in the Canadian university.
“A large number of students are taking admission under this programme, which is also running in other countries, and every year our students go to Canada by July or August. While, at present, there is no impact as Canada is issuing visas, we hope that soon relations will normalise between the two countries,” Mittal said.
Sunil Kumar Vashisth, Associate Director of Pyramid e-Services in Jalandhar, said that they have a collaboration with Portage college in Alberta and he does not see any immediate impact on their business in both places. “I don’t see any threat to our business right now as Canada has not stopped issuing visas,” said he.
Sumit Jain, who manages Jain Overseas Consultancy and an IELTS center in Jalandhar, added that his elder brother runs St Clair College @Acumen Campus in Greater Toronto Area (GTA), with over 4,000 students, for over a decade. “Currently, we haven’t encountered any issue in our field as Canada continues to issue visas. Also, most people and my brother holds an Overseas Citizenship Card (OCI), which allows them to freely travel between India and Canada,” he said.
Jain added that more people travel from India to Canada and Canada continues to grant visas to Indians, including students and others. “Additionally, the majority of Indian-origin individuals with business interests in Punjab possess OCI cards, facilitating their travel,” he said, adding that there are, however, concerns that if the strained relations continue between the two countries, the education sector will be impacted in the long run.
Another educational consultant from the Doaba region, who operates a college in Toronto, sharing his observations, said that his Indian partners are still sending students to his college. However, he added that some parents who initially intended to send their children to Canada are now exploring alternative countries due to concerns about the safety of non-Sikh individuals in Canada. A prominent Jalandhar-based property dealer, who holds an Indian passport and a valid six-year visa for Canada, does not anticipate any immediate problems with his business-related travels. However, he added that one of his partners in Canada couldn’t obtain an Indian visa and owing to this, he will have to make more trips to Canada.
Tirath Singh of Pinnacle Education and Immigration Center in Jalandhar, which organises immigration awareness programmes in collaboration with Canadian universities and colleges, said that the current programmes are proceeding as planned. He added that he hopes that the situation will improve soon. A senior professor at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) said that they are now planning next year’s exchange programmes and hope that relations between both countries will improve by then. GADVASU has various collaborations with universities in Montreal and Calgary.
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