Canada rejects 74% of Indian applicants amid immigration control

Canada’s clampdown on international student permits is affecting applicants from India more than any other major source country, as the nation once viewed as a top global study destination becomes less attractive to Indian students. Ottawa has reduced the number of study permits issued for the second consecutive year in 2025, part of a wider plan to lower temporary migration and address fraud linked to Canadian student visas. Data shared with Reuters by Canada’s immigration department shows that about 74% of Indian study permit applications in August 2025 were refused, compared with around 32% in August 2023.

The overall refusal rate for international applicants in each of those months was about 40%, while roughly 24% of Chinese applications were rejected in August 2025, according to Reuters The number of applicants from India has also fallen sharply. Just 4,515 Indian students applied in August 2025, down from 20,900 applications in August 2023, when they accounted for just over one-quarter of all international applicants, Reuters reported.

India has been Canada’s biggest source of international students for more than a decade and, as of August, had the highest refusal rate among countries with more than 1,000 approved applicants, according to the data.The spike in refusals of would-be students comes as Canada and India seek to mend ties after more than a year of tension. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of involvement in the 2023 murder of a Canadian in Surrey, British Columbia. India has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Last year, its beefed-up verification system detected more than 14,000 potentially fraudulent letters of acceptance from all applicants, it said. Canada has implemented enhanced verification for international students and has increased its financial requirements for applicants, the immigration department spokesperson said.

The Indian embassy in Ottawa said the rejection of study permit applications from students in India had come to its attention, but that the issuance of study permits is Canada's prerogative. Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told Reuters during an October visit to India that Canada's government is concerned about the integrity of its immigration system but wants to continue having Indian students in Canada.

The University of Waterloo, home to Canada's largest engineering school, has seen a two-thirds decline in the number of students from India entering its undergraduate and graduate programs over the past three to four years. The University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan have also reported a decline in the number of Indian students enrolled. It becomes harder to get permanent residency or a job in Canada