India-Canada row: It’s failing Indian students

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Over 400,000 Indians are studying in Canada but experts estimate a drop of 100,000 in the coming year as India-Canada ties plummet. With Ottawa also restricting other international students, Mint asks if Canada’s youth-and-education charm is fading.

Canada has introduced a two-year cap on new student permits amid a housing crisis and to check the quality of schools. First, in January, it slashed international student permits by 35% to 364,000 in 2024. Then in September, a 10% cut was made, bringing permits down to 327,000 for 2025.

Canada also doubled the GIC (guaranteed investment certificate) from CAD 10,000 ( ₹6 lakh) to CAD 20,635 ( ₹12 lakh) effective from 2024. A GIC acts as proof that the student has the means to live in Canada. Immigration minister Marc Miller said he wanted to maintain “a sustainable level of temporary residence in Canada".

There are 427,000 Indians studying in Canada. The caps, costs and scrutiny of colleges are pushing students towards other countries. Education consultants say students from Punjab and Haryana who tend to head for Australia and Canada are impacted more than those from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu who prefer the US.

Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) say students from tier II and III cities—Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Mohali and smaller towns like Barnala, Khanna, Muktsar, Firozpur and Faridkot—are borrowing money to head for European countries now. Read more: The escalating India-Canada rift and its implications for India Unlikely. Experts say Canada needs Indian students.