Canada loses track of 20,000 Indian students, raising visa fraud concerns

In March and April of last year, nearly 50,000 foreign students failed to enroll at their designated institutions after arriving in Canada, with Indian nationals making up the largest portion of these missing students.

According to a report by The Globe and Mail, which cited data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), these absent students represented 6.9% of the 717,539 international students being tracked at the time. Of the total, 644,349 (89.8%) were confirmed to be enrolled, while the status of another 23,514 remained unrecorded.

Breaking down the numbers, Indian students accounted for the highest share of non-enrolled individuals at 19,582, followed by 4,279 from China, 3,902 from Nigeria, and 2,712 from Ghana.

Many of these missing students are believed to have taken up low-wage jobs instead of pursuing their studies, while others fell victim to fraudulent educational institutions.

A Times of India investigation shed light on one such case involving a 24-year-old Indian student who arrived in Canada under the belief that he had been admitted to a prestigious university in Brampton. However, upon reaching the campus, he discovered that the so-called university was nothing more than a small office with no classrooms. School representatives informed him that classes were full and asked him to wait.

It was only later that he realized he had been scammed. Fortunately, he had only paid 420,000 rupees (US$4,800) of the 1.2 million rupees in tuition fees. His education consultancy firm in India had only communicated with him via phone before his departure, reassuring him that he could pay the remainder through part-time work. With no viable options, he took up a job at a local gas station to support himself.

Meanwhile, some international students have been accused of deliberately exploiting Canada’s relatively lenient student visa policies. Unlike countries such as the U.S. and Australia, Canada does not mandate that students pay tuition before arrival. This loophole has allowed some to enter the country on study permits but focus on working rather than attending school. Many opt for affordable community colleges as a means to secure employment and eventual permanent residency.

One 27-year-old from Gujarat admitted to The Times of India that his primary reason for enrolling in a community college was to work in Canada. He currently juggles two jobs—one at a restaurant during the day and another as a food delivery driver at night—to send money home to his family.

“Many people from my region have done the same, so I followed suit. I know it’s illegal, but this was my only way in. Besides, even those who attend reputable colleges are working the same jobs as me and are burdened with massive loans,” he explained.

Students from Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra were among those most frequently identified in the report as engaging in similar practices.

In response to growing concerns, Canada implemented stricter penalties in November for educational institutions that fail to report international students’ enrollment status to the IRCC. However, even with these measures, Canada still has the most lenient reporting system among the world’s top four study destinations.

For example, in the U.K., institutions are required to report student no-shows within 10 working days, while those in the U.S. and Australia have about a month to do so. In Canada, however, universities and colleges only need to submit a compliance report within 60 days of receiving a request.

India has also launched an investigation into possible links between Canadian educational institutions and illegal migration networks in India. Some of the students who never enrolled are suspected of using their study permits as a means to enter Canada before illegally crossing into the U.S.

Government data from early 2024 revealed that Indian students made up nearly half (49%) of all international students in Canada, with Chinese students accounting for the second-largest group at 12%.

The revelations come at a time when Canada is reconsidering its immigration policies. Between 2010 and 2019, the number of international students in the country more than doubled to over 640,000. After the pandemic, that figure surged past one million, as Canada actively encouraged foreign workers to fill labor shortages.

However, rising concerns over housing shortages, healthcare strain, and overburdened public services have prompted the government to tighten immigration policies. In January 2024, authorities announced new restrictions, including caps on study permits and limitations on post-graduation work eligibility. In 2025, Canada plans to issue only 437,000 study permits—a 10% reduction from the previous year.