Ottawa: According to government data, Canada’s new limits on international student visas have had a major impact on Indian applicants, making the country less appealing to Indian students than it was previously, as reported by CTV News, which cited Reuters. The article claims that in an attempt to combat student visa fraud and temporary migration, Canada lowered the number of international study permits for the second year in a row in early 2025.
According to the Immigration Department, over 74% of Indian study permit applications were denied in August 2025, up from roughly 32% in the same month the previous year, Reuters reported. Approximately 40% of all applications for study permits were denied, with 24% of Chinese applicants being denied. Between August 2023 and August 2025, the overall number of Indian candidates dropped precipitously from 20,900 to 4,515.
According to CTV News, which cited Reuters statistics, India has the highest study visa refusal percentage among nations with more than 1,000 approved applicants, even though it has been Canada’s top source of international students for more than ten years. In the wake of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2023 accusations that India was complicit in the murder of a Canadian citizen in Surrey, British Columbia, which New Delhi has consistently denied, there has been a surge in visa rejections.
Nearly 1,550 bogus study visa applications connected to phoney acceptance letters were discovered by Canadian authorities in 2023; the majority of these applications came from India. According to Reuters, its improved verification system identified over 14,000 possibly false documents from all applicants last year. Canada’s immigration authorities responded by increasing the income barrier for applicants and tightening verification procedures. While acknowledging the higher rejection rate, the Indian Embassy in Ottawa stated that granting study permits “is Canada’s prerogative.”
It continued, “However, we would like to emphasise 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.” While the government is “concerned about the integrity of its immigration system,” Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told Reuters during her October trip to India that it also wants to “continue having Indian students in Canada.” Education advisors claim that authorities are now requesting more evidence of academic and financial credibility, indicating that scrutiny has increased.
According to Michael Pietrocarlo of Border Pass, which helps with applications for Canadian visas, applicants must now prove their eligibility “beyond what’s required on paper.” ‘Here are some bank statements.’ is insufficient. According to Pietrocarlo, they might need to go above and above by stating, “This is where the money came from.” Over the last three to four years, the number of Indian students enrolled at the University of Waterloo, which is home to Canada’s largest engineering school, has decreased by two-thirds. According to Ian VanderBurgh, assistant vice-president of strategic enrolment management, “We pride ourselves on being an international university.” He blamed the decline on the government’s cap on foreign student visas. Similar decreases have been observed by other universities, such as the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina.
The International Sikh Students Association’s founder, Jaspreet Singh, who arrived in Canada in 2015 to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering, recalls past periods when the government urged immigrants to “Study, work, stay.” The sentiment has since subsided, he said, adding that some applicants who were turned down “are happy they didn’t come” because it’s now more difficult to get a job or permanent residence in Canada. According to internal documents obtained by CBC News, Ottawa is now requesting further authority to deny groups of temporary visas due to fraud concerns associated with Bangladesh and India, amid stricter regulations governing student visas.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and unidentified US partners established a working group to identify and reject fraudulent visa applications, according to a presentation made for the Immigration Minister’s office. The presentation referred to Bangladesh and India as “country-specific challenges,” according to CBC News. Part of the larger border legislative package, Bill C-2, which Ottawa expects to adopt soon, is the proposed authority found in Bill C-12.
More than 300 civil society organisations, including the Migrant Rights Network, have expressed concern about the proposal, stating that bulk visa cancellations could facilitate a “mass deportation machine.” Additionally, according to internal data, processing times for temporary residence visa (TRV) applications from India have slowed from an average of 30 days in July 2023 to 54 days a year later due to additional verification. As additional resources were redirected to fraud checks, the number of approvals decreased from over 63,000 in January 2024 to over 48,000 in June. Nearly 1,900 Indian applicants had received procedural fairness letters detailing their rights and legal alternatives by July 2024, and they had been flagged for additional interrogation.
The IRCC stressed that “decisions would not be taken unilaterally” and stated that the proposed powers were not intended for any “specific group of people or situation” in a statement to CBC News. The new authority would “reduce security risks and limit potential misuse” of temporary resident documents, according to a separate memo sent in October 2024 to then-immigration minister Marc Miller. Judicial reviews would be based on “whether procedural fairness was followed.” Since June 2024, there has been a 97% decrease in illicit border crossings by foreign nationals and a 71% decrease in asylum claims from TRV holders as a result of measures to enhance verification, the immigration department added.
It did not, however, explain why the “country-specific” phrase was left out of public statements or why India and Bangladesh were mentioned in private briefings. Any exercise of mass cancellation powers, according to officials, would need the governor in council’s consent and be made public in the Canada Gazette. Following a period of diplomatic friction, Ottawa is working to mend relations with New Delhi. At the invitation of Prime Minister Mark Carney, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Canada for the June 2025 G7 conference, marking a warming in relations as both leaders expressed a wish to mend fences. New high commissioners to each other’s capital cities were appointed by the two nations in August. Global Affairs has not yet responded to enquiries from IRCC regarding the possible effects of the proposed visa powers on bilateral relations, CBC News continued.
