As enrolment of Indian students in Canadian higher education institutions dropped by an estimated 67% from 2023 levels due to stringent visa policies and lingering diplomatic tensions, a high-level delegation of 21 university presidents from Canada is set to visit India next month in a bid to reverse the trend and rebuild academic ties.
The mission, organised by Universities Canada, will run from February 2 to 6, 2026, with stops in Goa, New Delhi, and Gujarat International Finance Tech-City (GIFT City). The group aims to foster deeper research collaborations, expand academic exchanges, and explore innovative industry partnerships, positioning higher education as a cornerstone of the renewed Canada-India relationship.
This comes on the heels of the October 2025 Canada-India Roadmap, which emphasised cooperation in education, digital transformation, and supply chain resilience, alongside the launch of negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement targeting USD 50 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.
Canadian High Commissioner to India Christopher Cooter described the visit as a “big step” in advancing bilateral ties, highlighting opportunities for joint innovation in areas like sustainable development and artificial intelligence. India’s High Commissioner to Canada Dinesh Patnaik echoed the sentiment, noting the delegation’s potential to enhance long-term academic cooperation amid Canada’s CAD 1.7 billion federal investment in research and talent.
The initiative arrives at a critical juncture for Canada’s education sector, which has been reeling from a dramatic drop in Indian student inflows. Indian students, who once comprised nearly 40% of Canada’s international student population, saw new study permit approvals fall to just 52,765 in the first seven months of 2025, down 50% from 2024 and a projected 67% from 2023’s peak of around 2,78,000.
Overall international student arrivals to Canada declined by nearly 60% in 2025, with Indian applications plunging 80% in some months amid rejection rates soaring to 74%, more than double the 32% seen in 2023.
The downturn can be attributed to a confluence of factors, including Canada’s 2024-2025 cap on new study permits at 316,276 (of which only 20-30% may be met), enhanced fraud detection that flagged over 14,000 fake documents, stricter financial proof requirements, and restrictions on post-study work options.
Diplomatic strains with India, exacerbated by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2023 allegations of Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, have also fuelled safety concerns and reduced interest for Canadian education among Indian families.
The impact has been profound, particularly on Canadian colleges and universities reliant on international tuition fees. Institutions like the University of Waterloo have reported Indian enrolments dropping by two-thirds over the past three years, leading to revenue shortfalls estimated at CAD 10.5 billion economy-wide.
Smaller colleges, especially in provinces like Ontario, where Indians represent over 60% of international students, have introduced emergency measures such as scholarships and online programs to stem the losses.
To address this issue, the delegation will prioritise sustainable transnational education models, such as “study in India” options for Canadian degrees, to circumvent mobility barriers while maintaining quality. “This mission is about turning challenges into opportunities,” said Universities Canada President Joy Johnson in a statement. “By partnering with Indian institutions, we can co-create solutions that benefit both nations’ knowledge economies.”
Indian students, meanwhile, are increasingly turning to alternatives like the UK, Australia, Germany, or even domestic options, and overall outbound movement of students from India dipped 5.7% in 2025.
