Canada's Targeted Visa Cancellation Plan: How Indian Applicants May Be Affected

India has maintained its position as Canada's primary source of international students throughout the last decade.

Canadian authorities are reportedly working to obtain powers that would allow them to cancel visa applications for specific groups, potentially including Indian nationals, amid growing concerns about fraudulent applications. According to internal documents obtained by CBC News, Canadian officials have established partnerships with US agencies to identify and revoke fraudulent visitor visa applications originating from India and Bangladesh.

This development comes during Canada's intensifying restrictions on international students, which has particularly affected applicants from India. In August alone, Canadian authorities rejected approximately 74% of Indian applications for study permits at post-secondary institutions – meaning nearly three out of four applications were denied.

CBC News reports that a departmental presentation to the immigration minister's office reveals that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and their American counterparts have formed a working group. This collaboration aims to grant authorities the power to refuse and cancel visas, specifically targeting India and Bangladesh due to "country-specific challenges."

The document reportedly indicates that these mass cancellation powers could be implemented in various scenarios, including pandemics, wars, and for "country-specific visa holders." While Immigration Minister Lena Diab has publicly acknowledged the government's pursuit of such powers for pandemic or war situations, she has not addressed the potential targeting of specific nationalities.

Legislation to enable these provisions has been introduced in the Canadian parliament, with Prime Minister Mark Carney's government pushing for rapid approval, according to the report.

The proposed bill has sparked significant opposition, with over 300 civil society organizations expressing concerns that group cancellations would effectively create a "mass deportation machine." Immigration lawyers quoted by CBC suggest the government may be seeking these mass cancellation powers to address its growing backlog of visa applications.

The internal documents reportedly highlight that asylum claims from Indian nationals have increased dramatically, rising from fewer than 500 monthly in May 2023 to approximately 2,000 by July 2024. Officials claim that the verification process for temporary resident visa applications from India is causing delays in overall application processing.

Processing times have reportedly increased from an average of 30 days at the end of July 2023 to 54 days one year later. Consequently, approvals began declining in 2024, dropping from over 63,000 in January to approximately 48,000 in June, as more resources were dedicated to verification procedures.

The presentation also noted an increase in Indian travelers being denied boarding on flights as of summer 2024. By July 31, authorities had identified 1,873 applicants for additional questioning and issued procedural fairness letters outlining their rights and potential legal options.

India has consistently been Canada's leading source of international students over the past decade. As of August, it also had the highest study permit rejection rate among all countries with more than 1,000 approved applicants.