NEW DELHI: Visa power will be available for fewer Indians as the Canadian government has decided to slash its immigrant intake by about 20% from the next year so as to right-size its population. Prime Minister Trudeau had earlier announced that only 5 lakh immigrants each will be allowed in 2025 and 2026.
He said that after the pandemic, the Canadian government did not get the balance right between addressing labour needs and maintaining population growth.
As per the new plan, 3.95 lakh new permanent residents will be allowed in 2025, down from 4.85 lakh in 2024. The revised targets for 2026 and 2027 are 3.8 lakh and 3.65 lakh, respectively. The announcement comes months after student visas were cut by almost 35%, as compared to the previous year. Besides, student visas were capped at 3,60,000 for two years.
Trudeau’s announcement is expected to affect Indians in a big way. India had around 3,19,000 students studying in Canada in 2023. The cut in student visas primarily impacted Indians, who constitute more than 41% of Canada’s international student population. As per Statistics Canada, the country had 2.8 million temporary residents, including workers and students, in the second quarter of 2024.
