Canada visa services now available only in Delhi: How will Indian visa seekers, including students, be impacted?

What is the expected fallout of this situation?

The downsizing of Canada’s diplomatic corps and halting of visa and consular services in three major Indian cities will lead to a significant slowdown of Indian visa applications for Canada.

A very large chunk of these visa applications are from Indian students who seek to study in Canadian universities.

How many Indian students are there in Canada?

As on December 31, 2022, a total of 319,130 Indian students were registered in Canada. Of them, 209,930 were pursuing undergraduate degrees, 80,270 were pursuing postgraduate degrees, and 28,930 were studying for diplomas or certificates.

Canada is the second largest overseas destination for Indian students after the United States. As of December 31, 2022, Indian students comprised 39.5% of the international student population in Canada. Other preferred destinations for Indian students include the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

In 2022, India was the top country for permanent residents, temporary foreign workers, and international students in Canada. The issuance of student visas by Canada to Indians has been rising steadily since 2015.

Why do so many Indian students seek to study in Canada?

Apart from the fact that quality education in English is available at many levels and in a wide range of subjects, Canada’s government has worked proactively to attract foreign students.

In 2022, it launched the Student Direct Stream (SDS), a fast-track visa processing programme for students from India, China, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In April 2023, it announced a Post-Graduation Work Permit Extension programme, under which international students may stay on for up to three years after graduation, gaining valuable work experience and potentially a secure job in Canada.

And how does having international (including Indian) students help Canada?

Indian students make a substantial and positive contribution to the Canadian economy through tuition fees for colleges and universities, and by spending on living expenses such as food, accommodation, and transportation.

Tuition fees for international students in Canada are typically two to three times what is paid by domestic students. Indian students are estimated to put in approximately Canadian $10 billion annually to the education sector in that country.

Canada is a vast country, the world’s second-largest by area, with a very small population — less than 4 crore, which is comparable to that of Kerala. It is generally welcoming of immigrants, and the Canadian economy benefits from the labour of international students in critical sectors.

In 2022, international students filled approximately 370,000 jobs in Canada, with Indian students accounting for over 170,000 of these positions.

So what happens now after the slowing of the visa process?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which is responsible for processing visas, has said that it is reducing the number of employees in India from 27 to 5. The Canadian daily The Globe and Mail reported that the cutting of staff could lead to a backlog of 17,500 decisions on applications from India.

However, the 10 visa application centres that are operated by third-party contractors will not be impacted. The Canadian authorities have said that even now, 89% of visa applications from India are processed outside the country, through IRCC’s global network.

“Remaining staff will continue to focus on the work that can’t be moved out of the country, such as urgent cases, visa printing, and working with visa application centres,” Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marc Miller said.