Fewer Indian science and technology students have been going to the US for graduation courses even before the Covid-19 outbreak put a question mark on whether international students in American universities will be able to make it for the September semester.
The number of Indian students enrolled in graduate-level computer science and engineering courses at US universities declined by over 25% between academic years 2016-17 and 2018-19, an analysis by National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) has found.
Many Indian students have been choosing Canada over the United States as the place to study and make their careers,” NFAP executive director Stuart Anderson said.
The foundation attributed this to restrictive immigration and international student policies by the Donald Trump administration that made it harder for international graduates to pursue careers in the US.
The Trump administration is believed to be moving towards ending the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme that enables graduates in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to work for an additional 24 months in the US, often followed by applying for an H-1B to continue working in the country. India is widely seen as a key source for technology talent in the US.
The number of international students from all countries enrolled at the graduate-level in computer science at US universities declined by 6,050 between academic years 2016-17 and 2018-19, according to a Department of Homeland Security special tabulation of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) published by the National Science Foundation. The decline in the number of Indian students was higher at 11,080.
Similarly, the number of international graduate-level students in engineering courses declined by 10,260 over the same period, while the number of Indian students dropped by 10,870.
The NFAP report also pointed out that the number of Indian students at Canadian universities rose from 76,075 in 2016 to 172,625 in 2018, an increase of 127%, according to the Canadian Bureau for International Education.
The number of Indians who became permanent residents in Canada increased from 39,340 in 2016 to 85,585 in 2019, a rise of more than 117%, according to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
