Special Correspondent
Pune: Every year, thousands of Indian students travel to Canada on student visas to pursue higher education. While many complete their studies and return home, a recent report from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has raised alarm. According to the report, approximately 20,000 Indian students who arrived in Canada have been marked as “missing” from their registered colleges and universities. These students are classified as “no-shows,” creating a stir in both Canada and India.
The report reveals that out of 50,000 international students who were granted student visas, 20,000 of them were from India. The number of missing students represents 6.9% of the total foreign student population monitored by the IRCC. These figures were obtained through the International Student Compliance Manual, which tracks student compliance with study permit conditions.
Under Canadian regulations, educational institutions must report their enrolled students twice a year to confirm that students are complying with the terms of their study permits. In March and April 2024, Canadian educational institutions reported data on students from 144 countries, with 3,27,646 Indian student records confirmed as valid. However, nearly 20,000 students from India could not be traced.
Immigration experts in Canada suspect that many of these students are likely already in the country and may be attempting to secure permanent residency, bypassing the study permit regulations. There are also reports that some students are illegally crossing into the United States instead of continuing their studies in Canada.
The issue has drawn the attention of Indian agencies as well. Recently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced it was investigating a money laundering case related to the smuggling of Indian nationals across the Canadian border. The investigation was triggered by the tragic deaths of an Indian family from Gujarat who perished while attempting to cross the Canada-U.S. border illegally in harsh winter conditions.
The International Student Compliance Regime, introduced by Canada in 2014, aims to identify students who may be violating immigration laws by faking enrollment or failing to meet permit conditions. According to this system, educational institutions are required to report student attendance and compliance every six months. This allows the immigration department to track students’ status and ensure they are adhering to study permit guidelines.
Experts suggest that one way to reduce the number of “missing” students is to require international students to pay their tuition fees before arriving in Canada. This could minimize abuses of the system and help authorities identify students who may be exploiting the work permit program while holding study permits.
The growing number of missing students has sparked serious concerns about Canada’s immigration policy and the intentions of some students who may not have genuine academic plans.
The ED’s ongoing investigation into the alleged involvement of both Canadian and Indian institutions in smuggling rings further highlights the need for tighter control and scrutiny of student immigration.
