Canada Student Visa Crackdown: Indian Applicants Face Rejection — How Many Are Affected? | World News
Canada Student Visa: Indian applicants have been affected by the recent restrictions on international student permits in Canada. Canada, once a preferred destination for Indian students due to its quality education, job opportunities and post-study prospects, is now losing some of its appeal.
India has been Canada’s largest source of international students for more than a decade. Yet it now has the highest study permit rejection rate among countries with more than 1,000 approved applicants, according to ANI, CTV News reported, citing Reuters data.
The Indian Embassy in Ottawa, while aware of the increasing rejection rate, stated that the issuance of work permits “is Canada’s prerogative”.
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How Many People Are Affected?
The once-preferred destination is now losing its appeal for Indian students, government data shows, CTV News reported citing Reuters.
The report found that Canada is reducing the number of international study permits for the second year in a row in early 2025 as part of efforts to curb temporary immigration and crack down on student visa fraud.
Looking at the figures, about 74 percent of study permit applications from India were rejected in August 2025, compared to about 32 percent in the same month last year, the Immigration Department told Reuters.
Overall, about 40 percent of all study permit applications were rejected, while 24 percent of those from China were rejected.
The total number of Indian applicants dropped sharply from 20,900 in August 2023 to 4,515 in August 2025.
Also Read: US Restarts FLAG System for Work Visas: What It Means for Indian Applicants
Indian Students Face Canadian Visa Denial
The increase in visa denials comes amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India following former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations that India was involved in the 2023 murder of a Canadian citizen in Surrey, British Columbia. New Delhi has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Canada’s Crackdown on Student Visa Scams
In 2023, Canadian authorities uncovered approximately 1,550 fraudulent work permit applications linked to fake acceptance letters, mostly from India.
Following this, last year the country’s advanced verification system flagged more than 14,000 potentially fraudulent documents across all applications, according to Reuters. Canadian immigration later tightened verification processes and raised the financial threshold for applicants.
(with ANI entries)
