Lagatar24 Desk
Ottawa: Canada is moving towards granting immigration authorities the power to cancel or refuse visas en masse, a measure reported to focus on applicants from India and Bangladesh amid mounting concerns about fraud, according to internal documents obtained by media.
What the Bill Entails
Under Bill C-12 (formerly part of the “Strong Borders” framework), the Canadian government would allow the Minister of Immigration, along with the Minister of Public Safety, to enact mass cancellations of visas — temporary, student, work, or visitor — if deemed in the “public interest.” Internal presentations cited by CBC reveal that the working group of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and U.S. partners have labelled India and Bangladesh as “country-specific challenges”.
Why Indians Could Be Particularly Affected
Documents show that:
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Asylum claims from Indian nationals surged from under 500 per month in May 2023 to ~2,000 by July 2024.
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Processing times for Indian temporary-resident visas went from ~30 days (July 2023) to ~54 days a year later.
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Study permit rejection rates for Indian applicants hit nearly 74% in August 2025.
The move to enable broad cancellation powers has raised major concerns among over 300 civil-society groups, which warn the law could enable a “mass-deportation machine.”
What Lies Ahead
If passed swiftly, the bill could reshape how Canada handles immigration flows from countries like India — shifting from individual case reviews to blanket measures. Critics argue that the vague “public interest” standard opens the door to arbitrary use. Canada’s universities, which rely heavily on Indian students, may face a steep decline in enrolments, and diplomatic tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi could deepen.
