Canada cracks down on fraudulent Indian students

[sweep_shot]

Fearing fraud, Canada rejects most Indian study permit applicants​

Summary

• 74% of Indian applicants for Canadian study permits in August were rejected, up from 32% in August 2023
• Rejection rate for applications overall was 40%
• Canadian government cites fraud concerns
  

TORONTO, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Canada’s clampdown on international students has hit applicants from India particularly hard, government data shows, as what was once a preferred destination loses its allure for Indian students.

Canada lowered the number of international student permits it issues for the second year in a row in early 2025 as part of a broader effort to reduce the number of temporary migrants and address fraud related to student visas.

About 74% of Indian applications for permits to study at Canadian post-secondary institutions in August - the most recent month available – were rejected, compared to about 32% in August 2023, according to immigration department data provided to Reuters.

By contrast, about 40% of study permit applications overall in each of those months were refused. About 24% of Chinese study permits in August 2025 were rejected.

The number of Indian applicants has dropped, as well, from 20,900 in August 2023 - when Indians formed just over one quarter of all applicants - to 4,515 in August 2025.

India has been Canada's top source of international students over the past decade. In August, it also had the highest study-permit refusal rate of any country with more than 1,000 approved applicants.

The spike in refusals of would-be students comes as Canada and India seek to mend ties after more than a year of tension. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of involvement in the 2023 murder of a Canadian in Surrey, British Columbia. India has repeatedly denied the allegations.

​

AN EFFORT TO CRACK DOWN ON FRAUD​

In 2023, Canadian authorities uncovered nearly 1,550 study permit applications linked to fraudulent letters of acceptance, most of which originated from India, Canada's immigration department told Reuters in an email.

Last year its beefed-up verification system detected more than 14,000 potentially fraudulent letters of acceptance from all applicants, it said.

Canada has implemented enhanced verification for international students and has increased its financial requirements for applicants, the immigration department spokesperson said.

The Indian embassy in Ottawa said the rejection of study permit applications from students in India had come to its attention, but that the issuance of study permits is Canada's prerogative.

"However, we would like to emphasize that some of the best quality students available in the world are from India, and Canadian institutions have in the past greatly benefited from the talent and academic excellence of these students," the embassy said in a statement.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told Reuters during an October visit to India that Canada's government is concerned about the integrity of its immigration system but wants to continue having Indian students in Canada.

​

A DROP IN INDIAN ENROLMENT​

People who work with would-be international students say they are seeing a higher level of applicant scrutiny.
Michael Pietrocarlo of Border Pass, which helps people apply for Canadian visas, said his firm prepares applicants to show their eligibility beyond what's required on paper.

He says, for example, when students must demonstrate they have sufficient funds to support themselves, "it's not enough just to say, 'Here are some bank statements.' They may have to go the extra mile and say, 'Here's where the money came from.'"

The University of Waterloo, home to Canada’s largest engineering school, has seen a two-thirds decline in the number of students from India entering its undergraduate and graduate programs over the past three to four years.

Ian VanderBurgh, its associate vice president of strategic enrolment management, said the drop was largely due to a government cap on foreign student visas and had altered the composition of the student body.
“We pride ourselves on being an international university,” he said.

The University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan have also reported a decline in the number of Indian students enrolled.

When Jaspreet Singh, who founded the International Sikh Students Association, came to Canada from India in 2015 to study mechanical engineering, he remembers government posters exhorting newcomers to "Study, work, stay" in the country. That attitude has soured, he said.

Singh is not surprised at the higher rejection rate for Indian study permit applicants, saying he knows fraud is a concern.
But as it becomes harder to get permanent residency or a job in Canada, he says some of those recently rejected appear to not mind: "They are happy they didn't come."

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/india...ampaign=canada-s-crackdown-on-indian-students.

 

[Champ_Pal]

LOL @ cracking down on Indian students.

Canada knew what it was doing while importing hundreds and thousands of students(many are fake from you know where) into the country. Crime has increased and Canada does not have the infra and means to take in all these students.

