A Reuters analysis of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) statistics shows that nearly three in four Indian applicants for Canadian post-secondary study permits were refused in August 2025—more than double the rejection rate recorded two years ago. India Today published the findings on 4 November, situating the numbers within an increasingly strained Canada–India political climate.
IRCC approved only 1,200 of 4,500 Indian applications filed that month, while overall global approval rates held steady at around 60 %. Analysts attribute the spike to heightened document-fraud scrutiny, backlogs from pandemic-era deferrals, and Ottawa’s new province-level “international student caps.”
![Visa-shock: 74 % of Indian study-permit applications to Canada were rejected in August, government data reveal]()
The data set off alarm bells among Indian education-consultancy firms, some of which report a 35 per cent drop in new client enquiries this autumn. Corporations that rely on Canada’s post-graduation work-permit route to source STEM talent may also feel a pinch, as fewer Indian graduates enter the Canadian labour pool.
Experts advise prospective students to front-load financial documentation and explain ties to India with greater specificity. Meanwhile, universities in Australia and the United Kingdom are accelerating campus roadshows to court Indian applicants who might look beyond Canada.
IRCC approved only 1,200 of 4,500 Indian applications filed that month, while overall global approval rates held steady at around 60 %. Analysts attribute the spike to heightened document-fraud scrutiny, backlogs from pandemic-era deferrals, and Ottawa’s new province-level “international student caps.”
The data set off alarm bells among Indian education-consultancy firms, some of which report a 35 per cent drop in new client enquiries this autumn. Corporations that rely on Canada’s post-graduation work-permit route to source STEM talent may also feel a pinch, as fewer Indian graduates enter the Canadian labour pool.
Experts advise prospective students to front-load financial documentation and explain ties to India with greater specificity. Meanwhile, universities in Australia and the United Kingdom are accelerating campus roadshows to court Indian applicants who might look beyond Canada.
