NEW DELHI (Kashmir English): Indian nationals have emerged as the largest nationality group removed from Canada in 2026 so far, with 3,323 people deported during the first six months of 2026.
The revelation came in the latest data released by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
According to Kashmir Media Service, the figure is nearly 88 percent of the 3,779 Indian nationals removed from Canada during the whole of 2025, indicating a sharp rise in removals this year.
The CBSA data showed that Indian nationals accounted for the highest number of removals between January and June 2026, followed by Mexican nationals with 1,573 removals.
Overall, Canada carried out 10,607 enforced removals during the first half of this year, compared with 23,160 throughout 2025.
The increase comes amid heightened scrutiny of Canada’s immigration system and growing political pressure on the government to tighten immigration controls following a sharp rise in temporary residents.
Indian nationals
The CBSA data, however, does not indicate that all Indian nationals removed from Canada were deported for criminal offences.
Under Canadian immigration law, removals can take place on several grounds, including inadmissibility resulting from non-compliance with immigration requirements.
Of the 10,607 enforced removals recorded during the first half of 2026, 8,551 involved refugee claimants found inadmissible for non-compliance, while 1,303 involved non-claimants.
The sharp rise in removals of Indian nationals comes against the backdrop of strained India-Canada relations in recent years, although both countries have taken steps towards rebuilding bilateral ties.
India has a large community in Canada, with students, temporary workers, immigrants and family-reunification cases forming an important part of people-to-people relations between the two countries.
The latest figures are expected to attract attention in New Delhi as Indian nationals have moved from being the second-largest nationality group removed by Canada in 2025 to the largest group during the first half of 2026.
The CBSA statistics do not indicate that the increase is the result of an India-specific policy. Rather, the figures reflect Canada’s broader enforcement of immigration laws, with non-compliance among refugee claimants accounting for the majority of removals recorded so far this year.
