Canada deported 3,323 Indian nationals in just the first six months of 2026, already nearing last year’s record as Ottawa tightens immigration rules while steadily losing its appeal among Indian students.
Between January and June, Canada removed nearly 88 per cent as many Indians as it did during all of 2025, when 3,779 Indian nationals were deported.
If the current pace continues, 2026 could become the biggest year for deportations of Indians from Canada in at least six years.
Canada deported 603 Indians in 2021, 786 in 2022, 1,132 in 2023 and 2,004 in 2024.
While 3,323 Indians were removed in the first six months, 1,573 Mexicans were deported during the same period.
Canada deported 3,323 Indian nationals in just the first six months of 2026, already nearing last year’s record as Ottawa tightens immigration rules while steadily losing its appeal among Indian students.
Between January and June, Canada removed nearly 88 per cent as many Indians as it did during all of 2025, when 3,779 Indian nationals were deported. If the current pace continues, 2026 could become the biggest year for deportations of Indians from Canada in at least six years.
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The jump is even more striking when viewed over time. Canada deported 603 Indians in 2021, 786 in 2022, 1,132 in 2023 and 2,004 in 2024. In other words, more Indians were removed in the first half of 2026 than in any full year between 2021 and 2024.
India has also overtaken Mexico to become the nationality with the highest number of deportations from Canada this year. While 3,323 Indians were removed in the first six months, 1,573 Mexicans were deported during the same period.
Mexico had topped Canada’s deportation list in each of the previous five years, with India consistently in second place. India last ranked first in 2020, when 1,424 Indian nationals were deported.
WHY INDIANS ARE BEING DEPORTED
Indian nationals can be removed from Canada for a range of immigration violations, including visa overstays, rejected asylum or refugee claims, failure to comply with immigration rules and cases involving visa fraud.
The Canada Border Services Agency maintains separate data on the reasons for removals, but does not provide a nationality-wise breakup of those grounds.
The surge comes as Canada overhauls an immigration system that, for years, drew large numbers of international students and temporary workers, including hundreds of thousands from India.
Ottawa has been moving to reduce the number of temporary residents, tighten study permit rules and subject applications to greater scrutiny as it attempts to bring immigration levels under control.
THOUSANDS MORE INDIANS AWAIT REMOVAL
Indians also form the largest nationality in Canada’s “removal in progress” inventory, with 7,669 people awaiting removal, according to official data. This shows that the rise in deportations may not have peaked yet.
Canada uses three broad types of removal orders.
A departure order requires a person to leave voluntarily within 30 days, failing which it can become a deportation order. An exclusion order bars a person from returning for a specified period, usually between one and five years. A deportation order permanently bars re-entry unless written authorisation is obtained from the Canadian government.
Canada’s numbers also stand out when compared with the United States.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said last month that 1,273 Indian nationals were deported from the US between January 1 and July 22. Canada, by contrast, deported more than two-and-a-half times the US figure in just the first six months of the year.
THE CANADA DREAM IS FADING
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The deportation surge is unfolding alongside another major shift: Canada is no longer attracting Indian students like it did just a few years ago.
According to a report submitted by Canada’s auditor general to Parliament, Indians accounted for just 8.1 per cent of incoming international students in September 2025, down dramatically from 51.6 per cent in 2023.
The decline is also visible in Indian government data. According to the Union Education Ministry, the number of Indian students choosing Canada fell 41 per cent, from 2,33,532 in 2023 to 1,37,608 in 2024.
The shift has been driven by a combination of tighter immigration policies, rising living costs, tougher financial requirements and the diplomatic crisis that strained India-Canada relations in 2023.
One of the biggest turning points came in early 2024, when Canada imposed a two-year cap on international students seeking admission into undergraduate and diploma programmes.
Moreover, rents rose sharply in major cities, while study permit requirements became stricter and part-time jobs harder to find. That has raised doubts over whether Canada still offers the same path to education, work and eventual settlement.
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CANADA TIGHTENS THE TAP ON STUDENTS
Prime Minister Mark Carney said in June that international student arrivals had fallen by around 60 per cent and that Canada had “taken back control of immigration” as it sought to build a more sustainable system.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada data also showed international student arrivals between January and October 2025 falling by nearly 60 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier, translating into more than 1.5 lakh fewer arrivals.
The decline persisted throughout the year. Around 45,000 new study permits were issued in August 2025, down from nearly 80,000 in the same month of 2024. By October, new arrivals had fallen to just over 3,000.
Unlike earlier fluctuations caused by the pandemic or other external disruptions, the current slowdown reflects a deliberate tightening of policy to reshape Canada’s international education sector.
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