Canada Rejects 74% Indian Study Permit Applications over Immigration Abuse, Fraud, Corruption, and the social backlash that infuriated literally all Canadians: The phenomenon is unofficially known as ‘Indian Fatigue’

Fearing fraud, Canada rejects most Indian study permit applicants

Canada rejects 74% of Indian student visas as part of fraud crackdown and policy overhaul

By Eddie Hardie, Sociopolitical Commentator @ Canuck🍁Post

• 74% of Indian applicants for Canadian study permits in August were rejected, up from 32% in August 2023
• Rejection rate for applications overall was 40%
• Canadian government cites fraud concerns

Canada’s clampdown on international students has hit applicants from India particularly hard, government data shows, as what was once a preferred destination loses its allure for Indian students.

Canada’s rejection of nearly three-fourths of Indian student visa applications in 2025 signals a major shift in immigration policy. Fraud scandals, tighter verification, and diplomatic tensions have left thousands of Indian students uncertain about their academic future.

Canada lowered the number of international student permits it issues for the second year in a row in early 2025 as part of a broader effort to reduce the number of temporary migrants and address fraud related to student visas.

About 74% of Indian applications for permits to study at Canadian post-secondary institutions in August – the most recent month available – were rejected, compared to about 32% in August 2023, according to immigration department data provided to Reuters.

By contrast, about 40% of study permit applications overall in each of those months were refused. About 24% of Chinese study permits in August 2025 were rejected.

The number of Indian applicants has dropped, as well, from 20,900 in August 2023 – when Indians formed just over one quarter of all applicants – to 4,515 in August 2025.

“Scary Scenes”: Thousands Of Indian Students In Canada Queue For Waiter Jobs

India has been Canada’s top source of international students over the past decade. In August, it also had the highest study-permit refusal rate of any country with more than 1,000 approved applicants.

The spike in refusals of would-be students comes as Canada and India seek to mend ties after more than a year of tension. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of involvement in the 2023 murder of a Canadian in Surrey, British Columbia. India has repeatedly denied the allegations.

AN EFFORT TO CRACK DOWN ON FRAUD

In 2023, Canadian authorities uncovered nearly 1,550 study permit applications linked to fraudulent letters of acceptance, most of which originated from India, Canada’s immigration department told Reuters in an email.

Last year its beefed-up verification system detected more than 14,000 potentially fraudulent letters of acceptance from all applicants, it said.

Canada has implemented enhanced verification for international students and has increased its financial requirements for applicants, the immigration department spokesperson said.

The Indian embassy in Ottawa said the rejection of study permit applications from students in India had come to its attention, but that the issuance of study permits is Canada’s prerogative.

“However, we would like to emphasize that some of the best quality students available in the world are from India, and Canadian institutions have in the past greatly benefited from the talent and academic excellence of these students,” the embassy said in a statement.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told Reuters during an October visit to India that Canada’s government is concerned about the integrity of its immigration system but wants to continue having Indian students in Canada.

Most Canadians have negative view on ‘radical’ immigrants such as ‘Khalistanis’ (Sikhs), who’s seen as abusing Canada to advance their separatist agenda to establish a ‘Sikhdom’ in India

A DROP IN INDIAN ENROLMENT

People who work with would-be international students say they are seeing a higher level of applicant scrutiny.

Michael Pietrocarlo of Border Pass, which helps people apply for Canadian visas, said his firm prepares applicants to show their eligibility beyond what’s required on paper.

He says, for example, when students must demonstrate they have sufficient funds to support themselves, “it’s not enough just to say, ‘Here are some bank statements.’ They may have to go the extra mile and say, ‘Here’s where the money came from.'”

The University of Waterloo, home to Canada’s largest engineering school, has seen a two-thirds decline in the number of students from India entering its undergraduate and graduate programs over the past three to four years.

Ian VanderBurgh, its associate vice president of strategic enrolment management, said the drop was largely due to a government cap on foreign student visas and had altered the composition of the student body.

“We pride ourselves on being an international university,” he said.

The University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan have also reported a decline in the number of Indian students enrolled.

When Jaspreet Singh, who founded the International Sikh Students Association, came to Canada from India in 2015 to study mechanical engineering, he remembers government posters exhorting newcomers to “Study, work, stay” in the country. That attitude has soured, he said.

Singh is not surprised at the higher rejection rate for Indian study permit applicants, saying he knows fraud is a concern.

But as it becomes harder to get permanent residency or a job in Canada, he says some of those recently rejected appear to not mind: “They are happy they didn’t come.”

Justin Trudeau is credited with the ‘Indian Fatigue’…

Also to blame are Liberal MPs who spend all their time helping foreigners immigrate to Canada eg. Terry Beech, Hedy Fry, and Ron McKinnon.

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Commentary by Eddie Hardie, Chief Commentator @  Canuck🍁Post:-

This is a sobering but necessary read. While it’s unfortunate for genuine students, Canada’s stance is completely understandable. The integrity of the immigration system must be protected. High fraud rates from a specific region force the government to apply stricter scrutiny. This isn’t about discrimination; it’s about upholding the rules and ensuring that study permits are used for their intended purpose—education, not just as a backdoor to immigration. Hopefully, this leads to better self-policing and more credible applications from India in the future.

This article highlights a critical and complex issue. The 74% rejection rate isn’t arbitrary; it’s a direct consequence of a systemic problem. When a significant portion of applications contain misrepresentation (fraud) or come from applicants who cannot demonstrate strong ties to their home country, the system has no choice but to become more defensive.

This creates a vicious cycle: the actions of a few bad actors and unscrupulous consultants ruin the chances of genuine, well-qualified students. They get caught in the crossfire of enhanced scrutiny.

Canada’s approach, while harsh, is a matter of protecting its international education brand and the students who do come here legitimately. The solution lies not in Canada lowering its standards, but in a concerted effort within India to crack down on fraudulent consultants and for applicants to be meticulously honest and thorough in their submissions.

It’s heartbreaking to think of genuine students having their dreams delayed or denied because of the fraudulent actions of others. However, we cannot blame Canadian immigration officials for reacting to the data in front of them. A system overwhelmed by fraud must implement strict filters to survive.

This situation ultimately hurts the most those who are playing by the rules. The focus should be on cleaning up the process at the source: better education for applicants about what constitutes a strong, legitimate application and a crackdown on the ‘consultants’ who sell lies and fabricated documents. Canada’s tough stance is a painful but predictable outcome of a broken process.

Doug Ford, Canada’s very own Mr. TACO is seen cosplaying as a ‘Sikh’