Newly released government statistics reveal a dramatic decline in study permit approvals for Indian students seeking education in Canada, with numbers dropping by more than 93% over the past two years.
Steep Decline in Student Visa Approvals
According to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), only 9,955 study permits were approved for Indian applicants between January and August of this year. This represents a staggering decrease from the 149,875 permits granted during the same period in 2023 and 76,930 in the comparable timeframe last year.
The shift forms part of a broader trend where Canada has been reducing the number of permits issued to both international students and foreign workers. This year, the federal government implemented a 10% reduction in student permits from the previous year, establishing a cap of 437,000.
Changing Application Patterns and Rejection Rates
The data reveals significant changes in both application volumes and approval rates from India. While Indian students accounted for approximately 35% of all foreign student visa applicants in 2023, their representation has fallen to just under 17% of a substantially smaller applicant pool this year.
More concerning for prospective students from India is the sharply increasing rejection rate. This year, 71% of Indian study permit applications were refused, compared to an overall rejection rate of 58% for applicants from all countries combined.
This marks a significant shift from previous years. In 2023, only 23% of Indian applicants were turned down, compared to 52% of all applicants. Government figures from the previous year show a 27% refusal rate for Indian applicants against a 40% overall rejection rate.
Broader Context and Verification Concerns
An IRCC spokesperson explained to National Post that while refusal rates for study permits from India have increased, global approval rates have also declined. The department emphasized that all applications undergo equal assessment regardless of country of origin.
"All study permit applications are assessed equally and against the same criteria, regardless of the country of origin," the IRCC representative stated. "Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis, based on the information the applicant has provided."
The heightened scrutiny comes amid concerns about application integrity. A Reuters investigation uncovered that in 2023, Canadian authorities identified 1,550 study permit applications linked to fraudulent letters of acceptance, with most originating from India. The enhanced verification system implemented last year detected more than 14,000 potentially fraudulent acceptance letters from all applicants.
These developments occur against the backdrop of Canada's broader reassessment of its international student program. The federal government has expressed concerns that high immigration levels have been placing pressure on healthcare and education services while contributing to rising housing costs across the country.
