India, June 2 -- Toronto The number of Indians with study permits for Canadian institutions fell to its lowest quarterly level between January and March this year, since the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the number of Indians with study permits during the first quarter of this year was 17,540, or 24.5% of the total 71,560. That was the lowest quarterly number since the October-December quarter of 2020, when the figure stood at 16,760 even as the pandemic disrupted global travel. The figure for the first quarter was also over 40% lower than that for the corresponding period in 2025, when there were 29,950 Indians out of a total of 93,930 or about 32%. The overall annual intake has also plummeted to nearly half: From 1,88,140 in 2024 to 94,025 last year. According to the annual data from IRCC, the total study permits issued fell from 5,14,915 in 2024 to 3,83,905 in 2025, a 25% reduction, having already declined from its 2023 record high of 6,80,795. This was also the lowest intake since 2018 when 3,54,260 permits were issued barring 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted international travel and the number plummeted to 2,55,530. IRCC has noted it is reducing international students numbers to a "sustainable level". In a speech in Toronto in February, Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Lena Metlege Diab said when she was appointed to the post by Prime Minister Mark Carney last spring, "the task was clear" and included restoring control and balance, and rebuilding confidence in the immigration system. As part of the process, Canada has capped international student numbers, made acceptance letter review mandatory to prevent study permit fraud and raise financial requirements. The decline follows policies instituted in the last quarter of 2023, as further restrictions were ordered in the months amid concerns in the country over a surge in temporary immigrants contributing towards a spike in housing affordability and placing pressure on public infrastructure. In its levels plans announced in November last year, the government projected a 7% decrease in the total number of international students issued permits this year. IRCC noted that the total number of study permits to be issued in 2026 will be capped at 408,000, including 155,000 visas issued to newly arriving international students plus 253,000 extensions for current and returning students. "This number is 7% lower than the 2025 issuance target of 437,000 and 16% lower than the 2024 issuance target of 485,000," IRCC said. IRCC said that the cap that was first introduced in 2024 "has been an effective tool in slowing the growth of Canada's temporary population". "While this progress is significant, further reductions are needed to meet our commitment of reducing the share of Canada's temporary population to below 5% of the total population by the end of 2027," it added....