Studying abroad has long been a cherished goal for many Indian students. As per recent data, there are 90,000 Indian study permit holders in Canada, making Indians one of the largest groups of international students in the country.
However, YouTuber Kushal Mehra has a strong warning for Indian families. Speaking in a recent podcast, Mehra painted a grim picture of the reality faced by thousands of Indian students who land in the country each year, many of them lured by promises of a better life but finding instead exploitation, job insecurity, and rising hostility.
Canada’s migration crisis is hitting hard! Overcrowding, housing shortages & job pressure are rising fast. Reports say many Indian-origin women have fallen victim to human trafficking.
— Ravinder Singh Robin ਰਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਰੌਬਿਨ (@rsrobin1) October 28, 2025
In my vlog with @kushal_mehra , he strongly urges Indians: Don’t send your children to Canada… pic.twitter.com/1tKQyqnGlK
‘Dont send your kids to Canada’
According to him, many students fall prey to fake colleges and agents who promise easy admission and a clear path to permanent residency.
“Please don’t send your children to Canada through fake colleges or agents. If you get admission to reputed universities like Waterloo, York, or Western, that’s different,” Mehra advised. “But if someone is offering you a diploma mill admission, it’s a trap that will destroy your future. Stay in India, build your life there.”
The Canadian dream, Mehra argues, has been weakened by poorly managed immigration policies and an economy struggling to absorb the influx.
“Migration has increased so much that it has become difficult for Canada to handle newcomers,” he said. “There is a housing crisis, jobs are under pressure, and public services are strained.”
He also explained Motion M44, passed in 2022, which allowed international students to work full-time hours instead of the previous 18-hour limit.
The change, while meant to address labour shortages during the pandemic, had unintended consequences. “This policy opened the floodgates,” Mehra explained. “Students came in huge numbers, especially from India. Housing costs doubled, and resentment started to grow.”
Before COVID-19, Canada’s annual capacity for housing new residents was around 300,000 people. Yet, in recent years, immigration numbers have soared to nearly one million annually, which has resulted in higher rents in Greater Toronto, which jumped from about $500–700 a room to more than $1,200.
‘I have personally sent 13 girls back to India’
Beyond financial stress, Mehra raised the alarm over a disturbing rise in human trafficking and sexual exploitation among vulnerable Indian students, especially young women.
“In the last three years, I have personally sent 13 girls back to India at my own cost because they were being sexually trafficked,” he revealed.
He added that around 4,000 girls of Indian-origin are directly or indirectly trapped in the sex trade in Toronto alone. He believes that Canada’s lenient entry requirements for international students, until recently, no police clearance certificates were needed, allowed some individuals with criminal backgrounds to slip through, worsening both exploitation and public sentiment.
Mehra urges Indian families to rethink the obsession with foreign education and to invest instead in opportunities at home. “If you can’t get a seat in Punjab, go to Haryana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, or Jammu,” he advised. “There are good universities in India. Don’t sell your future for a false promise.”