Canada rejected 74% of Indian study permit applications in August, up from 32% last year
India has been the leading source of international students in Canada for the past decade. PHOTO: REUTERS
Canada’s crackdown on international students has hit applicants from India particularly hard, government data shows, as what was once a preferred destination loses its appeal for Indian students.
Canada has reduced the number of international student permits it issues for a second year in a row in early 2025 as part of a broader effort to reduce the number of temporary immigrants and crack down on 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 with about 32% in August 2023, according to immigration department data provided to Reuters.
In contrast, around 40% of study leave applications combined in each of these months were rejected. About 24% of Chinese study permits in August 2025 were rejected.
The number of Indian applicants has also fallen 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 leading source of international students in Canada for the past decade. In August, it also had the highest study permit denial rate of any country with more than 1,000 approved applicants.
The surge in refusals of would-be students comes as Canada and India try to mend ties after more than a year of tension. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused the Indian government of involvement in the 2023 killing of a Canadian in Surrey, British Columbia. India has repeatedly denied the allegations.
An attempt to crack down on fraud
In 2023, Canadian authorities uncovered nearly 1,550 applications for study permits linked to fraudulent acceptance letters, most of which came from India, Canada’s immigration department told Reuters in an email.
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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 improved verification for international students and increased its financial requirements for applicants, the immigration department spokesman said.
The Indian embassy in Ottawa said the rejection of study permit applications by students in India has come to its attention, but that issuing study permits is Canada’s prerogative.
“However, we would like to emphasize that some of the best quality students available in the world are from India and Canadian institutions have in the past benefited greatly from the talent and academic excellence of these students,” the embassy said in a statement.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand told Reuters during an October visit to India that the Canadian government is concerned about the integrity of its immigration system but wants to continue having Indian students in Canada.
Decline in Indian Enrollment
People who work with prospective international students say they see a higher level of screening of applicants.
Michael Pietrocarlo of Border Pass, which helps people apply for Canadian visas, said his company prepares applicants to show their eligibility beyond what is required on paper.
He says, for example, when students have to prove they have sufficient funds to support themselves, “it’s not enough to just say, ‘Here are some bank statements.’ They might have to go the extra mile and say, “Where did the money come 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, its associate vice president for strategic enrollment management, said the drop was largely due to the government 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, who founded the International Union 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 broken down, he said.
Singh isn’t surprised by the higher rejection rate for Indian study permit applicants, saying he knows fraud is a concern.
But as it becomes increasingly difficult to find permanent residency or work in Canada, he says some of those recently rejected don’t seem to mind: “They’re glad they didn’t come.”
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