Indian students to bear brunt of Canada's 2-year cap on int'l student permits

Subhasish Mitra (Wide Angle)

Canada has announced an immediate, two-year cap on international student permits. It said it would also stop giving work permits to some post-graduate students as it seeks to rein in record numbers of newcomers seen aggravating a housing crisis.

 

The move is likely to impact Indians planning to study in that country.

 

According to a statement from the immigration ministry, the cap is expected to result in approximately 3.6 lakh approved study permits in 2024, a decrease of 35 percent from 2023.

 

Immigration Minister Marc Miller said, the federal government would work with the provinces, which oversee the educational system, to apply the cap.

 

There was a significant decline in the issuance of study permits by Canada to Indian students last year. This drop occurred following the expulsion of Canadian diplomats responsible for processing these permits by the Indian authorities.

 

Furthermore, the number of Indian students applying for study permits dwindled due to a diplomatic dispute arising from the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada, as reported by news agency Reuters.

 

Immigration Minister Marc Miller believes that the number of study permits granted to Indians is not likely to recover in the near future. Diplomatic tensions escalated when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in June, asserted that there was evidence linking Indian government agents to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.

 

The tensions are likely to weigh on the numbers going forward. "Our relationship with India has really halved our ability to process a lot of applications from India," Miller said.

 

In October, Canada had to withdraw 41 diplomats, constituting two-thirds of its diplomatic staff in India, as directed by North Block. In addition, the ongoing diplomatic dispute has led Indian students to explore educational opportunities in other countries.

 

C. Gurusubramanian, counselor for the High Commission of India in Ottawa said that certain Indian international students are exploring alternative options other than Canada. This is attributed to concerns arising in the recent past regarding the insufficient availability of residential facilities and adequate teaching resources at some Canadian institutions.

 

These factors resulted in an 86% decline in the issuance of study permits to Indians in the fourth quarter of the last year compared to the previous quarter. The number dropped from 108,940 to 14,910, as per official data that has not been reported before.

 

In 2023, the government projected that around 900,000 international students would pursue studies in Canada, marking a threefold increase from a decade ago.

 

Immigration Minister Miller noted that 40% of these students, equivalent to around 360,000, were expected to be from India. Despite a 4% decline in the number of permits granted to Indian students last year, they continued to represent the largest group among international students.