Overview
- Government data for August 2025 show a 74% refusal rate for Indian study permits, up from 32% in August 2023, versus roughly 40% overall and 24% for Chinese applicants.
- Indian applications fell to 4,515 in August 2025 from 20,900 a year earlier, with 1,196 approvals recorded for the month.
- IRCC reports uncovering around 1,550 applications tied to fake acceptance letters in 2023 and more than 14,000 potentially fraudulent letters flagged by enhanced systems later, prompting stricter verification and proof-of-funds scrutiny.
- Canadian universities report visible effects, with the University of Waterloo citing about a two‑thirds decline in Indian enrolment and the University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan noting similar drops.
- Canada has reduced international study permits for a second year in 2025, and internal documents reported by CBC describe a proposal under Bill C‑12 for expanded powers to cancel groups of temporary visas linked to fraud, drawing civil‑society concerns.