Canada’s high commissioner to India, Christopher Cooter, has stated Canadian universities and colleges are preparing for a stronger presence in India through branch campuses, joint degrees and skill movement collaborations, as the two nations continue efforts to reset relations after an extended diplomatic pressure.
Speaking with CNN-News18, Cooter stated Canadian organizations were now “dedicated to India”, with education and talent movement emerging as essential pillars of broader India-Canada ties.
“We currently host a large number of Indian trainees, and we love them, and we wish to have more of them, but all of our colleges and universities are now devoted to India,” mentioned Cooter.
“That might be open campuses, joint degrees, it might mean faculty coming here, students coming here from Canada. The presence of Canadian educational institutions, which we think is the very best worldwide, is now coming more directly to India, which will be more viable for a lot of students, more economical, easier to gain access to.”
The presence of Canadian universities, which we believe is the very best in the world, is now coming more straight to India, which will be more practical for a great deal of students, more economical, much easier to access
Christopher Cooter, Canadian High Commission
The remarks build on Canada’s current push towards transnational education, research study cooperation and offshore engagement in India, following the launch earlier this year of a joint Canada-India “talent and innovation technique” including more than 20 Canadian organizations.
The technique consisted of contracts around hybrid campuses, AI centres of quality, scholarships, research study partnerships and academic mobility, and followed a delegation visit by Canadian universities to India led by Universities Canada.
At the time, Canadian university leaders informed The PIE News they were exploring stronger on-the-ground engagement in India through branch schools, path programs, trainee exchanges and research collaboration, as institutions adapt to installing pressures throughout Canada’s international education sector.
The developments come amid a sharp decline in Indian trainee movement to Canada over the past 2 years. Recent IRCC information revealed Canada provided around 73,800 new study permits in 2025– a 64% year-on-year drop and the country’s most affordable consumption in a years, while approval rates for Indian candidates fell greatly from 69% in 2024 to around 25-27% in 2025.
The decline follows tighter visa guidelines, rising living costs, housing pressures and growing unpredictability around post-study opportunities, together with diplomatic stress that disrupted India-Canada relations after both nations expelled diplomats in 2023.
Regardless of the decline, Cooter explained Indian trainees as the “biggest part” of financial engagement between the 2 nations.
“Well, it’s a strange thing in our relationship that, in spite of the complementarity of the two economies, we don’t actually do that much trade. The greatest part of it, in reality, is trainees going to Canada. 400,000 of them are hosted in Canada, more than the United States, Europe, and the UK integrated,” he stated.
Cooter likewise recommended the two nations were now looking beyond just bring back ties towards a broader long-lasting financial collaboration.
“We wish to get the trade agreement concluded this year. We wish to make a great deal of development on the two prime ministers’ objective of doubling trade by 2030. We do not wish to wait till 2030. We want to double it in the past, but we’ll make great progress,” he added.
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