The recent investigation by India’s Enforcement Directorate, which linked alleged identified partners of Canadian colleges to human trafficking networks, adds to the mounting challenges facing the sector, coming hot on the heels of a series of significant immigration policy restrictions announced since late 2023.
With Canadian institutions already adapting to new study permit caps and stricter institutional requirements, questions about recruitment practices in India have gained heightened attention. As someone who has spent two decades working on international education partnerships and student recruitment, I believe this confluence of challenges presents a crucial opportunity for Canadian institutions to reassess how they operate in India.
Despite years of established operations in India, most institutions continue to rely heavily on multi-layered networks of agents and sub-agents. While these networks have effectively driven growth, each layer adds complexity and reduces transparency. When local sub-agents make promises to prospective students, the distance between institutional oversight and ground-level recruitment creates vulnerabilities that need immediate attention.
Institutions can strengthen their existing operations through several targeted measures:
- Transform representative roles: While many institutions maintain representatives in India, their role needs to evolve beyond traditional recruitment at education fairs. These representatives should take on more strategic oversight responsibilities, actively vetting recruitment partners, validating leads, and building meaningful relationships with local schools and stakeholders. This shift from volume-driven recruitment to quality-focused partnership management is essential for maintaining recruitment integrity.
- Deepen cultural integration: Success in India requires moving beyond surface-level market understanding. Representatives need to engage more deeply with local channel ecosystems, understanding how these networks operate and adapting verification processes to regional contexts. This means transforming existing relationships from transactional to truly collaborative partnerships.
- Strengthen quality controls: Rather than introducing new layers of processes, institutions should focus on making existing verification protocols more effective. This means empowering local representatives to conduct real-time assessments, implementing technology-enabled verification systems, and creating clear accountability frameworks for all recruitment partners.
The path forward isn’t about building new networks – it’s about transforming existing ones. This means evaluating current partnerships, potentially reducing the number of recruitment partners while strengthening relationships with those who demonstrate commitment to ethical practices and quality outcomes.
Some institutions might hesitate to disrupt established recruitment channels, particularly given current market pressures. However, the long-term benefits of transformed operations – enhanced reputation, stronger partner relationships, and more qualified student applications – outweigh potentially short-term disruptions to recruitment numbers.
With current diplomatic tensions between Canada and India, coupled with IRCC’s restrictive policies, the sector faces unprecedented pressure
For Canadian institutions, the path forward isn’t about maintaining status quo – it’s about transforming existing operations to meet higher standards of accountability while protecting both institutional integrity and student interests.
With current diplomatic tensions between Canada and India, coupled with IRCC’s restrictive policies, the sector faces unprecedented pressure. But it’s precisely such moments of stress that create the impetus for meaningful change.
There may never be a better time to reimagine and strengthen recruitment practices in the Indian market.
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