How Canada’s new visa rules could impact thousands of Indians students and workers

Canada's new immigration regulations can affect thousands of Indian students, workers and tourists since officials now have greater authority to cancel study and work permits under specific conditions. The new Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations came into effect on January 31, 2025. This was paired with the cancellation of the Student Direct Stream (SDS) visa programme in late 2024.

That programme had accelerated visa processing for students by requiring them to demonstrate money upfront, such as tuition fees and guaranteed investment certificates (GICs) for living expenses, according to CanadaVisa.com.

Due to all of this, authorise border officials can cancel temporary resident documents like electronic travel authorisations (eTAs) and temporary resident visas (TRVs). This is an issue for many Indians since Canada is a top destination for Indian students opting to pursue their higher education abroad.