Canada reports 47,000 foreign students violating visa rules, India tops the list
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has identified 47,000 foreign students as 'non-compliant' with visa rules, many from India. Officials say students failed to attend classes or report absences, highlighting gaps in oversight as the country tightens visa norms and reduces study permits.
New Delhi: Nearly 47,000 foreign students in Canada are suspected of violating visa rules and living in the country illegally, according to data shared by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The head of migration integrity in the House of Commons Committee revealed the figures while addressing lawmakers, as reported by the National Post.
This comes as Canada enforces tighter visa and compliance measures amid growing scrutiny of its international education system.
International students have been marked as 'non-compliant'
As per IRCC, a total of 47,175 international students have been marked as 'non-compliant', which means students are not attending classes as required by the study permits. While the data includes multiple nationalities, Indian students form the largest group among those flagged.
The reports come from Canadian universities and colleges that are legally required to notify IRCC if students stop attending classes. These details are then passed to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for possible enforcement actions.
However, IRCC officials admitted a major gap if institutions fail to report absences, there’s no direct way to track missing students. The head of migration integrity in the House of Commons Committee stated that identifying the exact number of non-compliant students remains difficult since investigations are handled by the CBSA.
India tops list of 'no-shows'
Earlier this year, IRCC data showed that around 50,000 foreign students were reported as 'no-shows' during spring 2024. Of these, nearly 20,000 were from India, followed by about 4,200 from China. This has raised questions about the monitoring system for international students, particularly as Canada relies heavily on them to support its universities and workforce.
Canada has also seen a sharp drop in new study permits issued to Indians. Between January and July 2025, only 52,765 permits were approved, down from 188,255 in the same period in 2024. Projections suggest the total number for 2025 may not exceed 90,000, marking a 67.5 per cent decline from 2023.
The Immigration Levels Plan 2025–2027 aims to cut the number of temporary residents to below 5 per cent. As a result, international student arrivals dropped by over 70 per cent in early 2025 compared to last year and work permits fell by about 50 per cent.
With an 80 per cent rejection rate for Indian study visa applications this year, Indian students have become the most affected group under Canada’s new immigration approach.