Canada deserves everything it is getting. They need to blame their own politicians. Anyways, its better late than never. Hopefully they at least hunt down the list India provided and send them back to India. Indian government knows how to handle them. Right now many of these fake students, plumbers, truck drivers have found safe haven in Canneeedda!!

 

[sweep_shot]

It is a good move.

These fraudulent students were taking up jobs from actual Canadians.

Some of them were supposed to study but they were ending up ditching their schools and simply working. Good to see Canada is looking to correct this.

 

[CricVet]

All I did was just typed on google, "country with the most fake college degrees moving to Canada?"

The AI answer:
The country most frequently associated with fraudulent college degrees or acceptance letters in applications for Canadian study permits is India.

Canadian authorities have identified thousands of cases involving fake documents, with the vast majority originating from India.
Key findings from Canadian immigration reports and media investigations:

• In 2023, Canadian authorities uncovered nearly 1,550 fraudulent study permit applications linked to fake acceptance letters, most of which originated from India.
• An enhanced verification system implemented last year flagged over 14,000 potentially fraudulent documents globally, with media reports indicating that approximately 80% of these fake documents were linked to students from the Indian states of Gujarat and Punjab.
• In a review of over 2,000 cases of potential fraud, 89% involved foreign nationals from India, followed by Vietnam (8%) and China (3%).
• Many of the students involved claim to be victims of unlicensed immigration agents in India who provided them with the forged documents, often without their knowledge.

This high incidence of fraud has led to increased scrutiny and higher study permit rejection rates for applicants from India.

SOMETIME, AI can be wrong.

 

[sweep_shot]

All I did was just typed, "country with the most fake college degrees moving to Canada?"

The AI answer:
The country most frequently associated with fraudulent college degrees or acceptance letters in applications for Canadian study permits is India.

Canadian authorities have identified thousands of cases involving fake documents, with the vast majority originating from India.
Key findings from Canadian immigration reports and media investigations:

• In 2023, Canadian authorities uncovered nearly 1,550 fraudulent study permit applications linked to fake acceptance letters, most of which originated from India.
• An enhanced verification system implemented last year flagged over 14,000 potentially fraudulent documents globally, with media reports indicating that approximately 80% of these fake documents were linked to students from the Indian states of Gujarat and Punjab.
• In a review of over 2,000 cases of potential fraud, 89% involved foreign nationals from India, followed by Vietnam (8%) and China (3%).
• Many of the students involved claim to be victims of unlicensed immigration agents in India who provided them with the forged documents, often without their knowledge.

This high incidence of fraud has led to increased scrutiny and higher study permit rejection rates for applicants from India.

Yup. India is the #1 source of academic fraud in Canada.

A large percentage of Canada's immigrants come from China and India. While Chinese generally assimilate better and do less frauds, Indians often resort to many unethical (and sometimes illegal) activities.

 

[Champ_Pal]

All I did was just typed on google, "country with the most fake college degrees moving to Canada?"

The AI answer:
The country most frequently associated with fraudulent college degrees or acceptance letters in applications for Canadian study permits is India.

Canadian authorities have identified thousands of cases involving fake documents, with the vast majority originating from India.
Key findings from Canadian immigration reports and media investigations:

• In 2023, Canadian authorities uncovered nearly 1,550 fraudulent study permit applications linked to fake acceptance letters, most of which originated from India.
• An enhanced verification system implemented last year flagged over 14,000 potentially fraudulent documents globally, with media reports indicating that approximately 80% of these fake documents were linked to students from the Indian states of Gujarat and Punjab.
• In a review of over 2,000 cases of potential fraud, 89% involved foreign nationals from India, followed by Vietnam (8%) and China (3%).
• Many of the students involved claim to be victims of unlicensed immigration agents in India who provided them with the forged documents, often without their knowledge.

This high incidence of fraud has led to increased scrutiny and higher study permit rejection rates for applicants from India.

