New Delhi, November 4 — Canada’s tightening of student visa rules has hit Indian applicants harder than any other country, with rejection rates soaring to 74% in August 2025 — more than double the figure two years ago — amid stricter scrutiny of documents and lingering diplomatic tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data cited by Reuters, nearly three out of every four Indian study permit applications were refused in August 2025, compared with 32% in August 2023. The overall global rejection rate stood at 40%, while China’s was much lower at 24%.
India, historically the largest source of international students in Canada, now faces the highest refusal rate among major applicant countries. The number of Indian applicants has also collapsed — from 20,900 in August 2023 to just 4,515 this August.
Officials attribute the surge in rejections to a sweeping crackdown on fraudulent applications. In 2023, authorities uncovered 1,550 fake study permits, mostly from India, and in 2024, new verification systems flagged more than 14,000 potentially forged documents. Canada has since raised financial proof requirements and introduced enhanced vetting for applicants.
The stricter measures follow diplomatic tensions triggered by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2023 allegation of India’s involvement in a killing in British Columbia — a claim New Delhi strongly denied. Since then, relations between the two countries have been strained, with Ottawa proposing additional legal powers under Bill C-12 to cancel batches of temporary visas over fraud concerns.
Internal Canadian documents have reportedly described India and Bangladesh as presenting “country-specific challenges.”
The impact is visible across Canadian universities. The University of Waterloo has seen Indian student enrolment fall by nearly two-thirds over the past four years, while the University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan have reported similar declines. Administrators say visa caps and prolonged processing delays have reshaped campus diversity and financial planning.
Processing times for Temporary Resident Visas (TRVs) have also risen sharply — from 30 days in January 2024 to 54 days by mid-2025 — while total visa approvals dropped from 63,000 to 48,000 in the same period.
Reacting to the surge in refusals, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa acknowledged the high rejection rates but emphasised that Indian students “remain among the most qualified and high-performing applicants globally.”
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand echoed the desire to maintain educational ties. “Indian students are an integral part of Canada’s academic community,” she said, adding that Ottawa must nonetheless “protect the integrity of the system.”
Education consultants say prospective students now face steeper demands for evidence of financial stability and academic intent. “Even minor inconsistencies can trigger rejection now,” said one consultant based in Chandigarh.
Recent diplomatic engagement — including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s June 2025 visit to Canada and the appointment of new high commissioners in both capitals — has hinted at a thaw, though student mobility remains under tight scrutiny.
