Thousands of Indians Deported from Canada | Annual Updates and Trends

In 2025, Indians were the second largest national origin group deported from Canada.

• In 2025, a total of 23,160 foreign nationals were deported from Canada, and Indians accounted for 14.6% of the total deportations.
• From 2020 to 2025, 9,728 Indians were deported from Canada.
• Trends show record or near-record removals for Indians in 2025-2026, driven by higher enforcement and the sheer scale of Indian migration to Canada (hundreds of thousands of students and workers in recent years).

Main Reasons for Removals

• The vast majority of removals for Indians, like other nationalities, are administrative rather than for serious criminality. Primary categories include:Non-compliance (failed or abandoned refugee claims): The dominant reason, often accounting for 70-80 percent of total removals. Many Indian claimants file on grounds such as political, religious, or other persecution, but acceptance rates vary and many claims are rejected, withdrawn, or abandoned.
• Overstays and permit violations: Common among international students and temporary workers whose study or work permits expire without renewal or extension.
• Criminality (section 36): A smaller share overall, though prioritized. This includes serious crimes.
• Other: Misrepresentation or other inadmissibility grounds.

Indian refugee claims are among the highest in volume in recent years, but overall success rates are mixed and lower than for some other nationalities (e.g., Iran or Turkey). Failed claimants who do not leave voluntarily face enforced removal.

Additional Context

• Removal types: Most are unescorted departures. Higher-risk cases may involve escorts.
• Large-scale migration factor: India is one of the top sources of permanent residents, international students, and temporary workers in Canada. This large inflow “naturally” produces higher absolute numbers of inadmissible cases compared to smaller migration streams.
• Policy factors: Increased CBSA resources, tighter rules on temporary residents, and backlog reduction efforts have raised removal numbers across the board. Removals to India are generally straightforward due to government cooperation on documentation and travel.
• Inventory: Thousands of Indian cases remain in “removals in progress,” indicating sustained high activity.

This data reflects standard enforcement of immigration rules applied across different migration profiles. Indians’ high absolute numbers stem primarily from their substantial temporary and asylum-related volumes rather than disproportionate targeting. For the latest official figures, consult the CBSA removals statistics page directly, as numbers are updated periodically.

SOURCE: CBSA 2026