Canadian institutions are calling on the government to fix systemic processing issues after the country's immigration minister told them to diversify recruitment beyond India.
Canadian immigration minister Marc Miller has called on higher education institutions to look beyond India for international students, sparking criticism from the sector about systemic processing barriers that are hindering diversification.
“I would say universities and colleges have been going to one or two source countries, and constantly going back to the well on that, and we expect the diversity of students,” Miller told a Toronto media channel.
“That doesn’t mean that Indian students aren’t some of the best and brightest. Indeed, [as] one of the largest populations in the world, you would expect students to come from India,” he said.
Miller asked universities and colleges to rebrand and “change their pitch” to attract students from different countries.
“There will always be students from India,” he maintained.
While sector leaders agreed with Miller about the merits of diversification, his comments have sparked criticism from those who say the system itself is limiting institutions’ efforts to diversify.
“We can’t talk about diversification without fixing the system that processes these students,” Isaac Garcia-Sitton, executive director of international student enrolment at TMU told The PIE News.
“Systemic barriers – like study permit refusals within days of submission, slow visa processing times (among the longest in the top 10 study destinations), and the unintended consequences of automated decision-making rejecting qualified students – make it difficult to turn this goal into a reality,” said Garcia-Sitton.
In 2023, Indian students made up approximately 41% of Canada’s international students, followed by students from China (10%) and the Philippines (5%), with stakeholders pointing to sustained diversification efforts over the past five to seven years.
“What is problematic with Minister Miller’s comments is that institutions have diversified, mainly focusing on the African continent and Southeast Asia; however, we are seeing significant delays in study permit processing or a high level of visa denials in these regions,” said Vinitha Gengatharan, assistant vice-president, global engagement & partnerships at York University.
“While it is easy to say diversify, that must also be met with recourses to support it,” said Gengatharan, urging the government to address DLIs that “contravene a genuine international student program”.
Additionally, constant policy changes from the IRCC since January 2024 have made it “near impossible” to build sustainable long-term recruitment strategies in an increasingly unpredictable operating system, said stakeholders.
While Miller did not acknowledge the systemic issues hindering diversification, sector members agreed on the benefits of diversifying to enrich Canada’s classrooms and communities and prevent an overreliance on one or two source markets.
Students from different backgrounds “enrich our classrooms and communities with diverse perspectives and ideas”, becoming either “a much-needed talent pool for Canada” or serving as “ambassadors” and “champions” abroad, said Gengatharan.
What’s more, institutions are acutely aware of the dangers of relying on one or two source markets, citing currency fluctuations, geopolitical tensions and populism among myriad factors causing increased volatility across the globe.
And yet, “diversifying the international student body is more than just a numbers game – it’s about strengthening Canada’s academic ecosystem,” said Garcia-Sitton.
“Minister Miller raises a valid point about the need for diversification but the messaging matters.”
Over the past year, this very ecosystem has been battered by policy changes and negative rhetoric damaging Canada’s international reputation, with Miller’s latest comments only adding to the problem, said critics.
“Singling out Indian students, even unintentionally, risks creating a narrative that they are part of the problem – when in fact, they’ve been central to Canada’s international education success,” said Garcia-Sitton.
“Framing diversification as a move ‘away’ from India could alienate a community that has been central to our success,” he continued.
With data showing interest in Canada is falling far below initial targets set under the government caps, TMU has seen a “considerable” drop in applications from Indian students, according to assistant vice-president for international, Cory Searcy.
“That said, Indian students continue to apply and are welcomed at TMU,” said Searcy, adding that the university would continue to recruit Indian students and those from around the world.
In Miller’s comments, he was keen to distance his immigration policies from that of the US, maintaining that “you won’t see Canada doing what the Trump Administration is doing… nor will we be adopting that rhetoric with respect to immigrants generally”.
However, unlike the first Trump presidency when Canada saw a “Trump bump” in international enrolments, sector members have warned that Canada’s own visa backlogs, anti-immigrant sentiments and policy shifts, among other issues, could undermine its competitive edge.
“Canada can’t just assume it’ll be the default ‘Plan B’ for students disillusioned by US policies,” said Garcia-Sitton: “Students crave stability. If both Canada and the US are seen as politically volatile, they might look elsewhere altogether.”
When approached for comment, the IRCC said that while immigration is vital to Canada’s economic growth, higher numbers were putting pressure on “housing, infrastructure and social services”.
It highlighted its 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, which, for the first time ever, includes temporary resident targets to “help align immigration planning with community capacity”.
It did not comment specifically on the issue of diversifying international student recruitment or on the number of Indian students in Canada.