SOMETIME, AI can be wrong.

Because they are not students. They can barely speak English. They try the asylum route first. If that fails, they pose as students to move there. All of them are economic immigrants. Its a mafia. Operating both in Canadian and Indian soils.

India has warned about this to Canada before, but Canada turned a blind eye to it. India has also warned thousands of real students too who were planning on going to Canada for higher studies. Many still go to Canada in spite of the warnings. Especially if their US F1 visa gets rejected.

 

[Champ_Pal]

Yup. India is the #1 source of academic fraud in Canada.

A large percentage of Canada's immigrants come from China and India. While Chinese generally assimilate better and do less frauds, Indians often resort to many unethical (and sometimes illegal) activities.

That is because those are not students.

 

[CricVet]

Because they are not students. They can barely speak English. They try the asylum route first. If that fails, they pose as students to move there. All of them are economic immigrants. Its a mafia. Operating both in Canadian and Indian soils.

India has warned about this to Canada before, but Canada turned a blind eye to it. India has also warned thousands of real students too who were planning on going to Canada for higher studies. Many still go to Canada in spite of the warnings. Especially if their US F1 visa gets rejected.

If the shoe was on the other foot, you would not let the opportunity go to mock the OTHER countries, would ya?

I understand your justification.

You need to realize that MOST of the South Asian problems are pretty common among the masses, regardless of the nation - ONLY if people like you and I learn to tackle them instead of using as mud to sling at each other.

 

[Champ_Pal]

If the shoe was on the other foot, you would not let the opportunity go to mock the OTHER countries, would ya?

I understand your justification.

You need to realize that MOST of the South Asian problems are pretty common among the masses, regardless of the nation - ONLY if people like you and I learn to tackle them instead of using as mud to sling at each other.

Can you elaborate this part?

 

[JaDed]

It’s India and Bangladesh on the radar:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mass-cancellation-power-visas-india-bangladesh-9.6956426

They both have a chance to be black listed.. 5 years ago I spoke out against this on this forum against Trudeau.

Trudeau’s goal was 3% immigration, the data clearly showed Indians were about 42% of that.. and rest Bangladeshis Pakistanis and some african countries.

Heck , 3% immigration continuously is huge demographic change in short time, it’s also the reason why I didn’t utilize my Canadian PR and instead will surrender it next time I travel to Canada, the intake had no filters.. they were getting non-Stem graduates in such high numbers from developing countries which was stupid as those are available within Canada.

 

[sweep_shot]

It’s India and Bangladesh on the radar:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mass-cancellation-power-visas-india-bangladesh-9.6956426

They both have a chance to be black listed.. 5 years ago I spoke out against this on this forum against Trudeau.

Trudeau’s goal was 3% immigration, the data clearly showed Indians were about 42% of that.. and rest Bangladeshis Pakistanis and some african countries.

Heck , 3% immigration continuously is huge demographic change in short time, it’s also the reason why I didn’t utilize my Canadian PR and instead will surrender it next time I travel to Canada, the intake had no filters.. they were getting non-Stem graduates in such high numbers from developing countries which was stupid as those are available within Canada.

Yes. Bangladesh too but India is getting the biggest sanction.

There are far more students from India than from Bangladesh.

Anyway, I want crackdown against all frauds even if it means Bangladeshi frauds. I am always anti-fraud no matter who does it. I do not make excuses or do whataboutery when it comes to fraud.

 

[JaDed]

Yes. Bangladesh too but India is getting the biggest sanction.

There are far more students from India than from Bangladesh.

Anyway, I want crackdown against all frauds even if it means Bangladeshi frauds. I am always anti-fraud.

It’s a blanket blacklist.. only for two countries right now, the fraud happened coz White lying colleges propped up as well, it became a full on industry of lies, the immigration was bang average did no checks and now is blaming others.

I agree, they should crack down on all those frauds, including their own.. but then their frauds they give them asylum, the asylum industry of Canada is a joke, anyone can come in and apply for asylum.. ridiculous.

