Canada’s deportation drive hits Indians hard: 3,323 sent back so far this year — Inside the sharp rise since 2021
Canada removed 3,323 Indian nationals from the country during the first six months of 2026, according to official figures, putting the annual total on course
Canada removed 3,323 Indian nationals from the country during the first six months of 2026, according to official figures, putting the annual total on course to exceed the record number of deportations recorded over the past six years. Data released by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) shows that the number of Indians deported between January and June this year has already reached nearly 88% of the 3,779 removals recorded throughout 2025, which was previously the highest annual figure. The latest figures come as Canada continues to tighten its immigration policies and scale back the number of temporary residents, including international students and temporary foreign workers.
Indian nationals are typically removed from Canada for reasons including breaches of immigration regulations, unsuccessful asylum or refugee applications, overstaying visas and involvement in visa-related fraud. Indians accounted for the highest number of deportations from Canada during the first half of 2026, overtaking Mexican nationals, who recorded 1,573 removals. Also Read | Canada wildfire smoke chokes US cities as Trump demands tariff hike Mexico had remained the leading nationality for deportations from Canada for each of the previous five years, while India consistently ranked second during that period. India had previously topped Canada's deportation figures in 2020, when 1,424 Indian nationals were removed from the country.
What does the data show from 2021-2024? CBSA data shows that 603 Indians were deported in 2021, followed by 786 in 2022. The number increased to 1,132 in 2023 before rising sharply to 2,004 in 2024. Also Read | Indian man leaves high-paying job in India to move to Canada The CBSA has a separate database detailing the reasons behind deportations, but it does not provide a country-wise classification of those figures. Indians also made up the largest group in Canada's "removal in progress inventory", with 7,669 Indian nationals awaiting removal, according to CBSA data.
Canada broadly classifies removal orders into three categories. A departure order requires an individual to leave the country voluntarily within 30 days; if they fail to do so, it automatically changes into a deportation order. An exclusion order prevents an individual from returning to Canada for a specified period, typically ranging from one to five years. A deportation order, meanwhile, permanently prohibits re-entry unless the individual receives written permission from the Canadian government.
The BriefWire