Canada is one of the most popular destinations for Indians to relocate to, a phenomenon which experiences year on year growth. From 2000 – 2019, the number of Indians living in Canada increased to over a million, meaning that people of Indian origin have come to make up a significant portion of the population.

With the Indian people having explored Canada from as early as the late 19th century, it has been a common destination for Indians to seek out a new life in. Canada contains the world’s  eighth largest Indian diaspora, with the majority of Indians setting up their lives in one of Ontario’s most populated provinces, Toronto.

This article will explore some of the reasons as to why Indians choose Canada as a destination for relocation.

English is the Official Language of Most Canadian Provinces

India now claims to be the world’s second largest English speaking country. While it is estimated that just 10% of the population speak English proficiently, given the size of India, that means 125 million people are able to speak and work in English.

Sharing a language with the country you’re moving to makes the adjustment to living there far easier, and due to the fact that so many Indian people are able to speak English makes Canada a top prospect to potentially move to.

While French is the most spoken language in Quebec, its the only province in which this is the case, with all of Canada’s other provinces and territories having English as the main language.

Language can contribute a large amount to deciding where to move.

Economic Prospects

Often quoted as one of the largest reasons for Indians deciding to move to Canada, economic prospects are often reasons for people to leave their homelands in search of a new life. India is considered a developing nation, which while it has experienced growth, is not quite on the level of development of a nation like Canada.

Part of this is fueled by work opportunities, as well as the standard of living in Canada, but part of the reason is further fueled by how much certain industries within Canada are able to generate. For example, Ontario has recently legalized sports betting, which is expected to generate close to a billion dollars in revenue in its first year alone.

Opportunities are always a big reason for people to move, and Canada is a hub of these kinds of opportunities for development.

Large Indian Community

As was quoted earlier on in this article, Canada has been a popular destination for Indian people for a very long time, with communities of Indians appearing in Canada for the first time around the late 19th century.

As a result, there is a large community of people with Indian roots, probably have faced similar challenges to those who have recently moved, leading to communities growing in size. If a big community of people from your home country exists, it makes the prospect of moving to that place far more favorable.