Why read this: This article tells a clear, real-world story about a problem your students may know about: studying abroad. It explains why fewer Indian students now choose Canada, using simple language and easy-to-follow numbers. Students learn how a study plan that worked for years stopped working, and how visa rules, costs and a diplomatic crisis can change a family's options. It is a useful first step for B1 readers into news writing about policy, jobs and migration.
What to notice: Notice how the article builds up many causes one by one: stricter visa rules, rising costs, a diplomatic crisis, a now-cancelled fast-track programme, and a job market that did not keep pace. Notice the 'from X to Y' pattern with numbers, such as 'from 51.6% in 2023' to '8.1% in September 2025', or '38%' to '52%'. Notice short, strong sentences (for example, 'The plan worked for a long time. Then it stopped working.') used to mark a turning point. Watch how the closing image, 'a clear plan has turned into a risky bet', sums up the whole article in one line.
Skills practised: Reading for cause and effect across a whole article (not just one paragraph). Reading numbers and pairs of statistics to find a trend. Tracking named people and groups (Shobhit Anand, the auditor general, McGill's president) and what each one says. Working out the meaning of multi-word terms from context (the visa cap, in limbo, a foothold abroad, make ends meet) supported by the margin glosses. Comparing two groups (academic students vs. those using study as a route to settle abroad) and using that comparison to explain who was hurt most by a policy.
Why Indian students are turning away from Canada
Canada was the top study-abroad choice for many Indian families. Now applications have dropped almost 80%. Here is what changed.
Tap any green word in the article to see its meaning.
In Delhi, students sit with their parents at an education agency. They turn the pages of brochures from Italy, Germany and Australia. Until 2023, almost all of them came in asking about Canada. Now, fewer and fewer do. Shobhit Anand, who runs the agency, says applications to Canada have dropped by nearly 80%. Many families are also worried about the high .
The numbers tell a clear story. According to a recent report by Canada's , only 8.1% of new international students in September 2025 were Indian. In 2023, the figure was 51.6%. Several things caused this fall: stricter visa rules, rising , and a 2023 that hurt relations between India and Canada.
For years, Canada was very attractive to . Its private colleges offered a fairly safe plan, even for average students. Sign up for a two or three year , find a job after graduation, and apply for within five years. The plan worked for a long time. Then it stopped working.
In early 2024, Canada added a two-year limit on for undergraduate and , allowing only about 350,000 per year. This was for many students. At the same time, rents went up sharply and jobs got harder to find. The amount of money students must show in a Canadian bank, called , doubled from C$10,000 to more than C$20,000. For families with limited savings, this became , especially when visa refusal was a real risk. Study permit rejections rose from 38% in 2023 to 52% in 2024.
The auditor general's report also looked at a fast-track visa programme called the , which has now been ended. It approved 98% of applications in 2024, but officials warned about and rising . Meanwhile, the after the pandemic created private colleges, but jobs did not the growing number of graduates. One former student moved home after relying on part-time work : he could not .
hit smaller colleges hardest. McGill University's president told the BBC that students . Some come for top-quality study, while others see education mainly as a way to settle abroad. Top universities like McGill were mostly . Canada still offers for up to three years, but a permit alone no longer guarantees a job or a home. Many graduates now feel : they can stay legally, but cannot build the life they wanted. For many, has become harder to win, and a clear plan has turned into a risky bet.
In Delhi, students sit with their parents at an education agency. They turn the pages of brochures from Italy, Germany and Australia. Until 2023, almost all of them came in asking about Canada. Now, fewer and fewer do. Shobhit Anand, who runs the agency, says applications to Canada have dropped by nearly 80%. Many families are also worried about the high .
The numbers tell a clear story. According to a recent report by Canada's , only 8.1% of new international students in September 2025 were Indian. In 2023, the figure was 51.6%. Several things caused this fall: stricter visa rules, rising , and a 2023 that hurt relations between India and Canada.
For years, Canada was very attractive to . Its private colleges offered a fairly safe plan, even for average students. Sign up for a two or three year , find a job after graduation, and apply for within five years. The plan worked for a long time. Then it stopped working.
In early 2024, Canada added a two-year limit on for undergraduate and , allowing only about 350,000 per year. This was for many students. At the same time, rents went up sharply and jobs got harder to find. The amount of money students must show in a Canadian bank, called , doubled from C$10,000 to more than C$20,000. For families with limited savings, this became , especially when visa refusal was a real risk. Study permit rejections rose from 38% in 2023 to 52% in 2024.
The auditor general's report also looked at a fast-track visa programme called the , which has now been ended. It approved 98% of applications in 2024, but officials warned about and rising . Meanwhile, the after the pandemic created private colleges, but jobs did not the growing number of graduates. One former student moved home after relying on part-time work : he could not .
hit smaller colleges hardest. McGill University's president told the BBC that students . Some come for top-quality study, while others see education mainly as a way to settle abroad. Top universities like McGill were mostly . Canada still offers for up to three years, but a permit alone no longer guarantees a job or a home. Many graduates now feel : they can stay legally, but cannot build the life they wanted. For many, has become harder to win, and a clear plan has turned into a risky bet.
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
By September 2025, what share of new international students in Canada were Indian?
- 02
Why did the higher proof of funds rule (from C$10,000 to more than C$20,000) make families hesitate to apply?
- 03
According to McGill's president, why were top universities mostly shielded from the visa cap?
- 04
Explain why fewer Indian students are choosing Canada now. Give at least two reasons from the article and use evidence (a number or example) for each.
Suggested length: ~70 words
- 05
Compare the two groups of students described by McGill's president. How does this difference help explain who was hurt most by the visa cap?
Suggested length: ~70 words
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
By September 2025, what share of new international students in Canada were Indian?
- 02
Why did the higher proof of funds rule (from C$10,000 to more than C$20,000) make families hesitate to apply?
- 03
According to McGill's president, why were top universities mostly shielded from the visa cap?
- 04
Explain why fewer Indian students are choosing Canada now. Give at least two reasons from the article and use evidence (a number or example) for each.
Suggested length: ~70 words
- 05
Compare the two groups of students described by McGill's president. How does this difference help explain who was hurt most by the visa cap?
Suggested length: ~70 words