Canada sees 5,500 foreign student asylum claims in 2025, up 22% from 2024

Canada is witnessing an unprecedented surge in international students seeking asylum, with 5,500 claims in early 2025 and 20,245 in 2024

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Canada is seeing record numbers of international students seeking asylum, with 2024 marking the highest ever recorded. In the first three months of 2025, 5,500 claims were filed by students, according to figures from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released on May 13. That’s a 22 per cent rise from the same period last year.

 

The IRCC data also show that in 2024, international students filed 20,245 asylum claims. This is nearly double the number in 2023 and six times higher than in 2019.

 

However, IRCC also said, “The proportion of permit holders claiming asylum remains small compared to total permits issued.”

 

Top countries of origin

 

According to Canada-based Global News, most student asylum claims last year came from:

 

India

Nigeria

Guinea

Ghana

Democratic Republic of Congo

 

This information was shared by the IRCC in response to Global News’ questions on May 20.

 

Reasons for the rise

 

Many students arrive on study permits with hopes of starting a new life. When traditional immigration routes close, some see asylum as a last resort. Some also face exploitative conditions at private colleges, described by some as “diploma mills,” which leave them with degrees that hold little weight in the job market.

 

Darshan Maharaja, a Canada-based immigration analyst, told Business Standard, “Many Indians could choose that option. Apart from the geographical proximity, they are likely to be encouraged by the fact that the political Left, which has sympathies for would-be deportees, is dominant in Canada. Moreover, there are individuals and groups who are willing to help them.”

 

Student asylum claims by college

 

Data from Global News show the top colleges where international students filed asylum claims in 2024:

 

Conestoga College: 720 claims

Seneca College: 650 claims

Université du Québec à Chicoutimi: 500 claims

Niagara College: 495 claims

Collège Ellis – Trois-Rivières: 475 claims

 

Université du Québec à Chicoutimi said, “We are not in a position to know the intentions of international students.” Meanwhile, Ellis College warned it may stop accepting students from “certain French-speaking African countries” unless there is clearer communication from immigration authorities.

 

Government’s move to reduce numbers

 

Prime Minister Mark Carney is under pressure to reduce the number of international students and temporary residents to ease the strain on housing and social services.

 

On May 2, 2025, Carney announced a plan to cap the number of temporary residents, including students, at under five per cent of Canada’s population by 2027. That figure currently stands at seven per cent. “This will help ease strains on housing, on public infrastructure and social services,” said Carney.

 

To achieve this, Ottawa cut study permits by 40 per cent in 2024, reducing the number to around 360,000. It also restricted work hours for foreign students and tightened spousal work permit rules. Former Immigration Minister Marc Miller called the system “overheated” and said some colleges were offering low-value credentials.

 

India leads in foreign student numbers

 

More than 40 per cent of international students in Canada come from India. China follows with around 10 per cent.

 

Indian students also seek asylum in the US

 

A study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University shows that Indians had also been increasingly claiming asylum in the United States. The number rose from 9,000 in 2018 to 51,000 in 2023 — a 466 per cent increase.

 

Is it possible for an international student to claim asylum in Canada?

 

Yes. International students can apply for asylum in Canada if they can prove a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country.

 

In 2023, 13,660 claims were filed by international students, up from 1,810 in 2018. Among those, 2,290 claims came from Indian nationals and 1,990 from Nigerian students. Country-wise data is not yet available for 2024, 2025.