Melbourne: Even as attacks on Indians in Australia continue, a new survey has put the country ahead of US and UK as the safest destination for Indian international students.
According to AAP, 26 percent of over 1000 Indian students surveyed have ranked Australia as safest nation.
Other destinations like Great Britain and Canada came second with 20 percent of the vote, while New Zealand and America secured 13 percent and five percent respectively, according to overseas pupil recruiter IDP Education.
When it came to best government policies to protect international students, Australia came first again with 19 percent of the vote, followed by the US, Britain, Canada and New Zealand, it noted.
"These results are very encouraging in the light of recent challenges to Australia reputation as a quality, safe and good value provider of education to Indian students," IDP Education chief executive Tony Pollock said.
Indian students also ranked Australia as the best place for accessing permanent residency and student visas.
The findings of the survey conducted among more than 6,000 students will be released this week as part of the Australian International Education Conference in Sydney.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, October 12, 2009, 14:28