![\"Youngsters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-2026-04-07T214950.718.png\")
Youngsters attend an IELTS class in Ludhiana for boosting their chances to study abroad | Samridhi Tewari | ThePrint\n<\/p>\nA series of aggressive policy shifts by the Canadian government has made it difficult for students and immigration companies to enter and survive. By capping student permits and tightening the \u201cproof of funds\u201d requirements, Canada has signalled that the era for the \u201ceasy entry\u201d student visa is over.<\/p>\n
\nYoungsters attend an IELTS class in Ludhiana for boosting their chances to study abroad | Samridhi Tewari | ThePrint\n<\/p>\n
For students like Sheetal, it isn\u2019t just a policy change, but a wall. It slows down entry, and restricts it too. With the Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) cost\u2014an investment required for international students to prove they have the funds to cover their first-year\u2019s living expenses\u2014almost doubling now, and the risk of refusal at an all-time high, the Canadian financial gamble has become too risky for several middle class families.<\/p>\n
The dream to go to Canada is not dying; it\u2019s just a whole lot more expensive now.<\/p>\n
Also Read: Sikh separatists engaging in violent extremism a \u2018threat to national security\u2019\u2014Canada intel report<\/a><\/p>\n The revelations<\/p>\n As per the March 2026 audit report by Canada Auditor General (AG) Karen Hogan, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reduced the number of new study permits issued to control the growth of the International Student Program. The reduction in new study permits has disproportionately affected smaller provinces.<\/p>\n The audit, \u2018International Student Programs Reform\u2019, revealed that while the government successfully capped study permit applications, the actual number of approvals in 2024 fell \u201csharper than forecast\u201d, with the IRCC approving fewer than half of the permits it had already projected.<\/p>\n This collapse was most visible in the Student Direct Stream (SDS), the fast-track route Sheetal likely missed.<\/p>\n \n In another key finding, the AG noted internal warnings in August 2023 that the SDS was being \u201ctargeted by non-genuine students\u201d. \u201cDuring this time, approval rates for applications from Indian nationals processed through the SDS rose from 61 percent in 2022 to 98 percent in 2024, before the program was scrapped in 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn three investigations, the department identified 800 study permits issued between 2018 and 2023 for which applicants had either used fraudulent documentation or misrepresented information on their applications to gain entry into Canada. Most of these individuals later applied for other immigration permits once in Canada,\u201d the audit report revealed.<\/p>\n Despite these being confirmed cases, the IRCC did not take any follow-up action. Many of these individuals remained in the country; 124 applied for permanent residency, and 105 secured it. \u201cThe department needs to act on the information it has to address integrity concerns,\u201d Hogan said in the audit, describing the lack of action as a \u201cserious concern\u201d.<\/p>\n Between 2023 and 2024, the department identified over 153,000 students as potentially non\u2011compliant with study permit conditions, but had funding to investigate only 2,000 cases each year, the audit report revealed.<\/p>\n The grand old migration industry\u00a0<\/p>\n Jalandhar\u2019s Garha Road is like a stairway to a Western heaven. It\u2019s lined with massive billboards, featuring white people holding books and flags of the US, Canada, the UK, Australia. Red and blue dominate these boards as they promise: \u2018We Guarantee Visa\u2019, \u2018Study Abroad\u2019, and of course, \u2018Dream Big\u2019.<\/p>\n For over 40 years, this particular 2-km stretch of road has been at the centre of Punjab\u2019s migration industry. In the 1980s and 1990s, people from Doaba and Manjha region used to arrive by bus, clutching dreams and briefcases. Back then, only four to five businesses operated here. Agents would travel to distant villages, meeting the sarpanch to pitch the pros and cons of life across the borders.<\/p>\n Today, the industry is a giant. Over 30 major companies and hundreds of sub-agents operate within narrow bylanes. People say, \u201cOne can find chitta (opium-based drug) and Canada waale agents in each gali.\u201d What was once \u201cword of mouth\u201d advertisement, has now moved to Facebook, Reddit and Telegram. The Canadian dream is staying alive.<\/p>\n Across the oceans, a \u2018mini-Punjab\u2019 has taken shape in Brampton, Canada. Big names like Karan Aujla, A.P.Dhillon, Siddhu Moosewala turned the Sikh diaspora into a lifestyle brand, and now almost every household wants to fly the maple leaf red-and-white flag.<\/p>\n This migration machine hit a wall in January 2024. The Canadian government doubled the GIC requirement from $10,000 to over $22,000. The cost of a dream jumped from Rs 15 lakh to 32 lakh overnight.\u00a0As per data by the Bureau of Immigration, the Ministry of Home Affairs, 9,08,364 students went abroad to study in 2023, and that number fell to 7,70,127 in 2024 and 6,26,606 in 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cThe people don\u2019t have the paying capacity anymore,\u201d said Rajesh Sharma of Global Sydney Group in Chandigarh. \u201cEarlier, IRCC didn\u2019t check documents thoroughly. They just made decisions. Now, they are in complete strict mode. Now, only the cream of cream will be allowed to enter.