Canada: 47,000 foreign students 'missing', Indians top the list, says IRCC

Canada's immigration agency has revealed that over 47,000 foreign students may be staying in the country illegally, with India among the top nations flagged for visa non-compliance

Canada may have as many as 47,000 foreign students currently living in the country illegally, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The agency revealed the figure during an appearance before a House of Commons committee last week.

 

Officials said these individuals entered Canada on study permits but may have breached the conditions of their visas, making them ineligible to remain in the country.

 

Aiesha Zafar, head of migration integrity at IRCC, told the committee that 47,175 people who came to Canada as students are considered potentially “non-compliant”. This means they are not attending classes as required under their visa terms.

 

India among top countries flagged

 

During the hearing, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner asked which countries had recorded the most fraud cases. “What specific countries has IRCC identified frauds from? Is there a predominant country?” she asked.

 

“India is one of the top countries,” said Zafar. She explained that the data came from post-secondary institutions in Canada that reported losing contact with international students. However, she noted that it has not been confirmed whether all these students are fully non-compliant.

 

Zafar added that calculating the precise number of visa violations would be difficult. “Any foreign national in Canada would be under the purview of the Canada Border Services Agency, so they have an inland investigation team,” she said, responding to Garner’s question about how authorities “track and remove” such students.

 

Schools report missing students

 

Under current procedures, schools are required to inform IRCC if an international student stops attending classes. Those cases are then reviewed and, if necessary, referred to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for enforcement. However, IRCC does not have an independent mechanism to track students who go unreported.

 

Earlier figures from IRCC showed that in spring 2024 alone, 50,000 students on study visas were reported as “no shows” by their institutions. Of these, 19,582 were Indian nationals, followed by 4,279 from China.

 

Indian student compliance data, according to IRCC

 

According to January data for Indian students:

 

Compliant students: 327,646

Non-compliant students: 19,582

Not reported: 12,553

Compliance rate: 91.1%

Non-compliance rate: 5.4%

 

IRCC said, “Since India is the top source of international students in Canada, it is reasonably likely that a higher number were sent to Indian nationals.”

 

Fake offer letters and verification lapses

 

Last year, IRCC uncovered more than 10,000 fake student acceptance letters while reviewing half a million documents. About 80 per cent of these fraudulent documents were linked to students from Gujarat and Punjab.

 

Concerns have also been raised about verification standards at certain institutions. “The many malpractices, including outright corruption, have become deeply entrenched in the immigration system. Comprehensive reforms are needed across the system,” said Darshan Maharaja, a Canada-based immigration analyst, speaking to Business Standard.