Canada experienced a drastic decline in the issuance of study permits to Indian students during the second quarter of the previous year, attributing this drop to diplomatic tensions between India and Canada. In an interview with Reuters, Immigration Minister Marc Miller expressed doubt about a swift rebound in the number of study permits granted to Indian students. The diplomatic strain escalated when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in June, asserted evidence linking Indian agents to the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
“Our relationship with India has really halved our ability to process a lot of applications from India,” Miller said. He further added, “I can’t tell you about how the diplomatic relationship will evolve, particularly if police were to lay charges. It’s not something that I see any light at the end of the tunnel on.”
The tensions are likely to weigh on the numbers going forward, Miller said.
In October, Canada had to bring back 41 diplomats, which was two-thirds of its diplomatic staff in India, following instructions from New Delhi. This diplomatic dispute has also caused Indian students to look for educational opportunities in other countries, a spokesperson for the minister said.
C. Gurusubramanian, counselor for the High Commission of India in Ottawa, revealed that some Indian international students are now considering alternatives to Canada. This shift is linked to recent concerns about inadequate residential facilities and teaching resources at certain Canadian institutions.
All these had led to a drastic 86% decrease in the issuance of study permits to Indians in the last quarter of the previous year, as compared to the preceding quarter. Official data, not previously disclosed, indicates a drop from 108,940 to 14,910 study permits issued during this period.
Indians have always formed the largest group of international students in Canada, with more than 41% i.e. 225,835 permits going to them in 2022.
With agency inputs