“The loss of applications is so substantial, it may spell the end of Canada’s student permit boom. It’s also worth mentioning this decline occurred before political tensions between the two countries began to rise.”
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data shows new study permits made a sharp drop in August 2023. The decline can be attributed almost entirely to falling applications from India, a market that represented nearly half of all permits in 2022. The loss of applications is so substantial, it may spell the end of Canada’s student permit boom. It’s also worth mentioning this decline occurred before political tensions between the two countries began to rise, reported betterdwelling.com.
Study permit applications fell 5% to 80,897 filings in August. Compared to last year, this represented a 9% decline. Typically, July to August shows growth ahead of the busy September school start. However, that is not the case this time.
The decline appears to be almost entirely concentrated in Canada’s largest source of students: India. Study permit requests from India dropped 12% to 21,161 applications in August. It was the third consecutive month for applications from the country. Considering how important these students have been to the study permit growth, this can mean a peak for the trend.
The sudden reduction of Indian study permit applications is dragging overall growth. In August, the decline of Indian students helped push monthly growth for total applications into negative territory. The country was on schedule to see another year of international student growth, but the current decline means the peak will be reached within a few months. Something most Canadians would never think possible without the government limiting those numbers.
As political tensions rise between the two countries post-G-20, it would be surprising to not see further declines from India. If this occurs, it almost certainly will mean Canada’s international student boom is over
The first thought that pops into mind is that the decline must be related to rising Canada-India political tensions. However, that drama began after the September G-20 meeting. This trend started in May or June, way before the political issue was even in the works.
What had occurred back then was the public discussion of Indian students being exploited in Canada. Stories of no housing and using food banks became more common. An admissions scandal that impacted hundreds of students made those accusations suddenly very concrete.
The timeline is right around when Canada was considering deporting hundreds of Indian students that were the victims of fraud. The students had been told they were admitted to a well-known post-secondary school, entered Canada on student visas, then were told by the recruiter that the university no longer had space, so they would have to attend private colleges.
Border services accused the students of committing fraud and sent out 700 deportation notices. While the government stepped in to freeze the order, a number had already left—some voluntarily, others by force.
As political tensions rise between the two countries post-G-20, it would be surprising to not see further declines from India. If this occurs, it almost certainly will mean Canada’s international student boom is over.