Canadian authorities are planning to get new powers that would allow them to cancel or reject large numbers of visa applications at once. The move is said to target countries like India and Bangladesh, citing concerns over visa fraud and verification problems.

According to reports, the proposal highlights “country-specific challenges” in checking visa documents from these countries. It comes at a time when Canada’s student visa rejection rate for Indian applicants has sharply increased, around 74% in August, meaning nearly three out of four Indian students were denied study permits.

Documents obtained by CBC show that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) are now working together with US authorities to detect and cancel fake or fraudulent visa applications. The agencies have formed a special working group to create rules that would allow mass visa cancellations in certain emergencies, such as pandemics, wars, or problems specific to some countries.

While Canada’s Immigration Minister Lena Diab said such powers would be used only in emergencies, she did not clarify whether they could apply to specific nationalities. This uncertainty has raised concerns. Over 300 civil society organizations have opposed the proposal, warning that it could turn into a “mass deportation system” and allow the government to reject or cancel visas based on nationality rather than individual cases.

Immigration lawyers told CBC that the plan might actually be an attempt to reduce Canada’s visa backlog, not necessarily to address fraud. The documents also reveal a sharp rise in asylum claims from Indian nationals, increasing from fewer than 500 per month in mid-2023 to nearly 2,000 per month by July 2024. This surge has caused delays in processing temporary visa applications from India, the average time has gone up from 30 days in July 2023 to 54 days in July 2024.

Due to the extra verification process, visa approvals have dropped from 63,000 in January 2024 to 48,000 in June 2024. India remains Canada’s top source of international students but now also faces the highest refusal rate among countries with more than 1,000 applicants. As of July 2024, authorities had identified nearly 1,900 applicants for further questioning and informed them about their rights and next steps.