The Canadian government has requested higher education institutions to look for overseas students other than India, which is now the leading source country for study visas.
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Marc Miller told local media that colleges and universities have relied on "one or two source countries" for international students, and keep "constantly going back to the well on that," Hindustan Times reports.
“That doesn’t mean that Indian students aren’t some of the best and brightest. Indeed, (as) one of the largest populations in the world, you would expect students to come from India,” he went on.
According to a video of the interaction shared by Prime Asia TV, he has "asked universities and colleges" to "put a little more effort into the price of acquisition" and "to invest more in the talent that you're bringing here, and that includes going to more countries and expanding your resources".
“And that is a message that is ongoing as universities and colleges are asked to not only rebrand but change their pitch to attract people from around the world from different countries. There will always be some students from India,” he noted.
“I think we need to make sure that the Canadian brand does focus on excellence, on quality and less quantity,” Miller said.
Miller stated that Canada will neither follow the lead of United States President Donald Trump's administration in dealing with illegal immigrants nor will it adopt such rhetoric. He continued: "If you are here in an irregular fashion and don't have a right to stay, you need to leave, or you will be removed."
