Canada deports record 3,323 Indians in first half of 2026

Canada deported a record 3,323 Indian nationals in the first six months of 2026, putting the figure on course to surpass the previous annual high as the country tightens its immigration system.

Data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) showed that Indian nationals removed between January and June already accounted for nearly 88 per cent of the 3,779 Indians deported during 2025, which was itself a record overall.

The rise further comes as Canada moves to reduce temporary residents, including international students and temporary foreign workers, while tightening immigration enforcement.

Indians were the largest nationality among people removed from Canada in the first half of 2026, overtaking Mexicans, who accounted for 1,573 deportations. Mexico had topped Canada's deportation list in each of the previous five years, while India ranked second during that period.

India last occupied the top position in 2020, when 1,424 Indian nationals were deported. The number fell to 603 in 2021 before rising to 786 in 2022, 1,132 in 2023, 2,004 in 2024 and 3,779 in 2025.

Canada routinely removes Indian nationals for reasons including immigration non-compliance, rejected asylum or refugee claims, visa overstays and visa fraud. The CBSA maintains a separate database detailing reasons for removal, but does not provide a country-wise breakdown.

Indian nationals also formed the largest group in Canada's "removal in progress inventory", with 7,669 people awaiting removal, according to the agency.

Canada uses three broad categories of removal orders. A departure order requires a person to leave voluntarily within 30 days, after which it can become a deportation order. An exclusion order generally prevents return for one to five years, while a deportation order permanently bars re-entry unless written government authorisation is obtained.

The 2026 figure is already more than two-and-a-half times the number of Indians deported by the United States to India. India's Ministry of External Affairs said last month that 1,273 Indian nationals had been deported from the US between January 1 and July 22.