Canada study visa approvals for Indians down by half; high bank balance norm main issue

The measures the Canadian government has recnetly adopted to reduce foreign student inflows are set to have a more dramatic impact than expected.

A report by The Globe and Mail, citing an analysis by ApplyBoard, projects that the approvals of international study permits will fall by almost half in 2024.

India has long been a leading source of international students, but the number of students opting to study in Canada has seen a sharp slump this year. “In the first half of this year, approvals of study permits from India halved,” the report said.

Heavy fall in enrolments 

Recently, Gabriel Miller, the president of Universities Canada said that he expects universities to see at least a 45 percent decline in international enrolments this fall. Universities Canada is a lobby group that represents nearly 100 institutions.

ApplyBoard has forecast that study permit approvals by the end of 2024 may drop to “the mid -200,000s,” the level last seen in 2018 and 2019.

In December last year, Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, announced that foreign students must prove they have at least 20,000 Canadian dollars, more than twice the earlier required amount, to qualify for Canadian study permits.

Additionally, in January this year, the minister said that the number of foreign students in Canada would “not further grow” for the next two years.

Higher bank balance

On Monday, ApplyBoard chief executive officer Meti Basiri said that the Canadian government’s announcement of higher financial requirements for studying in Canada is deterring some international students. The report said many international students are pausing or deferring applications to come to Canada to study or apply to other locations.

The report said Canada has fallen to third place as a preferred study destination, with more students now opting for the United States, Germany, and France.

(By arrangement with livemint.com)