After US, UK, Canada Reduces Indian Student Permits By 31%

Indian students are moving to various foreign countries in search of greener pastures. Of late, these foreign countries have been trying to check the influx of the Indian students into their nations. While the US and UK have intensified cracking down on the visa rules, Canada is already witnessing a significant drop in the number of Indian students wishing to pursue higher studies in the country.

Canada introduced new requirements for student permit application, effective since January 2024, leading to the drop in numbers.

According to the IRCC data, 30,650 permits were issued for Indian students against 44,295 in 2024, indicating a 31 percent drop in the influx.

Reportedly, Canada has been trying to stop foreign students from entering the country since 2023. In the same year, Canada issued a total of 681,155 study permits, of whom 278,045 are Indians. In 2024, the study permits number drop to 516,275 and of them Indians are 188,465.

Housing, Transport and Food Crisis

According to reports, Canada is against the influx of foreign students in the wake of the country’s resources going under high pressure, leading to housing, transport crisis. Canada Prime Minister Mark Carnet said that temporary residents, including foreign students and workers, will not cross 5 per cent of the country’s population by 2027.

Significantly, international students complained of food crisis as many of the food banks barred them from their services, stating that their services would be provided only for the permanent residents of Canada. Taking cognizance of the PM’s announcement and the restrictions, IRCC in 2024 announced that permit for 2025 would be 437,000 from the earlier 485,000.

The IRCC even mandated that new study permit applications received on or after January 1, 2024, will need to show that they have CA$ 20,635 against the earlier CA$ 10,000. The applicants have to prove that they have sufficient money to pay for the tuition fees, for their expenses and their family members who accompany them, and also enough money for their return travel.

In 2022, Indian students were 41 per cent of the total international students. Other eligibility requirements of the students planning to pursue academics in Canada include obeying the law of the country and also having no criminal records. The applicants should be in good health. They also should prove that they will leave Canada when their study permit expires.