According to government data from two months last spring, nearly 50,000 international students who were granted study permits to come to Canada were reported as “no-shows” at the colleges and universities where they were expected to attend classes.
Among these, Indian nationals constituted the largest group, with 19,582 individuals reportedly not showing up, as per a report that cites official figures, as per a The Globe and Mail report.Data indicates that 91.1 percent of the 327,646 Indian students complied with the requirements, while 19,582 students, or 5.4 percent, were non-compliant. Additionally, data on 12,553 Indian students was not reported by the institutions, according to information collected in March and April 2024 regarding Canadian study permits.
Law enforcement agencies are currently investigating potential links between various Canadian colleges and two entities in India that are suspected of facilitating illegal border crossings into the United States. Rather than attending classes, these students are believed to have crossed into the U.S. unlawfully.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has initiated contact with India through its International Policing Liaison Officers to gather further details regarding the ongoing investigations.
Henry Lotin, a former federal economist and immigration expert, told The Globe and Mail that most of the non-compliant Indian students likely stayed in Canada, working with the aim of eventually obtaining permanent residency.
The report by The Globe and Mail revealed that the non-compliant students represent 6.9 percent of the total international student population tracked by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Colleges and universities are required to report biannually to the immigration department regarding whether international students are enrolled and attending classes in accordance with their study permits.
The International Student Compliance Regime, introduced in 2014, was designed to identify fraudulent students and assist provincial authorities in pinpointing potentially questionable institutions.
IRCC has noted an increase in the exploitation of temporary resident visas, including those for students. With US President-elect Donald Trump threatening a 25 percent tariff on Canadian imports unless Ottawa takes steps to curb illegal immigration into the US, addressing this issue has become a high priority for the Canadian government.
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