Canada’s New Visa Rules Challenge Indian Students Seeking Education Opportunities

Ottawa:  
In an effort to limit illegal migration, Canada has implemented more strict immigration and visa policies, significantly impacting thousands of Indian students pursuing higher education abroad. Since the new Immigration & Refugee Protection Regulations took effect on January 31, many students have reported sudden permit cancellations, increased scrutiny of visa applications, & more rigid enforcement of departure rules. 

"We've had multiple clients lose their permits despite perfect academic records," stated Nikhil Jain, the founder of ForeignAdmits, as reported by the Economic Times.

Jain further pointed out that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) anticipates 7,000 more permit revocations this year, potentially affecting the 427,000 Indian students studying in Canada as of now.

"We're telling our Canadian clients to document everything - every hour worked and every address change should be reported within seven days. Canada has shifted from welcoming to suspicious, and students must adapt fast," Nikhil Jain said further.

The tightening of immigration policies is also affecting the issuance of study permits for Indian students.

"There's a 40 per cent drop in study permits issued to Indian students since Q4 2023," Siddharth Iyer, the chief operating officer of OneStep Global elaborated to ET.

Moreover, applicants for Fall 2025 now face the new C$20,635 GIC (guaranteed investment certificate) requirement, posing a major financial challenge for middle-class Indian families.

READ MORE - 

The psychology behind binge eating when you're sad!