Indians have emerged as the largest nationality group being removed from Canada this year, with 3,323 people deported in the first six months of 2026, according to the latest data released by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).The figure is already close to the 3,779 Indian nationals removed during the whole of 2025, indicating a sharp acceleration in removals amid Canada’s stepped-up enforcement of immigration rules.The CBSA data shows that Indians accounted for the highest number of removals between January and June this year, followed by Mexican nationals at 1,573. In 2024, as many as 2,004 Indian nationals were removed from Canada.Overall, Canada carried out 10,607 enforced removals during the first half of 2026, compared with 23,160 for the whole of 2025.The figures come amid heightened scrutiny of Canada’s immigration system, following a sharp increase in temporary residents and growing political pressure on the government to tighten immigration controls.The CBSA data, however, does not mean that all Indians removed from Canada were deported for criminal offences. Removals are carried out on several grounds under Canadian immigration law, including inadmissibility arising from non-compliance with immigration requirements.Of the 10,607 removals this year, 8,551 involved refugee claimants found inadmissible for non-compliance, while 1,303 involved non-claimants. The agency categorises enforced removals separately from voluntary departures.The sharp increase in the number of Indian nationals being removed comes at a sensitive point in India-Canada relations, which were strained in recent years by diplomatic differences even as the two sides have sought to rebuild ties.India has a large community in Canada, with immigration, students, temporary workers and family reunification forming important components of bilateral people-to-people ties.The latest figures are likely to draw attention in New Delhi, particularly because Indian nationals have moved from being the second-largest nationality group removed in 2025 to the top position in the first half of this year.The data also underlines the scale of Canada’s ongoing immigration enforcement drive. While 2026 is only halfway through, Indian removals have already reached nearly 88 per cent of the 2025 total.The CBSA statistics provide no indication that the rise is linked to any India-specific policy. Rather, they reflect enforcement action under Canada’s immigration framework, with non-compliance among refugee claimants accounting for the bulk of removals recorded so far this year. Nevertheless, the numbers add a new dimension to the India-Canada relationship, where immigration and the treatment of Indian nationals remain among the most closely watched issues.