- A delegation of 21 Canadian university presidents will visit India in February 2026 to boost enrollment.
- Indian study permit approvals plunged by 67% from their 2023 peak, prompting urgent recruitment efforts.
- New policies exempt graduate students from certain requirements to streamline the application process for advanced degrees.
(INDIA) — Universities Canada is sending a delegation of 21 Canadian university presidents to India from February 2 to 6, 2026, in a bid to reverse a steep drop in Indian student enrollment in Canada.
The mission comes as Indian student study permit approvals in Canada fell to approximately 52,765 in the first seven months of 2025, down from the 278,000 peak in 2023.
Universities Canada framed the trip as a push to rebuild recruitment and research ties with a country that has driven years of growth in international education, and to reassert Canadian universities’ place in a more competitive North American market for students.
Itinerary and focus areas
The delegation plans stops in Goa, New Delhi, and Gujarat International Finance Tech-City (GIFT City), with meetings aimed at deepening research links in Artificial Intelligence, sustainable development, and healthcare.
The tour’s inclusion of GIFT City signals an effort to link university partnerships with India’s finance and technology ambitions, while meetings in New Delhi and Goa aim to broaden institutional ties across regions and sectors.
Statements from officials
Canada’s High Commissioner to India, Christopher Cooter, tied the visit to a broader reset in bilateral ties. “The visit by Canadian universities presidents is a big step in our renewed collaboration on research and education initiatives, as guided by the New Roadmap for Canada-India relations,” Cooter said on January 22, 2026.
Gabriel Miller, President and CEO of Universities Canada, cast the trip as part of a broader economic and education strategy. “Universities are essential to building the global partnerships that create economic growth and opportunity. As Canada and India renew their vitally important relationship, this mission reflects and advances our commitment to create lasting, shared success for both of our countries,” Miller said on January 20, 2026.
“As Canada and India renew their vitally important relationship, this mission reflects and advances our commitment to create lasting, shared success for both of our countries,” Gabriel Miller said.
Context: enrollment trends and policy changes
Canadian university presidents arrive in India after a year in which Indian student enrollment dropped an estimated 67% from its 2023 peak, a reversal after rapid expansion in the prior decade.
India has served as Canada’s largest source of international students for more than a decade, with growth of 770% between 2015 and 2023, as institutions expanded recruitment pipelines and built program offerings that appealed to Indian applicants.
The February visit also follows the October 2025 Canada-India Roadmap, which the mission’s organizers describe as a catalyst for repairing relations and expanding cooperation in education and research.
Canadian policy changes form part of the backdrop for the recruitment push, particularly for advanced degrees. Effective January 1, 2026, Canada exempted Master’s and PhD students from the Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) requirement, a step that Universities Canada and universities have pointed to as a way to streamline recruitment in high-demand fields.
That exemption stands in contrast to a more restrictive environment described in U.S. immigration guidance issued at the start of the year. In a USCIS policy memo dated January 1, 2026, the agency said: “USCIS has determined the burden of processing delays which will fall on some aliens is necessary and appropriate, when weighed against the agency’s obligation to protect and preserve our national security. USCIS will conduct a thorough review on a case-by-case basis to assess benefit eligibility.”
The memo did not address the Canadian delegation, but it underscored how vetting requirements and adjudication burdens can shape student choices and the pace of decision-making across North America. The USCIS statement appeared in an USCIS Policy Memorandum that set out a stronger emphasis on case-by-case review.
Recruitment messaging and visa dynamics
Universities Canada has promoted the India mission as a targeted attempt to restore confidence among prospective students and partners, and to rebuild pathways that have slowed sharply since the 2023 peak.
The enrollment drop has altered the mix of applicants Canadian institutions can attract, with the delegation’s messaging emphasizing what organizers described as a “talent-first” environment.
- Graduate recruitment. Master’s and PhD recruitment moves faster and faces fewer hurdles under Canada’s new exemption.
- Undergraduate and college-level permits. These remain capped and competitive.
- Vetting and adjudication. The material around the mission pointed to “adjudicative holds” connected to vetting in the United States, and described longer wait times there compared with Canada’s newly streamlined approach for graduate students.
A parallel slump in the United States was also cited, with Indian student enrollment reportedly plummeting by nearly 75% in late 2025/early 2026 due to stricter visa scrutiny and a proposed four-year cap on student visas. No specific data source or agency figure was provided for that U.S. enrollment claim.
Universities and students also weigh visa-processing dynamics beyond Canada, particularly when deciding between destinations.
Policy and government context in Canada
In Canada, the pressure on Indian student enrollment sits alongside government efforts to manage overall international student volumes.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has published information on planned allocations, including in a canada.ca notice on 2026 International Student Allocations.
Research diplomacy and long-term goals
For Canadian universities, the India trip pairs recruitment with research diplomacy, with planned discussions in AI, sustainable development, and healthcare designed to extend beyond admissions into longer-term collaboration.
The mission’s organizers positioned Canada as a “safe and welcoming” destination for international students, while acknowledging a wider climate in which policy constraints, scrutiny, and domestic pressures affect student decisions.
The effort by Canadian university presidents comes at a moment when universities across North America face more uncertainty about student flows, processing times, and shifting requirements that can reshape demand from one application cycle to the next.
With the delegation preparing to arrive in India in early February, Miller’s message on the trip’s purpose remained focused on the longer arc of bilateral ties: “As Canada and India renew their vitally important relationship, this mission reflects and advances our commitment to create lasting, shared success for both of our countries,” he said.
