Nearly 40% of student visa applications from India have been rejected by Canada for the vague reasons “other” and “unspecified”, as per a report by a Canadian non-profit organisation, the Investigative Journalism Foundation (IJL).

Between Jan 1, 2022, and Apr 30, 2023, the immigration department approved 54.3% (4,70,427) of the 8,66,206 study permit applicants accepted by Canadian schools.

India is a leading contributor to international students in Canada, with around 3,20,000 active study permits by Dec 2023.

However, the largest contributor saw 72,777 rejections for unclear reasons, representing 40% of the overall refusals in 2021.

Whereas China, the second-biggest source of student visa applications, had just 397 rejections for unclear reasons in 2021, representing 4% of its rejections that year, as per the report.

A total of 8,45,810 Indian student visas have been rejected so far. Of these, 3,36,251 visa applications did not state the reason for rejection.

The number seemed far higher in comparison to China, where a total of 1,45,896 student visa applications have been rejected so far. Out of these, only 4,893 applications were rejected without any reason.

Notably, Ontario hosts the largest number of international students, as it has 1,335 educational institutions authorised to host international students.

India-Canada rollercoaster relations

In a recent trend, a total of 42,000 immigrants left the country in merely six months in 2023 as the cost of living and shortage of rental options prevailed in Canada.

On the other hand, India-Canada diplomatic relations witnessed a probable rough patch as, in Sept 2023, Canada postponed a significant trade mission to India.

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