Canada’s clampdown on international students has hit applicants from India particularly hard, government data shows, as what was once a preferred destination loses its allure for Indian students.

Canada lowered the number of international student permits it issues for the second year in a row in early 2025 as part of a broader effort to reduce the number of temporary migrants and address fraud related to student visas.

About 74% of Indian applications for permits to study at Canadian post-secondary institutions in August — the most recent month available — were rejected, compared to about 32% in August 2023, according to immigration department data provided to Reuters.

By contrast, about 40% of study permit applications overall in each of those months were refused. About 24% of Chinese study permits in August 2025 were rejected.

The number of Indian applicants has dropped, as well, from 20,900 in August 2023 — when Indians formed just over one quarter of all applicants — to 4,515 in August 2025.

India has been Canada’s top source of international students over the past decade. In August, it also had the highest study-permit refusal rate of any country with more than 1,000 approved applicants.

The spike in refusals of would-be students comes as Canada and India seek to mend ties after more than a year of tension.

Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of involvement in the 2023 murder of a Canadian in Surrey, British Columbia. India has repeatedly denied the allegations.

An effort to cut down fraud

In 2023, Canadian authorities uncovered nearly 1,550 study permit applications linked to fraudulent letters of acceptance, most of which originated from India, Canada’s immigration department told Reuters in an email.

Last year its beefed-up verification system detected more than 14,000 potentially fraudulent letters of acceptance from all applicants, it said.

Canada has implemented enhanced verification for international students and has increased its financial requirements for applicants, the immigration department spokesperson said.

The Indian embassy in Ottawa said the rejection of study permit applications from students in India had come to its attention, but that the issuance of study permits is Canada’s prerogative.

“However, we would like to emphasize that some of the best quality students available in the world are from India, and Canadian institutions have in the past greatly benefited from the talent and academic excellence of these students,” the embassy said in a statement.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told Reuters during an October visit to India that Canada’s government is concerned about the integrity of its immigration system but wants to continue having Indian students in Canada.

A drop in Indian enrolment

People who work with would-be international students say they are seeing a higher level of applicant scrutiny.

Michael Pietrocarlo of Border Pass, which helps people apply for Canadian visas, said his firm prepares applicants to show their eligibility beyond what’s required on paper.

He says, for example, when students must demonstrate they have sufficient funds to support themselves, “it’s not enough just to say, ‘Here are some bank statements.’ They may have to go the extra mile and say, ‘Here’s where the money came from.'”

The University of Waterloo, home to Canada’s largest engineering school, has seen a two-thirds decline in the number of students from India entering its undergraduate and graduate programs over the past three to four years.

Ian VanderBurgh, its associate vice president of strategic enrolment management, said the drop was largely due to a government cap on foreign student visas and had altered the composition of the student body.

“We pride ourselves on being an international university,” he said. The University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan have also reported a decline in the number of Indian students enrolled.

When Jaspreet Singh, who founded the International Sikh Students Association, came to Canada from India in 2015 to study mechanical engineering, he remembers government posters exhorting newcomers to “Study, work, stay” in the country. That attitude has soured, he said.

Mr. Singh is not surprised at the higher rejection rate for Indian study permit applicants, saying he knows fraud is a concern.

But as it becomes harder to get permanent residency or a job in Canada, he says some of those recently rejected appear to not mind: “They are happy they didn’t come.”

Published – November 04, 2025 02:37 am IST

Indian students have expressed concerns following Canada’s recent decision to end its fast-track Student Direct Stream (SDS) visa program.

The program, which allowed eligible students to obtain study permits more quickly, has been a popular choice for those seeking to study in Canada.

This abrupt move has left many aspiring students worried about their academic future.

A Chandigarh resident, who plans to study in Canada, voiced her concerns, saying, “I was trying to go to Canada but the situation is that Canada has stopped the visa. That was not right because many Indian population want to go abroad for studies and the politics that is being used in this is also wrong.”

“It’s not right to stop visas midway. There are so many opportunities and dream jobs we will miss out on,” she added.

She also blamed political interference for the decision, adding, “Politics should not interfere.”

Visa counselor Rahul Arora also expressed concerns, saying that this will negatively impact students’ ambitions and dreams.

“This decision will definitely have a negative impact. I think that the children’s ambitions and dreams of going forward and studying, the dreams that they have been trying for years, will be hit by that. And I think that this is an adverse decision for both the countries,” he said.

The SDS, a popular program launched in 2018, offered faster processing for students from countries including India, China, Pakistan, Brazil, and others. It was abruptly ended on November 8.

The Nigeria Student Express (NSE) for Nigerian students has also been discontinued, though applications submitted before the deadline will still be processed under the SDS and NSE.

“The Student Direct Stream (SDS) was launched in 2018 to provide faster processing for eligible post-secondary students. The SDS was eventually opened to legal residents of Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam,” said a statement by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The government has said that it is “committed to giving all international students equal and fair access to the application process for study permits.”

“Canada’s goal is to strengthen program integrity, address student vulnerability, and give all students equal and fair access to the application process, as well as a positive academic experience,” the statement by IRCC added.

Following this development, future applicants will be required to go through Canada’s regular study permit processes, which will require a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) or a Territorial Attestation Letter (TAL) to study at designated learning institutions (DLIs) in the country.

