Canada rejects record 74% of Indian student visa applications in August, highest refusal rate globally

Rejections spike amid strained India-Canada relations

The surge in refusals comes against the backdrop of ongoing diplomatic tension between New Delhi and Ottawa. Relations soured last year when former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian involvement in the 2023 killing of a Canadian Sikh separatist leader — a claim that India has repeatedly and strongly denied.

Ottawa tightens checks after fake admission letter scam

Canada’s immigration department said it has ramped up fraud detection efforts after uncovering over 1,550 fake study permit applications in 2023, most linked to forged acceptance letters from Indian agents. Last year, enhanced verification systems flagged more than 14,000 potentially fraudulent documents globally.

Authorities have since tightened scrutiny and raised financial requirements for international students seeking to study in Canada.

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Responding to the trend, the Indian Embassy in Ottawa said it had taken note of the high rejection rates, while stressing that many of the world’s top-performing students hail from India.

“Canadian universities have long benefitted from Indian students’ talent and academic excellence,” the embassy said.

Meanwhile, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told Reuters during her October visit to India that Ottawa remains committed to welcoming Indian students but must “protect the integrity of the immigration system.”

Indian enrolments fall across major Canadian universities

Universities across Canada are reporting a steep fall in Indian enrolments. At the University of Waterloo, home to the country’s largest engineering school, the number of students from India entering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes has dropped by about two-thirds in the past four years, reported Reuters.

Ian VanderBurgh, associate vice-president for strategic enrolment management at Waterloo, attributed the decline to the government’s cap on foreign student visas, which has altered the university’s student mix. “We take pride in being an international institution,” VanderBurgh was quoted as saying.

Both the University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan have seen similar declines in Indian student numbers.