Indian students aspiring to study in Canada are facing significant hurdles as the approval rate for study permits is expected to drop by nearly 50% in 2024. This decline comes in response to Canadian federal measures aimed at reducing the number of foreign students. According to a report by ApplyBoard, which will be published soon, study visa approvals are expected to return to levels similar to those seen in 2018 and 2019. The Globe and Mail, which accessed the report, noted that the approval of study permits from India has already halved in the first half of 2024, suggesting that the trend may persist throughout the year. ApplyBoard, a company that connects international students with universities and colleges globally, forecasts that the total number of new study permits issued by the end of 2024 will be just over 231,000. This figure is a significant drop from the 436,000 study permits that were approved in 2023. Additionally, the report projects a 39% decline in global applications for Canadian study permits in 2024 compared to the previous year.
Indian students have traditionally formed the largest group of international students in Canada. In 2022, 2.26 lakh of the 5.5 lakh international students in Canada were from India. Furthermore, 3.2 lakh Indians were residing in Canada on student visas, contributing to the country’s economy as part of the workforce, particularly in gig jobs. However, the recent policy shifts and the growing perception that Canada is becoming less welcoming to international students have significantly impacted Indian students. ApplyBoard’s co-founder and CEO, Meti Basiri, attributed this decline to various factors, including the Canadian government’s decision to raise financial requirements for international students. Basiri explained that the move, along with indications of tighter immigration policies, has discouraged many students from pursuing their studies in Canada. “In recent months, Canada has not been seen as being as welcoming as it once was to international students,” Basiri said, as reported by The Globe and Mail. As a result, many students are now deferring their applications or opting for other destinations like the United States, Germany, and France.
In December 2023, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced a new set of financial requirements for students seeking study permits. Under these new rules, students must now demonstrate proof of at least 20,635 Canadian dollars to support their living expenses while studying in Canada. This is a significant increase from the previous requirement of 10,000 Canadian dollars, which had been in place for over two decades. The policy change was implemented to manage the rising number of international students and better reflect Canada’s increased cost of living.
In January 2024, Miller further announced a cap on the growth of international student numbers for the next two years. The government aims to reduce the influx of students, with projections suggesting that the student intake in 2024 could decrease by up to 35% compared to 2023. This cap is part of the broader efforts to address challenges posed by the rapid increase in the number of foreign students, including housing shortages and overburdened infrastructure in key cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. The government’s decision has had a particularly severe impact on Indian students, who make up a significant portion of Canada’s international student population. The ApplyBoard report highlighted that study permit approvals for Indian students were halved in the first six months of the year. If these trends continue, the Canadian government’s target of approving 364,000 study permits in 2024, based on a cap of 606,000 applications, is unlikely to be met.