This move comes amid rising diplomatic tensions between Canada and India, following allegations of India’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, which India has denied.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India- Canada conflict: A flock of birds flies past the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, where temple president Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down in his vehicle while leaving the temple parking lot in June. Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat Monday as it investigates what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called credible allegations that India’s government may have had links to the assassination in Canada of a Sikh activist.
| Photo Credit: Darryl Dyck

Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that agents of the Indian government were involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, in Surrey. India called the allegations “absurd” and “motivated”. India had declared Nijjar, the head of the Khalistani Tiger Force, a terrorist in 2020, and has accused Canada of providing a safe haven for people who support the Khalistani cause.

Soon after the accusation, the head of Indian intelligence in Canada was expelled. India retaliated by expelling a senior Canadian diplomat. Indo-Canadian relations have been turbulent over the past few years, in large part due to what India sees as Canada’s sympathetic approach towards supporters of the Khalistan movement. Canada has a large Sikh and Punjabi immigrant diaspora population.

On September 21, India suspended visa services in Canada. This has reportedly led to anxiety among students, their families, and other travellers who aspire to go to Canada, especially Punjabis. People who identified Punjabi as their ethnic or cultural origin during the 2021 Canadian census formed the largest share of Indians in Canada, followed by Tamilians, Gujaratis, and Bengalis. More importantly, 30% of Punjabis in Canada belong to the second or third generation (persons not born outside Canada). A higher share of Goans and Tamils are from the second or third generation; however, their overall numbers are relatively lower than Punjabis.

Chart 1 | The chart plots the share of Indians across ethnic/cultural group who belong to the second or third generation (not born outside Canada) on the horizontal axis. The bigger the circle, the more the number of people in that group.

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Indians form the largest share of immigrants, foreign students, foreign workers, and other groups in Canada. India overtook China and the Philippines to form the highest share of immigrants in Canada in the 2016-2021 period (Chart 2).

Chart 2 | The chart shows country-wise share of immigrants in Canada in the 2016-2021 period.

Similarly, the highest number of applications received for permanent residency in Canada between January 2020 and July 2023 were from Indians (4.6 lakh) followed by the Chinese (1.05 lakh) (Chart 3).

Chart 3 | The chart shows the number of applications received for permanent residency in Canada between January 2020 and July 2023.

Chart 4 | The chart shows the number of new study permit applications received by Canada between January 2020 and July 2023.

Indians also submitted the highest number (8.7 lakh) of new study permit applications to Canada in the same period, followed by Nigerians (1.2 lakh) (Chart 4). The highest share of International Mobility Program work permit holders were also Indians (5.4 lakh) followed by Ukrainians (1.5 lakh) (Chart 5).

Chart 5 | The chart shows the number of International Mobility Program work permit holders in Canada between January 2020 and July 2023.

Trade equations have also taken a hit. Canada postponed a trade mission to India that was scheduled in October. It has also paused talks on a proposed trade treaty with India.

Chart 6 | The chart shows the value of items imported by Canada from India in $ between 2018 and 2022. The bigger and darker the circle, the more the import dependency on India.

For instance, Canada imported $1.7 billion worth of medicaments from India in the period, but of Canada’s total medicaments imports, India’s share was only 4%. Canada imported diamond, jewellery and linen products in large numbers from India. It is also highly dependent on India for these items.

Chart 7 | The chart shows the value of the items imported by India from Canada in $ between 2018 and 2022. The bigger and darker the circle, the more the import dependency on Canada.

For instance, India imported $3.6 billion worth of coal from Canada, but of India’s total coal imports, Canada’s share formed only 2.6%. Fertilizers, leguminous vegetables, newsprint and uranium/thorium ore were items that India imported heavily from Canada. India’s dependency on Canada was relatively high was for these items as well.

sonikka.l@thehindu.co.in and vignesh.r@thehindu.co.in

Source: U.N. Comtrade database, Statistics Canada

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New Delhi:

Amid a huge diplomatic row between India and Canada, the parents of Indian students are worried that the standoff can impact their children in Canada and expose them to a security risk.

They are worried that their children may experience discrimination or bias based on their nationality.

“My daughter went to Canada to study seven months ago. My child is also concerned there, she can’t focus on her studies,” Balwinder Singh – whose daughter studies in Canada – told news agency ANI.

“My two daughters are in Canada and I am tense. Governments of both countries should find a solution,” another parent, Kuldeep Kaur said.

Some students are also jittery about their plan to study in Canada as the hostility between the two countries deepens. They are worried that the government move to suspend Visa services in Canada may have a direct implication on their migration.

Punjab BJP Chief Sunil Jakhar has urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to set up a helpline for Indians students and residents in Canada.

“I would request you to institute a dedicated helpline number on which our NRIs and students can contact and seek help from Indian Consulates. A WhatsApp number can be released for Indian students planning to go abroad to get in touch with authorities in case of need and guidance,” Mr Jakhar said.

Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and ensure the well-being of the students in Canada.

Earlier this week, Canada’s Justin Trudeau made the explosive charge that “Indian government agents” could be behind the shooting of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India rejected the allegation as “absurd”.

Canada has shared no specific information regarding its charges, India said, flagging “politically condoned hate crimes and criminal violence” in that country.

Both India and Canada issued travel advisories and expelled a senior diplomat of the other country.

India has advised its nationals in Canada and those contemplating travelling there to exercise “utmost caution” in view of growing anti-India activities and “politically-condoned” hate crimes.

“Given the deteriorating security environment in Canada, Indian students in particular are advised to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant,” the foreign ministry said.

Nijjar, 45, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Canada’s British Columbia in June. He was chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force and one of India’s most wanted terrorists.