The recent stabbing attack on an Indian student in Sydney comes at a time when new arrivals in Australia are expected to make Indians the largest group of foreign students.
Australia has recently seen a drop in admissions from China, which until recently was the biggest source of foreign students, due to deteriorating relations between the two countries.
As of July 2022, 96,000 Indian students were studying in Australia, the second largest group of foreign students.
“But the number of students starting from India is growing very rapidly, and we expect this to be the largest group from anywhere in the world,” Monica Kennedy, Ostrade’s Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner, said in an interview. Hindu.
Although the number of new students arriving from India between July 2022 and June 2023, the Australian fiscal year, is marginally lower than the 45,000 seen in 2019, their size relative to new arrivals from China has seen an increase.
28-year-old Shubham Garg was stabbed in the face, chest and abdomen in the October 6 attack on the Pacific Highway that connects Sydney to Brisbane. The attacker had demanded money from the victim and threatened her. Police have arrested 27-year-old Daniel Norwood and charged him with attempted murder. The Foreign Ministry said that the High Commission in Canberra is in touch with local authorities regarding the incident.
China is the top source for international students, and India is the second largest for major destinations for higher education globally such as the US, UK and Australia. But India’s share is only half or less than that of China.
Australia saw a total of 5,70,626 foreign students between January 2021 and December 2021. Although nationalities had a drop in student numbers after 2020 compared to post-COVID-19, China contributed 1.70 lakh or 30% of all foreign students in Australia and India 97,000 or 17, according to data compiled by the Australian government. % contributed. education Department.
In the US too, 3,17,299 Chinese students comprised 34.6% of the total foreign students in the academic year 2020-2021, while Indians were the second largest group with 1.67 lakh or 18.3%, according to the US government-funded Open Door report .
Chinese students were 32% of the total foreign students in the UK, up from 1,43,820 in 2021. India was the second non-EU country to send 84,555 students to the UK, or about 9.2% of the total foreign students in the UK. Study in the UK, according to the website
However, not only in Australia but also in America, there is a lack of enthusiasm among Chinese students. A new report last month by the Center for China and Globalization, a leading Chinese non-governmental think tank based in Beijing, said that as China-US relations deteriorated, the number of Chinese students in both the US and Australia has declined. Trade and geopolitical disputes between China and Australia and more Chinese students can move to countries in Europe and Asia due to a friendlier study environment and visa policies.
According to the report, the 2020-2021 academic year saw the first decline in the number of Chinese students in the US in 10 years, falling by 14.6% from 2019-2020. The number of Chinese students in Australia declined for two years, with a drop of 11.9% in 2021 and 9.9% in 2020.
With around 118,000 Indian students receiving student visas in the year ended June 2022, India has also overtaken China as the largest nationality issuing UK-sponsored study visas – 89 from the previous year % increase. Sponsored study visas were issued to only 1.15 lakh Chinese students in 2022, a decline of 4% compared to 2019.
“Of late Chinese students are not leaving home [to study abroad]So the number of Indians is increasing. This is supported by the growing aspirations as well as the paying capacity of Indian students. At Deakin University, our focus has always been on India, followed by China and then the rest of the world. While most other universities in Australia have so far focused on Chinese students, that will change now,” says Ravneet Pawa, Vice President (Global Alliance) and CEO (South Asia), Deakin University and National Vice President, Australia India Business Council . ,