 

[sweep_shot]

Most frauds are happening from India but other ethnicities are also doing these (smaller numbers but concerning). Need to crack down on all frauds regardless of ethnicity.



====================================

Canada rejects 74% of Indian student visas amid tough fraud crackdown​

Canada's strict cap on student permits and new verification checks have pushed Indian visa rejections to a record 74% in August 2025, the highest of any major source country
​

Canada’s clampdown on international students has hit Indian applicants hardest, as data shows the country rejecting nearly three-quarters of study permit applications from India in August 2025.

Government figures reveal that 74 per cent of Indian applications for post-secondary study were refused that month, compared with 32 per cent in August 2023. By contrast, the overall study permit refusal rate for all nationalities was about 40 per cent.

Applications from India have also plunged, from 20,900 in August 2023, when Indians made up more than a quarter of all applicants, to just 4,515 this August. China, meanwhile, saw a 24 per cent refusal rate during the same period.

India has been Canada’s top source of international students for the past decade. Yet in August, it recorded the highest rejection rate of any country with more than 1,000 approvals.

Why are fewer students entering Canada?​

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data showed international student arrivals fell by more than 132,000 in the first eight months of 2025. Only 45,380 students entered in August.

Officials attributed the decline to a cap on study permits introduced in 2024, followed by a further 10 per cent cut this year. The government also made acceptance letter verification compulsory to prevent fraudulent applications and raised proof-of-funds requirements.

How is Canada tackling student visa fraud?​

In 2023, Canadian authorities discovered almost 1,550 student visa applications tied to fake letters of acceptance, most of which originated from India. The following year, more than 14,000 potentially fraudulent acceptance letters were flagged through the enhanced verification system.

“Canada has implemented enhanced verification for international students and increased its financial requirements for applicants,” said an IRCC spokesperson.

The Indian High Commission in Ottawa acknowledged the growing rejection rate but maintained that visa issuance remains Canada’s decision.

“However, we would like to emphasise that some of the best quality students available in the world are from India, and Canadian institutions have in the past greatly benefited from the talent and academic excellence of these students,” said the embassy.

What role do India-Canada tensions play?​

The surge in visa refusals comes amid efforts to repair relations between Ottawa and New Delhi after a diplomatic fallout lasting more than a year. The dispute followed former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s accusation that India was involved in the 2023 killing of a Canadian citizen in British Columbia, a charge India has repeatedly denied.

How many students are becoming permanent residents?​

Between January and August 2025, more than 139,700 temporary residents became permanent residents, about half of all new PRs during that time.

“They are well-integrated, as they usually have a Canadian education, Canadian work experience and strong skills in one or both official languages,” said IRCC. “Most of them apply through economic programmes like Express Entry and the Provincial Nominee Programme, which are designed to select people who meet Canada’s labour market and regional priorities.”

Are some foreign students staying illegally in Canada?

In October 2025, IRCC officials told a parliamentary committee that up to 47,000 foreign students could be living in Canada illegally.

Aiesha Zafar, head of migration integrity at IRCC, said 47,175 individuals who entered as students were classified as potentially “non-compliant” for not meeting study conditions.

“India is one of the top countries,” said Zafar, responding to a question from Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner about where most fraud cases originated.

Zafar added that the figures came from post-secondary institutions that had lost contact with international students, but not all were confirmed violations. “Any foreign national in Canada would be under the purview of the Canada Border Services Agency, so they have an inland investigation team,” she said.

What factors are driving higher rejections?

• A national cap on international study permits introduced in 2024, followed by a further 10 per cent reduction in 2025
• Mandatory verification of acceptance letters to prevent fake admissions
• Higher financial proof thresholds to ensure affordability of living costs
• Ongoing scrutiny of student visa fraud, with India identified among top sources
• Tighter compliance checks on attendance and visa terms

Source: https://www.business-standard.com/i...mid-tough-fraud-crackdown-125110400262_1.html.