Indian Permanent Residency in Canada Plunges 25% as Ottawa Slows Immigration

Canada's recent decision to reduce immigration has disproportionately affected Indian applicants, according to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Between January and May 2025, Canada admitted 147,260 new permanent residents, a decline of 12.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2024 when 168,800 were admitted.

Admissions from India fell from 49,115 to 36,910 over the five-month period, a drop of nearly 25 per cent. Indians accounted for more than 57 per cent of the overall decline of 21,540 permanent residents, despite being just a portion of total applicants.

Experts attribute this to the historical dominance of Indians among Canada's permanent resident intake. Jack Jedwab, president of the Association for Canadian Studies, told the National Post that when a government sharply reduces a stream where one nationality constitutes a large share, that group bears a disproportionate impact. 'Canada has moved from rapid immigration expansion to a deliberate, government-driven contraction,' Jedwab said.

The slowdown is part of Canada's broader effort to reduce immigration after years of record intake. IRCC has stated its commitment to stabilising annual new permanent residents to below 1 per cent of Canada's population beyond 2027, and to prioritise granting permanent residency to those already living and working in the country.

The trend reflects a sharp reversal from previous years. Indian permanent resident admissions rose from 42,875 in 2020 to a record 139,790 in 2023, before declining as Canada tightened targets. In 2025, total admissions fell 19 per cent to 393,530, with Indian admissions dropping from 127,375 in 2024 to 98,770 in 2025.