By Gurmukh Singh

Toronto, Jul 18 (IANS): The number of Indian students seeking admission to Canadian institutions is increasing very rapidly, according to a report.

The University of Toronto alone has reported a 57 per cent jump in applications for admission from students from India, the BBC report said.

Overall, Canada's premier university has reported a 20 per cent jump in foreign students seeking admission.

The report said international students are now looking at Canadian universities because of the country's liberal, migrant-friendly image serving as an important attraction.

Ted Sargent, Vice President (international) of the University of Toronto, said in addition to offering top-tier universities, Canada is sending a "message about being open to the world" in the light to the contemporary political climate in the US and UK.

"Events in the US and the UK have reverberated around the world. It makes people go back and think again."

Currently, there are more than 350,000 international students in Canada - which is almost one per cent of Canada's population.

Over 8 per cent of all international students who seek studies abroad come to Canada. They pump billions of dollars into Canada's economy.