November 4, 2025

Hold onto your passports! Canada’s government is eyeing a powerful new move – they want the legal right to cancel visa applications en masse. Why? Fraud fears tied especially to visitors from India and Bangladesh, according to secret documents seen by CBC News. The internal presentation shared with Canada’s Immigration Minister Lena Diab reveals that Canadian and U.S. agencies are teaming up to catch fake visitor visa filings. This new power is part of a government plan to tighten border controls and speed up visa decisions. Publicly, Minister Diab has only talked about using these mass cancellations during big crises like pandemics or wars. Yet the hidden documents mention specific country challenges, pointing fingers at India and Bangladesh – countries where visa fraud seems to be a growing headache. The proposed law, Bill C-2's sibling Bill C-12, aims to give immigration officials muscle to refuse or cancel groups of visas quickly. But over 300 groups, including the Migrant Rights Network, warn it could create a "mass deportation machine." Immigration lawyers fear it might be used to clear a growing pile of visa applications without proper checks. Statistics from the presentation are eye-opening: asylum applications from India skyrocketed from under 500 a month in May 2023 to about 2,000 by July 2024. At the same time, visa approvals slowed, dropping from 63,000 in January 2024 to 48,000 by June, as officials spent more time verifying applications. More travelers from India were also stopped from boarding planes. Canada’s Immigration Department says it has taken "concrete steps" to stop illegal crossings and fraud, with illegal border crossings dropping 97% since June 2024. They report fewer asylum claims and more visa rejections for fraud in 2025. But they didn’t explain why India and Bangladesh were singled out in the leaked papers or how these powers would be used. Adding spice to this visa saga is the delicate Canada-India relationship. Since 2023, ties have been tense after Canada accused Indian agents of involvement in a controversial assassination in British Columbia. Yet, in June 2025, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Canada to mend fences, signaling hopes for better cooperation. Immigration experts and civil society stay alert as Ottawa pushes this new visa cancellation law, wondering if it will fast-track security or pave the way for sweeping crackdowns. As Canada tightens its borders, the world watches how this visa drama unfolds – will it protect, or punish innocent travelers? (Report by Raffy Boudjikanian, CBC News, Ottawa)

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Tags: Visa Cancellation, India, Bangladesh, Canada Immigration, Fraud Concerns, Bill C-12,