November 3, 2025
RED FM News Desk
Canada’s efforts to curb the number of temporary migrants and tighten oversight of international student visas have sharply reduced study permit approvals for applicants from India, new federal data show.
About 74 per cent of Indian applications for Canadian study permits were refused in August 2025, up from 32 per cent a year earlier, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
By comparison, roughly 40 per cent of all study permit applications were rejected in each of those months, while refusals for Chinese applicants stood at 24 per cent this August.
The tougher screening has coincided with a steep drop in Indian interest. Just 4,515 Indians applied to study at Canadian post-secondary institutions in August, down from 20,900 in August 2023, when Indian students represented more than one-quarter of all applicants. India has been Canada’s largest source of international students over the past decade.
IRCC says the higher rejection rates reflect enhanced verification measures introduced after a 2023 investigation uncovered about 1,550 fraudulent letters of acceptance, most linked to Indian applicants.
The department said its updated systems flagged more than 14,000 potentially fake acceptance letters across all applications last year.
Ottawa has also raised financial requirements for study permit holders and implemented a national cap on new international students, part of a broader effort to ensure program integrity and manage housing and labour-market pressures.
The Indian High Commission in Ottawa acknowledged concerns over rejections but noted that issuing study permits remains Canada’s prerogative. “Some of the best quality students in the world are from India, and Canadian institutions have in the past greatly benefited from their talent,” the embassy said in a statement.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, who visited India in October, said the government remains committed to welcoming Indian students while safeguarding the integrity of its immigration system.
Universities across the country are reporting fewer Indian students. The University of Waterloo — which hosts Canada’s largest engineering faculty — says enrolment from India has fallen by about two-thirds in recent years. The University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan have seen similar declines.
Immigration consultants say applicants now face heightened scrutiny, particularly around proof of funds and documentation. “It’s not enough to show bank statements,” said Michael Pietrocarlo of Border Pass, a firm that helps students navigate the visa process. “They may have to demonstrate exactly where the money came from.”
Tensions between Canada and India have lingered since 2023, when former prime minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of involvement in the killing of a Canadian Sikh leader in Surrey, B.C. India has denied the allegation.
For some prospective students, the growing uncertainty is prompting second thoughts. “They used to tell us to ‘study, work, stay,’” said Jaspreet Singh, founder of the International Sikh Students Association, who came to Canada from India in 2015. “Now, some students say they’re happy they didn’t come.”
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