\u201d<\/p>\n \n In a way, the chaos was inevitable. \u201cSince 2019, Canada has promoted itself as a destination for international students, highlighting education as a pathway to permanent residency. As a result, interest in studying in Canada increased, with new study permit applications rising 121 percent from approximately 426,000 in 2019 to about 943,000 in 2023,\u201d the audit report said.<\/p>\n The audit report goes on to say that measures to reduce the number of international students were already underway. \u201cThe government\u2019s 2026\u20132028 Immigration Levels Plan further reduced the number of international students and extended the limit on study permit applications to 2027 to help achieve a new goal of a temporary resident population below 5 percent of Canada\u2019s population,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n Based on data from IRCC cited in the audit, in 2023 India had a 51.6 percent share of incoming student population, 33.6 percent in 2024, dipping to 8.1 percent in 2025. \u201cThe Canadian policy was once to attract students at any cost, people who didn\u2019t have an appropriate profile also managed to get a ticket,\u201d Sharma says. \u201cNow, that bubble has burst.\u201d<\/p>\n The impact on the ground can be seen. In Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, the IELTS industry is cratering. Many shut businesses, others started shifting their targets to Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Germany.<\/p>\n \n Nitin Chawla, Joint Secretary of Association of Consultants of Overseas Studies and owner of Capri Education, says, over 6,000 people would sit for IELTS every month before 2024. \u201cNow, not even 600 come for Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAgents and companies would have to check at least 20 enquiries a day. Now, they see only two,\u201d Chawla adds. He says the pivot to Australia is blocked by rigid income tax laws requirements that Punjab\u2019s agrarian families cannot meet. The UK is tightening its grip, too.<\/p>\n The desperation to go remains as strong as ever. \u201cAre you looking for IELTS coaching? \u201cDo you want to go abroad?\u201d agents whisper in the tuition hubs.<\/p>\n Also Read: Red carpet for US H1-Bs, others get in line\u2014Canada\u2019s big immigration pivot, courtesy Carney<\/a><\/p>\n A history of criminality<\/p>\n The migration industry in Punjab has long operated both legally and illegally, with help of international oversight.<\/p>\n In the period specified by the audit, many student\u2019s futures were often just a forged document away from collapse. Unauthorised agents turned scores of aspirations into police investigations. The scale of this deception has a mention in an IRCC report filed in October 2023.<\/p>\n The report said, \u201cEarlier this year, cases came to light in which some current and former international students began to face enforcement action following investigations into the submission of fake letters of acceptance (LOA) when they previously applied for a study permit.\u201d<\/p>\n It said that the cases were identified via tips and intelligence probes conducted by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). \u201cOver 2,000 cases were initially examined. Cases included foreign nationals from India (89 percent), Vietnam (8 percent) and Peoples\u2019 Republic of China (3 percent).\u201d \u201cThe cases involve unauthorized consultants providing their clients fraudulent letters of acceptance from various Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs) in Canada, in support of study permit applications,\u201d the report added.<\/p>\n Of the 285 cases under review by the task force, 135 different immigration officers, across nine visa offices in Canada, India, Vietnam and China, assessed the initial applications. The same report has a mention of Brijesh Mishra, an Indian citizen and an immigration consultant, accused of duping people. \u201cSince the last Task Force meeting, criminal charges have been laid for immigration offences against Brijesh Mishra, one of the main culprits identified in the media.\u201d<\/p>\n Who is Brijesh Mishra? The people of Jalandhar know him very well. He has eight FIRs registered against him at Division 6 Police Station in Jalandhar. Mishra\u2019s lawyer says the cases are currently at trial stage.<\/p>\n In June 2023, the CBSA arrested Mishra on charges including unauthorised representation and \u201ccounselling misrepresentation.\u201d He was later arrested by Jalandhar Police in 2025.<\/p>\n IRCC\u2019s documents reveal how Mishra managed. He issued fake admission letters for top institutions like Humber and Seneca. Once students landed in Canada, he would tell them their seats were full. He then forced them into \u201cstagnant\u201d study tracks at private, low-tier colleges to maintain their visa status while he pocketed the commission.<\/p>\n These colleges existed on paper, had an address, and a name, were affiliated to universities, but were located in tiny rooms. This process helped many to opt for low-cost community colleges instead of top universities, using it as a gateway into Canada. Once they reached Canada, they would take up jobs instead of attending classes, with hopes of eventually securing permanent residency.<\/p>\n \n In one of the FIRs registered by Rajbeer Singh on July 29, 2023, the complainant said: \u201cI am from Canada and came to Canada as an international student. My family appointed Brijesh Mishra as my representative for my Canada application but he provided us with a fraudulent offer letter of which we were not aware and gave it to us without our knowledge. Later, he submitted my application for a Canadian study visa, which was granted.