Canadian Dream Waning? Three-Fourths Of Indian Study Permits Rejected In Recent Period
India also stands out in the rejection rate statistics as only 40% of total applications were refused in each month as contrasted with permit applications from China seeing a 25% rejection rate.
Canada rejected in August up to 74% of the applicants from India who were registering for permits for post-secondary education institutes, according to a news report from Reuters.
This was a notable increase in comparison to the 32% rejection rate that was observed in August 2023.
The number of Indians applying also saw a steep decline with 4,515 applicants in August 2025 from 20,900 in August 2023.
Despite Canada having been the top destination for Indians to study abroad over the past decade, India was also the country with the highest number of rejections of study permits in August 2025.
India also stands out in the rejection rate statistics as only 40% of total applications were refused in each month as contrasted with permit applications from China seeing a 25% rejection rate.
This was partly due to the Canadian government implementing measures against fraudulent study permits as well as temporary migrants. The administration lowered the amount of international study permits it issued for a second consecutive year in 2025.
Another element that may have influenced the recent wave of tension between Canada and India would be the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the former's territory, which then-prime minister Justin Trudeau accused the latter nation of having done. The Indian government consistently denied these allegations, refusing any involvement with the murder.
Nijjar led the Sikhs For Justice organisation, which was at the forefront of the Khalistan Referendum campaign.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand also told Reuters during her October visit to India that the Canadian government was "concerned" about the integrity of its immigration system but wishes to continue having Indian students in Canada.
On the fraud front, Canadian authorities discovered that up to 1,550 study permits were linked to fake letters of acceptance, with a majority of them coming from India, according to information given to Reuters by Canada's immigration department.
This led to the government implementing update methods of verification along with upping the financial requirements needed to qualify for permit approval.
Many organisations who help international students get enrolled in Canadian universities also reported elevated measures of scrutiny, with Canadian authorities tracing sources of income of the applicants along with the amount.
The University of Waterloo, which has Canada’s largest engineering school, also saw a two-thirds decline in the number of students from India in its undergraduate and graduate programs within the past three to four years.
Jaspreet Singh, the founder of International Sikh Students Association, said that he is not surprised regarding the rejections due to fraud being a severe concern.
But he also reported that Sikh students have been losing interest in coming to Canada, citing difficulty in obtaining permanent residency and gainful employment. He said that many are happy that they didn't come to the country, after their permits were rejected.
