In the backdrop of Canada’s stricter visa rules, Aiesha Zafar, the head of migration integrity in the House of Commons Committee, revealed that as many as 47,000 foreign students may have violated the terms of their visa and are currently in the country illegally, as reported by the National Post, quoting Zafar.The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has identified 47,175 international students as “non-compliant,” indicating they are not attending classes as mandated by their study permits. According to Aiesha Zafar, while multiple nationalities are implicated, India ranks prominently among the countries with the highest number of such cases.Story continues below this adThe data stems primarily from compliance reports submitted by Canadian colleges and universities, which are obligated to inform IRCC when international students cease attending classes. These reports are subsequently forwarded to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for potential enforcement measures.From US hope to halt: International students hit by Donald Trump’s 15% enrollment capHowever, IRCC officials acknowledged a critical gap in oversight: if institutions fail to report absences, there is currently no direct mechanism to track non-compliant students.Zafar acknowledged that accurately quantifying non-compliant international students remains difficult, as investigations within Canada fall under the jurisdiction of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).Post-Study Work Visa in 2025Story continues below this adIn a disclosure earlier this year, IRCC revealed that during spring 2024 alone, Canadian institutions flagged approximately 50,000 foreign students as “no-shows”— students who failed to attend classes. Of these, nearly 20,000 were Indian nationals, followed by more than 4,200 from China.The revelations have sparked debate over the effectiveness of Canada’s international student monitoring system, especially amid growing dependence on foreign students to sustain the country’s higher education institutions and bolster its labour force.Canada is witnessing a significant downturn in the number of new study permits granted to Indian nationals. Data from ICEF Monitor reveals that between January and July 2025, just 52,765 permits were issued — down sharply from 188,255 during the same period in 2024.Projections suggest that by year-end, the total may not exceed 90,000, marking a dramatic 67.5% decline compared to 2023 levels.Story continues below this adUnder its 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada is aiming to reduce its temporary resident population to below 5 per cent. In line with this goal, total arrivals — including international students and foreign workers — plummeted by approximately 57 per cent in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year.‘Low fees, post-study work opportunities, and a window to Europe’: Why Austria bets big on Indian students in STEMThe drop was particularly stark among international students, with 214,520 fewer arrivals than in the first half of 2024—a decline of over 70 per cent. Foreign work permits also saw a 50% reduction during the same period.Indian nationals have been disproportionately affected, with an 80% rejection rate for study permit applications in 2025, making them the most impacted international student group.