More than one million Indian nationals in Canada are at risk of losing their legal status in the country as a wave of work permit expirations sweeps through 2025 and 2026, raising alarm among immigration experts, community activists and migrant workers. Data analysed by immigration consultant Kanwar Seirah, based on figures from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), shows that approximately 1,053,000 work permits expired by the end of 2025, and a further 927,000 are set to lapse in 2026. Unless these temporary residents secure new visas or successfully transition to permanent residency, they will be rendered undocumented, with Indians projected to account for nearly half of those affected.
The issue stems from a combination of stricter Canadian immigration policies and lengthy processing backlogs that have narrowed the pathways available for temporary workers, students and others to remain in legal status. Under current rules, individuals whose permits expire lose their lawful standing unless they are able to switch to a different visa category or obtain permanent residency — options that have become increasingly difficult to access due to recent regulatory changes aimed at controlling the inflow of temporary residents.
Seirah warns that Canada has never faced such a large cohort of people going out of status at once, describing the emerging situation as a severe bottleneck in the immigration system. Projections suggest that the first quarter of 2026 alone could see nearly 315,000 permit expiries, surpassing the already high numbers from late 2025. On the basis of current trends, he estimates that up to two million people could be living without valid legal status in Canada by mid-2026, with Indians representing a significant portion of this group. He also notes that these calculations are “very conservative” and do not fully account for the large number of study permits set to expire or the anticipated wave of asylum application rejections.
The repercussions of this looming crisis are already becoming visible in parts of the Greater Toronto Area, particularly in suburban municipalities such as Brampton and Caledon, where tent encampments have been sighted in wooded areas housing people without legal status. Local journalists and community observers report that some undocumented immigrants are taking informal work for cash, while unregulated operators have reportedly started offering dubious services, including facilitating marriages of convenience.
Civil society groups and migrant rights activists are calling for urgent action to address the growing crisis, warning that without policy changes or targeted interventions, many long-term residents who have contributed to the Canadian economy could be forced into precarious and potentially exploitative circumstances. Organisations such as the Naujawan Support Network, which advocates for workers’ rights, are planning protests and campaigns to highlight the plight of those caught in the legal limbo created by expiring permits. Their campaign slogan, “Good enough to work, good enough to stay,” reflects their demand for pathways that would allow temporary workers and students to remain in the country legally.
The situation has sparked debate within immigrant communities and broader Canadian society about the balance between managing immigration flows and ensuring fairness for those who have built their lives in the country. As the deadlines for permit expiries approach, many are watching closely to see whether policymakers in Ottawa will introduce measures to mitigate the social and economic fallout of what could become one of the most significant immigration challenges in recent Canadian history.
