Khushi Bhuta, Pune
Canada has drastically decreased the number of study permits it has granted to Indian students since the diplomatic dispute between Ottawa and New Delhi started in September. This drop of 86% in Canadian permits for Indian students has occurred since the row began consequently after the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist involved in the Khalistan movement, in June. The murder was allegedly committed by Indian government agents, as per Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller has stated that he thinks it is unlikely that the number of study permits issued to Indians will increase anytime soon. Due to the conflict, fewer Indian students have applied to the country, and as a result, Canada has given comparatively fewer study permits to Indian students in the latter part of last year. Furthermore, in October, New Delhi had ordered Canada to pull 41 of its diplomats out of India. Due to this, the total number of Canadian diplomats in India reduced to 1/3 of its strength which eventually impacted their ability and speed to process the permits. Ottawa has called the removal of Canadian diplomats from India, including IRCC staff “expulsion.”
Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller told Reuters that “our relationship with India has really halved our ability to process a lot of applications from India.” Melanie Joly, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, had stated at the time that the downsizing would affect the services offered. Indians now make up the largest group of foreign students studying in Canada. As of 2022, almost 41% of all of their permits went to Indians. For Canadian universities, international students are a money maker, bringing in roughly C$22 billion ($16.4 billion) a year. This decline is expected to be devastating for these universities.
However, in part as a response to the persistent housing constraint, the Canadian government has also been working to lower the total number of foreign students moving to the nation. Miller stated that additional steps, maybe including a cap, would be implemented by the government to reduce the number of foreign students during the first half of this year.
Because obtaining a work permit after completing courses is very relatively straightforward in the country, Canada is a popular location for overseas students. According to him, the government plans to tighten its regulations on “fly-by-night” institutions, also known as designated learning institutes, and to address an extremely generous program for postgraduate work permits.