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Indian students wishing to study in Canada face major challenges as study permit applications are expected to drop by nearly 50% this year. While student visa approvals are expected to return to recent levels in 2018 and 2019, the number of approvals has declined due to measures by the Canadian federal government to reduce the number of international students. This information comes from the ApplyBoard report. The Globe and Mail reported Tuesday. "In the first half of this year, the number of study permits issued in India has halved," the report said. This can be an indication of what the whole year will look like. ApplyBoard, a company that connects international students with universities and colleges around the world, reports that by the end of 2024, the number of new study permits will exceed 231,000, a sharp contrast to 436,000 in 2023. The number of study permit applications in Canada increased by 39% in 2024 compared to 2023.

In 2022, of Canada's 5.5 million international students, 2.26 million are of Indian origin, and 3.2 million Indians remain in Canada on student visas and contribute to the economy as casual workers. The Canadian government's decision to increase financial requirements for international students and proposals to tighten immigration policies are putting off many potential students, said Meti Basiri, CEO and co-founder of ApplyBoard. “In recent months, Canada has not been seen as a host country for international students,” Pasiri said, according to The Globe and Mail. Germany and France. In December 2023, Immigration Minister Mark Miller introduced new financial requirements for students applying for a study permit. They should set the minimum amount at $20,635, replacing the $10,000 requirement that has been in place for two decades.

This policy change is intended to slow the growth of international student numbers and address the rising cost of living in Canada. In January 2024, Mr. Miller announced a cap on international student growth over the next two years, which would result in a 35 percent decline in student numbers in 2024 compared to 2023. Canada's international student population is particularly dire. According to the Globe and Mail, study permits for Indian students halved in the first half of this year. If the current process continues, the government's target of approving 364,000 study permits in 2024 based on the cap of 606,000 applications will not be achieved, the applications committee report said.

Taking into account factors such as about 20% of students applying for renewals each year, 97,000 approvals fell short of the target, resulting in a revised goal of 364,000 study permit approvals. The original target was 485,000 new international students in 2024. "This projected number of admissions is approximately 47 percent lower than the 436,000 new admissions approved in 2023," the report said, according to the Globe and Mail. In addition, applications for graduate programs such as master's and doctoral programs that do not fall under the state cap have also dropped significantly. From January to June 2024, only 114,000 study permits were approved, a decrease of 48 percent compared to the same period last year. The number of requests processed in the second quarter of 2024 (April to June) also fell by 54% compared to the previous year. IRCC spokesman Geoffrey MacDonald acknowledged that early indications suggest that the cap introduced in January has had an impact on the amount of study permits issued.

“Early indications are that the cap announced on January 22, 2024 will impact study permit numbers,” MacDonald was quoted as saying by the Globe and Mail. He said: “Approvals and applications fell significantly in the first half of this year, but considering that the busiest times for processing study permits are in the summer and early autumn, it is still too early to fully assess the impact of this cap".