Jalandhar: About a week ago, Manpreet Singh (20) from Punjab’s NRI-dominated Jalandhar district was solely focused on his preparation for the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam. However, the ongoing diplomatic spat between India and Canada has been causing him anxiety, for he is uncertain about what the future holds for him given the fast-changing scenario between the two countries.Like Manpreet, several who have been attending coaching classes in Punjab to excel in the English language proficiency test are now a worried lot. Like students, IELTS coaching centres are also conducting their classes amidst clouds of uncertainty.“Fikar paya sanu, bas ehi ardas hai ki eh tension khatam ho jaye. Vise milde rehn (We are alarmed. All that we are praying for is that this tension between India and Canada should end as soon as possible. We should keep on getting visas),” said Manpreet, amidst fears that diplomatic crisis could escalate further.“In case things turn bad, I will plan for Australia or the UK. But Canada is my first preference,” he said.Notably, India and Canada’s diplomatic relations got strained following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s startling allegation that India agents may have been involved in the killing of Canadian citizen and Khalistani activist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.Indian government’s travel advisory leads to uncertainty India, on the other hand, strongly rejected Trudeau’s claims terming them as “absurd” and “politically motivated”.Following this development, the Indian government issued an advisory, asking its citizens to avoid travelling to parts of Canada, leading to confusion among those running IELTS coaching centres, students, and their parents.While the India-Canada standoff may not be a subject of immediate concern to people in the rest of the country, it, however, has been a routine conversation from the paddy fields in the villages to markets in the cities of Punjab. There is a sense of anxiety prevailing across several sections in Punjab if the crisis could affect those wanting to move to Canada for work and study.For Touchstone Educationals, CANAM, Skybird, Times Academy, and many other famous IELTS coaching centres located at Jalandhar’s inter-state bus terminal, it, at least, appears that it has been business as usual. Even today, the lane opposite the bus stand remains flooded with students throughout the day, with students from rural areas thronging the area to join one of the IELTS coaching centres.A complex near Jalandhar bus stop, with name boards of IELTS coaching centres and immigration consultants. Photo: Kusum Arora.Almost the entire area around the bus stand, from where buses ply to nearby villages, is filled with swanky consultancies offering immigration services to Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, and the Middle east. There are also a number of IELTS coaching centres.Such is the craze among the youth to reach Canada that wall-size billboards of IELTS coaching centers and visa consultancies can be spotted in almost every village in Punjab now.The Wire spoke to a group of students at the Jalandhar bus stand about India’s travel advisory. “We are confused too. At the same time, we cannot stop taking IELTS coaching classes. It is a tricky situation. Canada has shaped the lives of our siblings and friends. For us, it is a sure shot way of excelling in life and earning well,” said Sukhjot Singh and Avneet Kaur.It is pertinent to mention here that the September 2023 intake in Canada was already over and students have reached Canada. On the other hand, the students, who are currently undertaking IELTS coaching, will be joining their colleges during the January 2024 intake. Admissions in Canada are held in January, May, and September annually.Anxiety among students and parents, say education consultancies Jalandhar-based education-cum-visa consultants Sandeep Singh and Parmeshwar, who run Golden Pillars Immigration and Consultants, said that there is uncertainty around what and how things will unfold. “For the time being, we have put the files on hold. Not just the study visas, we are also not taking applications for tourist visas and skilled category visas for Canada. The number of inquiries from the applicants has increased in the past week. People are in dilemma and so are we,” they said.They said that recently when a woman came to apply for a tourist visa, they had told her to wait for some time instead of getting her file stuck in the process. “However, IELTS coaching classes and tests are going on as usual. Students are concerned too, but they have three months to go till they apply for the January 2024 intake. We are hopeful that this standoff wears off, and the situation will improve,” Parmeshwar said.Another consultant, Lovedeep Sing from North Nation Consultancy at Dasuya, Hoshiarpur district, who has a tie-up with Oceanic Worldwide Services in Chandigarh, said, “Ever since the India-Canada standoff has begun, we have been getting regular inquiries about whether it will affect the student visa services too. There are all kinds of rumors in the market and not just the students but their parents are confused too,” he said.The education consultant also said that the India-Canada standoff has put the future of around five lakh students across India at stake. “Around five lakh student visa applications are yet to be applied. Even last year, the total number of study visa applications from India were 2.65 lakh out of which 1.32 lakh were from Punjab alone. That shows the volume of students moving to Canada,” he added.Lovedeep said that it’s just been just a week and things will become clearer in the coming days. “We are hopeful that this will be sorted out soon,” he added.However, Ravi Sharad, who is the director of Times Academy, Jalandhar, said things are “normal” and students are preparing for the January 2024 intake. His academy is famous among students for IELTS, TOEFL (Test of English as a Proficiency Language) and PTE (Pearson Test of English) tests.“Largely, the students are not very aware of the details of the ongoing row between India and Canada. Their focus is to clear the IELTS test and reach Canada. We are running IELTS coaching classes in three shifts in a day and there is no impact on our centers,” he said.Aman, an employee from Jain Overseas, Jalandhar, which is also one of the most sought-after names for student visa applications, said that though the number of queries about the impact of the India-Canada standoff has increased but it has not impacted the flow of students.“In fact, we are also keeping the students updated. As and when any development takes place, we will update them”, she said.Students hope for early resolution of India-Canada standoffThe IELTS exam is held twice a month on Saturdays. On September 23, the scene was no different. Like earlier, leading hotels, banquet halls, and marriage halls were booked as test centres, and students came in large numbers to appear for both the Academic IELTS, mandatory for student visas, and General IELTS for work permits and Permanent Residency (PR).At a swanky marriage palace, where over 500 students had gathered for the IELTS exam on September 23, a student Navpreet Kaur, who came to appear for the exam from Nawanshahr district, said that right now her only concern is to get a good score in the IELTS test and join a good college in Canada during the January 2024 intake.Staff preparing for the IELTS exam at a marriage palace situated on GT Road in Jalandhar on September 23. Photo: Kusum Arora.“I am aware of the India-Canada tensions, but it is my earnest prayers that things normalise soon. Initially, when the Indian government banned visas for Indians in Canada, we expected a similar reaction from Canada too. We are glad that despite this tension, Canada avoided any such action. Indian government should sort this matter, our future is at stake,” she said.Sukhjit Kaur from Kapurthala district also said that they were alarmed over the rumours following the India-Canada standoff. “The past one week was quite difficult for us. I was preparing for my IELTS test and suddenly this news came. We just pray that things become normal between both countries. There are hardly any jobs and future here in India. We should not be robbed of our only chance of excelling in life by going to Canada,” she said, adding that all her friends and cousins who went to Canada got settled within five to six years of time which was not the case in India at all.International students in CanadaAs per a CBC report, Canada hosted more than eight lakh international students last year, according to the government’s figures. By December 2023, Canada is set to have around nine lakh international students.Under the new 2023-2025 Immigration Plan, Canada has set targets to invite 456,000 permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in 2024, and 500,000 in the year 2025.As of now, another five lakh students from all over India are all set to leave for Canada till January 2024 out of which the highest number of students are from Punjab.According to CBC, the Canadian federal government released the ‘International Education Strategy’ plan in 2014. There were 239, 131 international students in 2011.In its 2014 plan, the government said it aimed to more than double that number by the end of the decade, as well as increase the number of students who would become permanent residents after graduation.However, according to the IRCC, that goal was smashed in just four years with 721, 205 international students in Canada in 2018 alone!