Nigerians, Indians top 50,000 missing international students in Canada

Nigeria, India, China, Ghana, and six other countries have emerged as the nations with the highest number of international students failing to report to Canadian colleges and universities for the 2024 academic session.
A report published by Immigration News Canada on Thursday, disclosed that approximately 50,000 international students who were issued study permits in 2024 did not show up at their designated institutions.
“In a shocking revelation, close to 50,000 international students who were issued study permits to pursue higher education in Canada were reported as ‘no-shows’ by the colleges and universities where they were supposed to be enrolled, according to government data from spring 2024.
“This figure, representing 6.9 percent of all international students tracked by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), highlights an alarming trend that has sparked nationwide discussions about the effectiveness of Canada’s international student compliance system,” the report stated.
India topped the list, with around 20,000 students failing to report to their institutions. This was followed by China, which recorded 4,200 non-compliant students. Nigeria ranked third, with 3,900 students missing, while Ghana came fourth, accounting for 2,700 students.
The top 10 countries on the list also include Iran, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Rwanda, and the Philippines.
The compliance rates varied significantly across countries. India, for instance, recorded a compliance rate of 91.1percent while Nigeria’s stood at 84.7percent . Ghana reported the lowest compliance rate among the top four nations, with 67.4percent.
Analysts have attributed the rise in non-compliance to several factors, including exploitation by fraudulent agents, illegal border crossings into the U.S., and students prioritising work or residency opportunities over education.