International students from five countries accounted for over half of all student asylum applicants in Canada between January and September 2024, new data shows.
PIE NEWS
While nearly 14,000 asylum applications were filed by international students in the first nine months of this year, compared to 12,000 in 2023, Indian students (2,290) made up over 14% of all the claims.
Nigeria (1,990), followed by Ghana (1,385), Guinea (1,095), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (950), are the four countries with the highest numbers of international students seeking asylum, after India, according to IRCC data.
The rise in applications comes as the number of Canadian study permits processed by the IRCC is expected to drop by roughly 47% in 2024 compared to 2023.
Students from India and Nigeria, who contribute over 27% of all asylum applications, have seen an almost 50% drop in study permits issued in Q3 2024 compared to Q3 2023.
However, both countries remain among Canada’s biggest source nations for international students.
A total of 151,340 students from India and 21,040 students from Nigeria have been issued study permits in 2024 so far, highlighting that the volume of asylum applications aligns with the significant number of students arriving from these countries.
According to the data, students from Asia and Africa made up the largest number of asylum seekers among international students.
Countries such as Rwanda (775), Iran (630), Bangladesh (445), Cameroon (405), and Ivory Coast (385) round out the list of the ten countries with the highest numbers of asylum-seeking students.
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