Canada has been tightening its grip on mass immigration. And with its decades-old policy slowly changing, Indian visa hopefuls have been the first in the line of fire.
Canada's most recent immigration data suggests that 74% of all Indian student visa applications submitted in August this year have been rejected.
This means that 3 out of 4 visas have been turned down. The rejection rates for Indians have more than doubled in 2 years. Only 32% of applicants were turned down in August 2023.
In the months where the rejection rates have increased, the average for global applicants remained around 40%. While 74% of Indian applications were turned down, China was a distant second with a 24% rejection rate.
It also seems the popularity of Canada has also dropped among aspiring Indian students. Nearly 21,000 applications were submitted in August 2023. This year, no more than 4,515 people applied.
Canada has been clamping down on international students this year. It is part of a large push against mass immigration after Mark Carney took over as prime minister.
India-Canada diplomacy
Relations between India and Canada deteriorated following accusations that New Delhi was involved in the 2023 assassination of a Canadian Sikh leader -- claims India denied.
But ties have improved since Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney took office in March.
Carney met Modi in June, on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada, where they agreed to name new high commissioners, as ambassadors between Commonwealth nations are known.
Canada is home to the largest Sikh community outside India. That community includes activists for "Khalistan", a fringe separatist movement seeking an independent state for the religious minority.
The Khalistan campaign dates to India's 1947 independence and has been blamed for the assassination of a prime minister and the bombing of a passenger jet.
It has been a bitter issue between India and several Western nations with large Sikh populations.
