Rise in non-compliance among Indian students sparks investigations
Nearly 50,000 international students failed to attend their designated colleges and universities in Canada during March and April 2024, according to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
This figure represents 6.9% of all international students tracked during this period. Among them, nearly 20,000 were Indian students, contributing 5.4% of India’s recorded international student numbers, making India the largest contributor to non-compliance, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
Indian authorities are investigating potential links between Canadian colleges admitting international students and illegal migration networks in India. Reports suggest some students may have crossed the Canada-US border illegally rather than attending their classes.
At least 10% of international student visa holders in Canada are unaccounted for, raising concerns over compliance and abuse of study permits
Immigration expert Henry Lotin believes many of the Indian no-shows remain in Canada, working or seeking permanent residency. A sharp increase in international students applying for asylum in Canada further complicates the situation. Lotin has called for stricter upfront payments and improved tracking to curb such abuses.
Non-compliance rates vary across nations, with the Philippines at 2.2%, China at 6.4%, Iran at 11.6%, and Rwanda at a significant 48.1%. Institutions in Canada are required to report the enrolment status of international students biannually, and those failing to comply with reporting requirements face suspension from admitting international students for up to a year under rules introduced by Immigration Minister Marc Miller in November.
Adding to the concern, 23,514 students, or 3.3% of those tracked, were unaccounted for due to incomplete reporting by educational institutions. This highlights that over 10% of student visa holders are untracked, with discrepancies between IRCC and Statistics Canada figures complicating the issue further.
Experts, including Lotin and immigration lawyer David Matas, advocate for increased transparency and tighter regulations.
They recommend restricting visa applications to regulated Canadian lawyers and consultants to limit fraud. Tom Kmiec, Conservative immigration critic, criticized the government for inadequate oversight and mismanagement of the immigration system. Investigations into smuggling networks and non-compliant institutions are underway as Canada and India work together to address these growing concerns.
***********************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken a small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, running a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will make a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com