Canada's mass visa cancellation plan that may target Indians. Details inside

Canadian authorities are reportedly planning to gain new powers to cancel or refuse visa applications in bulk, targeting countries like India and Bangladesh over alleged fraud concerns. The proposal reportedly focuses on applicants from India and Bangladesh, citing “country-specific challenges” in visa verification.

The move comes after Canada’s rejection rate for Indian student visas soared to about 74% in August, meaning nearly three out of four Indian applicants were refused study permits.

Joint effort with US to spot fraudulent visas 

Internal documents cited by CBC show that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) have teamed up with US authorities to detect and cancel fraudulent visa applications. The agencies have created a special working group to address the issue and propose rules to allow mass visa cancellations in emergencies such as a pandemic, war, or specific country-related cases.

Although Immigration Minister Lena Diab has publicly mentioned using such powers only during emergencies, she has not clarified whether they could apply to specific nationalities. More than 300 civil society organizations have spoken out against the proposed law, warning that it could create a “mass deportation system” by letting the government reject or cancel visas on a group basis.

Immigration lawyers also told CBC that this move might be aimed at reducing Canada’s growing visa backlog rather than addressing actual fraud.

Sharp rise in Asylum claims and visa delays 

The documents show that asylum claims from Indian nationals have surged from fewer than 500 per month in mid-2023 to nearly 2,000 per month by July 2024. This rise has slowed down processing times for temporary resident visa applications from India, increasing from 30 days in July 2023 to 54 days in July 2024.

Due to the additional verification process, approvals have fallen from 63,000 in January 2024 to 48,000 in June 2024. India continues to be Canada’s top source of international students, though it now also faces the highest refusal rate for study permits among countries with over 1,000 applicants.

As of July 2024, authorities had identified 1,873 applicants for further questioning and sent them legal notices about their rights and next steps.