Canada Cuts Down Student Visas by 35%. How Will it Impact Indian Students?

In an effort to reduce the number of temporary residents, Canada made a new announcement on Wednesday. The Canadian government has announced further cuts in permits for international students, and the rules related to foreign workers have also been tightened. These decisions are likely to have a significant impact on Indian students and workers.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on social media platform X: “We’re granting 35% fewer international students permits this year. And next year, that number’s going down by another 10%. — but when bad actors abuse the system and take advantage of students, we crack down.”

According to data from the Immigration Department, Canada approved 5,09,390 permits in 2023 and 1,75,920 permits in the first seven months of 2024. This new move will reduce the number of international study permits in 2025 to 4,37,000.

The latest decision by the Canadian government will also limit the work permit of spouses of temporary foreign workers as well as students. Justin Trudeau’s government made this announcement at a time when it is trailing in opinion polls ahead of next year’s federal elections. Earlier, In January, Trudeau’s government had also set a two-year limit on international students.

Impact On Indian students

Canada is one of the most preferred countries among Indian students. According to data released last month by the Indian government, around 13.35 lakh Indian students are studying abroad, of whom around 4.27 lakh are in Canada.

The number of Indian students studying in Canada has seen a massive increase of 260 per cent between 2013 and 2022.

According to a Reuters report released earlier this year, about 40 per cent of foreign students in Canada were from India. The Canadian government’s move to cut international student permits will now force Indian students to look for other options like the US, UK or Australia.