Canada Saw 50,000 No Show International Students, Indians Top the Numbers: What’s the Reason?

Nearly 50,000 international students did not attend their designated colleges and universities in Canada during March and April 2024, representing 6.9% of all students tracked, according to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Among them, 20,000 were from India, making up 5.4% of Indian students. This is the largest group contributing to non-compliance.

Indian authorities are investigating the potential links between Canadian colleges admitting international students and illegal migration networks in India. Some students may have entered Canada but avoided attending classes, with some even crossing the Canada-US border illegally. Immigration expert Henry Lotin believes most of the Indian no-shows likely stayed in Canada, working while hoping to secure permanent residency. There has also been a rise in international students seeking asylum in Canada. Lotin suggests stricter upfront payments and better tracking could reduce such issues.

Non-compliance rates varied across countries, with the Philippines at 2.2%, China at 6.4%, Iran at 11.6%, and Rwanda at the highest rate of 48.1%. Canadian institutions are required to report the enrollment status of international students biannually. Under new rules introduced in November by Immigration Minister Marc Miller, institutions that fail to comply may face suspensions from enrolling international students for up to a year.

Additionally, 23,514 students, or 3.3% of those tracked, were unaccounted for due to incomplete reporting by schools, suggesting that at least 10% of student visa holders are unaccounted for. Lotin commented, "For the first time, we have definitive data, but there are still questions about where all student visa holders are." The issue is complicated by discrepancies in the numbers reported by IRCC and Statistics Canada, with Statistics Canada estimating over one million valid student visas in April 2024, but IRCC reporting fewer active enrollments.

Experts, including Lotin and immigration lawyer David Matas, are calling for more transparency and stricter regulations. Matas also recommended limiting the use of foreign agents in visa applications to licensed Canadian consultants to prevent fraud. Conservative immigration critic Tom Kmiec criticized the federal government for its poor oversight of the immigration system. Both Canadian and Indian officials are now investigating illegal migration networks and non-compliant institutions to address these issues.