Canada’s Study Visas for Indian Students to Drop 50pc in 2024

Indian students planning to study in Canada face a challenging year ahead, with a new report by ApplyBoard forecasting a near 50% reduction in study permit approvals for 2024.

The anticipated cutback is a result of Canadian federal policies aimed at curbing the influx of international students, potentially reducing approval rates to levels last seen in 2018 and 2019. The report, due for release on Tuesday, highlights a sharp decline in approvals.

In the first half of 2024, approvals for Indian study permits halved, suggesting a continuation of this trend throughout the year. ApplyBoard projects that by year-end, just over 231,000 new study permits will be issued, a significant drop from the 436,000 granted in 2023.

The report also predicts a 39% decrease in global applications for Canadian study permits compared to the previous year. In 2022, Indian students made up a substantial portion of Canada's international student body, with 226,000 out of 550,000 students coming from India. Currently, around 320,000 Indian students in Canada contribute significantly to the economy as gig workers.

ApplyBoard CEO Meti Basiri attributes the decline to recent Canadian policy changes, including a rise in financial requirements for prospective students. The minimum requirement has been increased from CAD 10,000 to CAD 20,635 (from Rs 6,18,654 to Rs 12,76,592), reflecting the higher cost of living in Canada.

Additionally, in January 2024, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced a cap on the growth of international student numbers, predicting a 35% reduction in student intake for 2024 compared to 2023. If trends continue, the Canadian government’s goal of approving 364,000 study permits, against a cap of 606,000 applications, may not be achieved.

The adjusted target for new international students stands at 364,000, nearly 47% lower than the previous year's approvals. Applications for postgraduate programs, which are not subject to the cap, have also declined, with only 114,000 study permits approved between January and June 2024—a 48% drop from the previous year. The second quarter of 2024 saw a 54% decrease in processed applications compared to the same period last year.

An IRCC spokesperson confirmed that the newly imposed cap is already affecting the volume of study permit applications.