Immigration: Canada Was a Dream Destination for Indian Students. Is That Changing? Canada was once a top choice for Indian students seeking education and a pathway to permanent residency. However, a sharp decline in applications has raised questions about whether this trend is reversing. For years, Canada’s private colleges offered a seemingly reliable route for middle-class Indian families, allowing students to enroll in vocational courses, secure jobs after graduation, and eventually apply for permanent residency. This process, which typically took around five years, was a major draw. But recent policy changes, economic pressures, and diplomatic tensions have disrupted this model, leading to a dramatic drop in Indian students applying to Canada. The shift is evident in the data. According to a report by Canada’s auditor general, the share of Indian students in the country’s international student population fell from 51.6% in 2023 to 8.1% in September 2025. This decline has been driven by a combination of factors, including stricter visa and immigration policies, rising living costs, and a diplomatic crisis between the two nations in 2023. At an education consultancy in Delhi, Shobhit Anand, who runs a firm that helps students navigate admissions and visa processes, noted that applications for Canada dropped by nearly 80% since 2023. “People don’t want to apply to Canada anymore,” he said. “We’re also seeing a very high visa rejection rate.” One of the most significant changes was Canada’s 2024 policy restricting the number of international students admitted to undergraduate and diploma programs. The government capped study permits at around 350,000 per year, a move that hit smaller colleges hardest.#india #canada #shobhit_anand #sushil_sukhwani #mccgill_university
