Effective from February 2025, Canada has brought into force new visa regulations which empower border officials to alter or revoke the visa status of international students, foreign workers and migrants.
Border officials in Canada are now able to refuse or revoke temporary resident documents, including student visas, work permits, temporary resident visas, and electronic travel authorisations, as per a change in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
The Government of Canada states that if border officials are not certain that a person will depart Canada when their permitted stay is over, they have the authority to deny entry or revoke a permit. Many foreign workers and students, especially Indian nationals, who comprise a sizable component of this population, are uncertain about this development.
In fact, over 420,000 Indian students are currently enrolled in higher education.
Key changes:
With these changes, immigration and border services officers now have the explicit authority to cancel temporary resident visas (TRVs) and electronic travel authorisations (eTAs) on a case-by-case basis, including when:
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The status or situation of an individual changes, making them inadmissible or no longer eligible to hold the document (for example, the person provided false information, is a criminal, or has died).
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An officer is uncertain that a visitor will leave Canada before the expiration of their authorised stay.
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The document has been lost, stolen, destroyed, or abandoned.
In addition, changes enable officers to cancel TRVs, eTAs, employment permits, and study permits which have been issued to individuals in the following scenarios:
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They settled down permanently.
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They’ve deceased, or
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Due to an administrative error, the document was released.
The changed rules came into effect on 31 January, 2025.
