India, Feb. 15 -- The number of study permits issued to students from India seeking admissions in Canadian higher education institutions last year fell steeply by nearly 33% when compared with the figures for 2023.

According to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Indians were issued 189,070 study permits in 2024, as against 278,110 the previous year, a decrease of over 32%.

In 2024, they comprised 36% of the total permits issued - 518,125. That overall figure also fell from 681,390 in 2023, when Indians were also the largest country cohort, at nearly 41% of the total.

Of course, the numbers have still risen sharply since the Government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first came into power in 2015, when a tot...