New Delhi: Visa fraud involving applicants from India and Bangladesh is among the factors prompting the Canadian government to consider new legislation that would give it the power to mass-cancel visas or suspend the processing of applications, according to a report by CBC.
CBC, citing official documents, said a presentation prepared by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for Minister Lena Diab’s office identified “country-specific visa holders” as one of the concerns that the proposed law could address, alongside issues such as wars and pandemics.
The presentation reportedly mentioned that IRCC, in coordination with the Canada Border Services Agency and unnamed U.S. partners, was planning to increase the number of officials authorised to deny or cancel visas in response to rising fraud cases. It also cited India and Bangladesh as examples of “country-specific challenges.”
While Minister Diab has publicly referred to wars and pandemics as the main scenarios the legislation aims to manage, CBC noted that she has not mentioned visa-related issues linked to specific countries, the Wire reported.
Reuters reported that Indian students have been among the most affected by Canada’s recent decision to further limit the number of international study permits it issues. The agency noted that in 2023, Indian nationals also made up the largest group whose study visa applications were linked to fraudulent college acceptance letters.
The developments come as India and Canada continue efforts to improve their strained diplomatic relationship following Mark Carney’s appointment as prime minister in March. Both countries have recently agreed to expand staffing at their respective embassies.
CBC, citing an IRCC presentation, said that asylum claims from Indian nationals rose sharply — reaching about 2,000 per month in July 2024 compared to fewer than 500 in May 2023. The same document reportedly said that the need to verify temporary visa applications from Indian citizens was causing delays in overall processing times.
The proposed legislation, identified as Bill C-12 and currently under review by a committee of Canada’s lower house of parliament, would give the government authority to cancel or suspend visas and pause the processing of applications if such measures are considered to be “in the public interest.”
Under the provisions of Bill C-12, the Canadian government would have the authority to cancel or suspend immigration documents such as permanent residence visas, work permits, and study permits. The bill states that these orders could be refined to apply only to “certain documents or individuals.” Similarly, if the government decides to stop accepting or processing visa applications, it could limit the scope to “certain foreign nationals.”
The proposed legislation has drawn sharp criticism from rights organisations, including Amnesty International, for allowing mass visa cancellations. The Migrant Rights Network warned that the bill could strip migrants of their legal status “overnight” and described it as a “cruel and violent law” that could enable large-scale deportations.
As scrutiny of visa applications intensifies, Reuters reported that rejection rates for Indian study permit applicants surged to around 74% in August 2025, compared to roughly 32% in the same month the previous year. Overall, about 40% of all student visa applications were denied in August, along with 24% of those submitted by Chinese nationals, according to Canadian government data cited by the agency.
Reuters also reported, citing an internal communication from IRCC, that nearly 1,550 study permit applications were flagged in 2023 for being linked to fraudulent acceptance letters, with the vast majority of those coming from India.
Responding to the report, the Indian embassy in Ottawa told Reuters that visa decisions were the prerogative of the Canadian government. However, it stressed that India produces some of the world’s most talented students, noting that Canadian institutions have historically benefited from their academic excellence.
Tensions between India and Canada had escalated in 2023 after then–Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian government agents were involved in the killing of Khalistani separatist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Nijjar in British Columbia. India strongly rejected the accusation, and both governments subsequently expelled or withdrew several diplomats.
Relations deteriorated further when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police claimed to have evidence linking Indian agents to “widespread violence” in Canada, leading both countries to declare each other’s high commissioners persona non grata, leaving the positions vacant.
A gradual improvement in ties began after Mark Carney became prime minister in early 2025. Carney met his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Alberta in June, following which both countries reinstated their high commissioners in each other’s capitals.