In a surprising trend, the number of Indian students, particularly from Punjab, applying for Canadian visas has seen a sharp decline this year, despite a visa approval rate of 85-90% in the ongoing second quarter of the year. Punjab, which sends around 70 to 75% of the total Indian students to Canada, is the most affected.
The decline is a significant 70 to 80% in contrast to the previous year when there was no cap imposed by Canada on student visas, and spouses were also allowed to accompany students pursuing undergraduate courses.
Education consultants, who have been facilitating student migration to Canada for decades, said that these days visa success rates are very high and even for applicants with multiple prior visa refusals and also for those in the age of 40s. The key requirements include the payment of tuition fees and a minimum overall score of six bands in the English proficiency test, with allowances for scores as low as 5 to 5.5 in one of the test’s four modules, they said.
Tirath Singh of Pinnacle Immigration said that the past 3-4 years saw a significant number of students from India and particularly from Punjab migrating to Canada, leading to a visa backlog.
“However, the new restrictions and increased financial requirements have deterred many new applicants. As a result, the number of students considering Canada has dropped to around 70 to 80% of last year’s figures,” he said, adding that one of the primary reasons for the reduced interest among prospective students is the recent changes in Canadian immigration policies.
“Previously, spouses under the ‘Spouse Open Work Permit’ (SOWP) could accompany students enrolled in undergraduate programmes, but this option was largely restricted, but is now available only for certain courses. This change, combined with the Canadian government’s decision to double the Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) amount, which is over $20,000 now, has made studying in Canada less affordable for many,” he added.
He said that for some visa success rate is even close to 100%. “We got a study visa for a 42-year-old woman without any refusal recently,” he said, adding that if one has money and the required English proficiency one can get the visa easily.
Gurpreet Singh of i-Can Consultancy said that not only has interest in student visas diminished, but general inquiries about migrating to Canada have also seen a significant decline. “We are witnessing only 20-30% of the interest compared to last year. Many students are adopting a wait-and-watch approach, hoping for further changes in the regulations,” he explained.
He added that even the changes were made to Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP), which enables international students who have completed programmes at Designated Learning Institutes (DLIs) in Canada to work and gain experience in their respective fields as it is the first step to get Permanent Residency (PR), which is the main aim of the students from India mainly Punjab after competitions their studies.
If their courses are not aligned with the labour market they may not get PGWP, said experts, adding that students must be very much focused on their courses, studies and demand of their programmes post study to get settled in Canada.
For the 10-15% of students facing visa refusals, consultants are advising a stronger focus on their Statements of Purpose (SOPs). A well-crafted SOP should clearly articulate the reasons for choosing Canada for Study, particular course, the rationale behind selecting a specific college, details about their family and financial background, and reasons for choosing a particular province in Canada.
Addressing any gaps in their academic or professional history is also crucial, said officials at the V-Point Consultancy, adding that students who have followed these guidelines have seen success in their visa applications, with some even securing approvals within 20 days after facing multiple refusals previously.