Canada is going to make the biggest change in its immigration policy in decades. The government is preparing to drastically reduce the admissions of foreign students by 25 to 32 percent from next year. The number of Indian students is also very high among them. Along with this, Canada is planning to start a new special entry route for thousands of international researchers and US H-1B visa holders.

Big budget to attract global talent
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has placed special emphasis on bringing international talent to Canada in its first budget. The government has earmarked an amount of 1.2 billion dollars i.e. more than Rs 106 crore for this. The aim is to recruit more than 1,000 highly skilled professionals with this investment. The budget document also says that the selected researchers will play an important role in strengthening Canada’s global competitiveness and future economy.

Expedited entry route for H-1B visa holders
Canada is soon going to start a faster entry process for H-1B visa holders. The plan comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has increased the H-1B visa fee to $100,000, raising uncertainty and anxiety among many high-skilled immigrants in the US. Due to Canada’s new policy, the possibility of many top professionals from America and other countries moving to Canada has increased.

Strict control on total immigration numbers
The Canadian government is maintaining control over the number of immigrants in view of the rapid population growth in recent years. According to the new policy, the government will accept about 3.8 lakh permanent residents every year from 2026 to 2028. On the contrary, there will be a major reduction in the number of temporary residents. The target is to keep their number at 3.85 lakh in 2026 and 3.70 lakh in 2027 and 2028. This number is more than 40 percent less than this year.

Big decline in study permits for foreign students
The government is also drastically reducing the number of study permits for students. The number of study permits is targeted to be 1,55,000 in 2026 and this number will be reduced to 1,50,000 in 2027 and 2028. This target is about half of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plan, as the Trudeau government was estimating to issue 305,900 permits each year.

What was the reaction of the universities?
Universities Canada said in its statement that they respect the government’s efforts to create a permanent and balanced immigration system, but believe the new plan should also be consistent with the country’s talent-based economic policy.

Expectation of increase in wages and relief in rent due to fewer immigrants
Canadian financial institution Desjardins has said in its report that the arrival of fewer immigrants will reduce the number of available workers in the country, due to which companies will have to pay higher wages to attract less available workers. The organization also said that slowing population growth could lead to a decline in rental rates, as international students and temporary workers mostly live in rented accommodation. The report also suggests that lower population growth could improve Canada’s declining per capita GDP.

Target to reduce the percentage of non-permanent residents by 2027
The Government of Canada is now aiming to reduce the share of non-permanent residents in the country to less than 5 percent of the total population by the end of 2027. This figure is currently 7.3 percent, which was recorded on July 1.

Canada’s strong border act: The Canadian government has introduced the new law in the ‘Strong Borders Act’ Parliament. Its purpose is to control refugee claims, improve the immigration process and to stop drugs, especially Fantanil. This law will be particularly applicable to temporary residents and foreign students so that the system cannot be misused.

Number of students seeking shelter increased
In 2023, there were a total of 1,71,850 refugee claims in Canada, including more than 32,000 Indians. International students made 20,245 asylum claims alone. In the first 9 months of 2024, 1,32,525 refuge claims were registered. Of these, 13,660 claims were of international students. The maximum claims were made by students from India (2,290) and Nigeria (1,990).

Claims made after 1 year will not be accepted
If a person has come to Canada after 24 June 2020 and he has claimed asylum after more than a year, then he will not be approved now. This rule will apply to both students and temporary residents, whether they returned out of the country and returned again.

Claims of those who come illegally from America canceled
If a person comes to Canada from an authorized port through the US border and claims refuge after 14 days, then his case will not be accepted.

The claim will be heard only when he is present in Canada
It has been clarified in this law that the decision of asylum will be taken only when the claimant is physically present in Canada. The claim will not be heard while outside.

IRCC right to share students’ information
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will now get the right to share information related to students and documents with the country and regional agencies.

IRCC, the new power to stop and cancel applications
Now IRCC can stop immigration documents at the group level at any time, stop taking new applications, or cancele the pre -applied applications.

“Essential steps for border security” – Minister Gary Anandsangari
Canadian public safety minister Gary Anandsangari said that this law will help protect Canada’s boundaries, prevent international crime and phenomenal smuggling and curb the transaction of illegal money.

Coast guard more rights, but the port police will not return
The Coast Guard will now get more rights for security patrolling and monitoring, as well as he will be able to gather security related information. However, the old port police system will not be resumed.

Refuge claims may increase in 2025
According to Global News, international students made 5,500 asylum claims in the first quarter of 2025, which is 22% more than the previous year. According to the Indian High Commission, in 2024, about 4.27 lakh Indian students were studying in Canada, which is the highest from any country.

Indian students decline in study permit
In the first quarter of 2025, the study permit given to students of India declined by 31%. 30,000 permits were given in the first quarter of this year, while the number was 44,295 in the first quarter of 2024.