Following a recent dispute, 86% fewer Indians are applying to Canada for study visas

Towards the end of last year, Canada saw a notable decrease in the number of Indian students granted study visas. The decrease was ascribed to India’s expulsion of Canadian diplomats who handled these permits, as well as a decline in the quantity of applications from Indian students in the midst of a diplomatic spat over the Canadian death of a Sikh separatist terrorist.

On the subject, what did the Canadian Minister say?
Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller predicted in a Reuters interview that there won’t be a significant increase in the number of study permits granted to Indian students anytime soon. Notably, when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed in June that there was evidence connecting Indian government operatives to the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, diplomatic relations between the two countries increased.

“The figures moving ahead are probably going to be affected by the tensions…Our capacity to handle many applications from India has been cut in half as a result of our connection with India, Miller told Reuters. The minister said that, in response to orders from New Delhi, Canada was forced to remove 41 diplomats—or two-thirds of its employees—from India. Due to these changes, there were 86% fewer study permits issued to Indians in the fourth quarter of the previous year than there were in the same quarter the previous year. According to official statistics that was not previously released, the number of study permits granted during this time decreased from 108,940 to 14,910.

Students in India are searching for alternatives to Canada.
C Gurus Ubramanian, counselor at the Indian High Commission in Ottawa, pointed out that recent worries about the “lack of residential and adequate teaching facilities” at certain Canadian universities have led to some Indian foreign students looking at alternatives to Canada. Indians are expected to make up the biggest group of foreign students in Canada in 2022, accounting for almost 41% of all permits, or 225,835 students, according to reports.

“I’m not sure how the diplomatic ties will develop, especially if the police file charges.Regarding this, I don’t think there is any hope,” Miller said. Significantly, foreign students are a major source of revenue for Canadian colleges, bringing in around C$22 billion ($16.4 billion) a year. A slowdown would be detrimental to these establishments.

The Canadian government wants to enroll fewer international students.
In part as a reaction to the persistent housing constraint, the Canadian government has also been working to lower the total number of foreign students coming to the nation. We are now facing a problem because of the overwhelming number of kids who are enrolling. It just has to be drastically decreased within a short period of time because it has gone out of hand, Miller said. In addition, he said that the government will implement further policies, such as a potential limit, to reduce the number of foreign students during the first half of this year.

It should be noted that since it is very simple to secure work permits after completing courses, Canada is a popular location for foreign students. The food service and retail sectors are concerned that the Canadian government’s proposals to limit the amount of time that foreign students may work off campus might result in a labor shortage.