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter my arrival in Canada, Brijesh Mishra has not communicated with me or answered properly about my school schedule. Then he told me college is overbooked, so I started studying at a different college, and last year I came to know he did a fraud with me when the CBSA found that offer letter fake in their investigation.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease lodge my complaint against him and take steps against him. I need justice. I am facing consequences because of him. I am a victim of fraud. Not only me, but there are lots of other students who are facing the same situation because he has committed this fraud on all of us. Mishra has not communicated with me or answered properly about my school schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n The FIR said that Mishra told the student that the college is overbooked, so he started studying at a different college, and the year before, he came to know he was defrauded when the CBSA found that offer letter fake in their investigation.<\/p>\n Mishra was granted bail in December 2025. But he is no lone case.\u00a0 In Ropar\u2019s Chutamali village, the family of Lovepreet Singh fell victim to agents like Atul Mahajan. In Lovepreet\u2019s home, a knock on the door brings back fears to his parents, and most importantly his mother, Sarabjit Kaur, who fought the battle from Punjab.<\/p>\n \u201cWe took loans and managed to pay over Rs 18 lakh only to send Lovepreet to Canada. We found Atul, the agent from Mohali. He showed us dreams, but did not tell us that they were fraud\u2026\u201d she says. \u00a0All Sarabjit told Lovepreet was to have faith. \u201cChardi Kala (rising spirit),\u201d she would tell her son, who was sent to Canada on student visa and got admission in Lambton College in 2017. \u201cWhen he reached Canada, he got to know the agents sent him a fake admission letter. They did not even pay his fees.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Lovepreet took admission in a different college to complete his studies. Back in 2023, Lovepreet and many other students were part of protests in Canada against the deportation letters they received. Many organisations like International Sikh Students\u2019 Association and Naujawan Support Network amplified the protests and hit the ground to fight for the rights of students. He was eventually granted a three-year Temporary Resident Permit (TRP), after they deemed him a \u201cgenuine student\u201d caught in the scam.<\/p>\n Anatomy of the scam<\/p>\n Police officials from Jalandhar told ThePrint that agents exploit the gap between aspirations of people wanting to reach Canada and the Canadian High Commission.<\/p>\n \u201cUnsuspecting people come to agents, where they issue promise visas in 24 hours. They issue high-quality LoAs from genuine institutions. Students travel on visas that appear valid, and the embassy doesn\u2019t cross check. Students were told by their agents \u2018the seats are full\u2019,\u201d the police official said.<\/p>\n \u201cEven the income certificates of families are forged. People just want to work in Canada, and they enter through study permits. It doesn\u2019t matter what the degree or college is. The agents operate without a valid licence.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act, many such agents have lured the youth through social media. \u201cTo prevent similar situations in the future, an enhanced letter of acceptance verification process is being implemented that will have LoAs validated directly by DLIs,\u201d said IRCC. It said that the onus remains on applicants to provide truthful information in their applications even if a third party is preparing it.<\/p>\n The police say they also run routine verification drives to crack down on this. \u201cWe raid unlicensed firms and agent\u2019s offices. File an FIR as well. We have an NRI cell in Punjab that deals with such specific concerns, and the AHTU unit also keeps an eye,\u201d said an officer from Patiala Police.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-2026-04-07T220624.768.png\")
A staffer at an office in Chandigarh receives queries for IELTS tests as the dream to settle abroad remains strong among the youth | Samridhi Tewari | ThePrint\n<\/p>\n![\"Entry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-2026-04-07T214217.727.png\")
Entry to Canada has become strict and only the best students can enter, says Rajesh Sharma of Global Sydney Group in Chandigarh | Samridhi Tewari | ThePrint\n<\/p>\n![\"Many](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-2026-04-07T215702.784.png\")
Many agencies like the above here in Jalandhar have shut businesses due to dip in Canada student visas | Samridhi Tewari | ThePrint\n<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-2026-04-07T221223.720.png\")
A placard set up by immigration agents in Jalandhar promising visa to those candidates who faced refusal earlier | Samridhi Tewari | ThePrint\n<\/p>\n![\"In](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-2026-04-07T215118.722.png\")
In Ropar\u2019s Chutamali village, Lovepreet Singh\u2019s father regrets coming in contact with dubious agent for helping his son go Canada | Samridhi Tewari | ThePrint\n<\/p>\n
![\"Ads](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-2026-04-07T221611.117.png\")
Ads promising visa can be seen on an auto rickshaw on the road | Samridhi Tewari | ThePrint\n<\/p>\n