Canada rejected 74% of Indian study permit applications in August, up sharply from 32% last year.
India has been the main source of international students to Canada over the past decade. PHOTO: REUTERS
Canada’s crackdown on international students has hit Indian applicants particularly hard, government data shows, as what was once a favored destination loses its appeal for Indian students.
Canada reduced the number of international student permits it issues for the second year in a row in early 2025, part of a broader effort to reduce the number of temporary migrants and combat student visa fraud.
About 74% of Indian applications for study permits 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.
In contrast, around 40% of study permit applications in each of these months were refused. Around 24% of Chinese study permits in August 2025 were rejected.
The number of Indian applicants has also declined, from 20,900 in August 2023 – when Indians made up just over a quarter of all applicants – to 4,515 in August 2025.
India has been the main source of international students to Canada over the past decade. In August, it also recorded the highest study permit refusal rate of any country, with more than 1,000 applicants approved.
The rise in rejections from potential students comes as Canada and India seek to rebuild ties after more than a year of tensions. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused the Indian government of being involved in the 2023 murder of a Canadian in Surrey, British Columbia. India has repeatedly denied the allegations.
An effort to fight fraud
In 2023, Canadian authorities discovered nearly 1,550 study permit applications linked to fraudulent acceptance letters, most of which came from India, Canada’s immigration ministry said in an email to Reuters.
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Last year, its enhanced verification system detected more than 14,000 potentially fraudulent acceptance letters from all applicants, it said.
Canada has implemented enhanced vetting for international students and increased its financial requirements for applicants, the Immigration Department spokesperson said.
The Indian embassy in Ottawa said the rejection of students’ study permit applications in India had been brought to its attention, but that the issuance of study permits was Canada’s prerogative.
“However, we would like to emphasize that some of the best students available in the world come from India, and Canadian institutions have benefited greatly in the past from the talent and academic excellence of these students,” the embassy said in a statement.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand told Reuters during a visit to India in October that the Canadian government was concerned about the integrity of its immigration system but wanted to continue welcoming Indian students to Canada.
A drop in Indian registrations
People who work with prospective international students say they see a higher level of scrutiny of applicants.
Michael Pietrocarlo of Border Pass, which helps people apply for Canadian visas, said his company prepares applicants to demonstrate their eligibility beyond what is required on paper.
He says, for example, that when students need to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to support themselves, “it’s not enough to just say, ‘Here are some bank statements.’ They may have to go the extra mile and say, “Here’s where the money is coming from. » »
The University of Waterloo, home to Canada’s largest engineering school, has seen a two-thirds drop in the number of Indian students entering its undergraduate and graduate programs over the past three to four years.
Ian VanderBurgh, associate vice president for strategic enrollment management, said the decline was largely due to the government’s cap on foreign student visas and had changed the makeup of the student body.
“We are proud to be an international university,” he said.
The University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan also reported a decline in the number of Indian students enrolled.
When Jaspreet Singh, founder of the International Association of Sikh Students, came to Canada from India in 2015 to study mechanical engineering, he remembers government posters urging newcomers to “study, work, stay” in the country. That attitude has deteriorated, he said.
Singh is not surprised by the higher rejection rate for Indian study permit applicants, saying he knows fraud is a problem.
But as it becomes increasingly difficult to obtain permanent residency or employment in Canada, he says some of those recently rejected don’t seem to care: “They’re glad they didn’t come.”
