Why thousands of Indian students, graduates in Canada are protesting

NEW DELHI: Thousands of international students in Canada are protesting against a new set of immigration rules set by the Justin Trudeau government. These rules have created fear among students that they might be deported.

As per NDTV World, students from various provinces, including British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba, and Prince Edward Island, are holding rallies. The worry has grown because some provinces have reduced the number of permanent residency (PR) spots by 25%. This change has made many students anxious about the possibility of being deported. In Prince Edward Island, students have even set up camps outside the legislative assembly to show their discontent.

CityNews Toronto reports that the Naujawan Support Network, an Ontario-based group supporting international students and workers, is concerned that more than 70,000 graduates could be deported when their work permits expire at the end of this year. Besides this, hundreds of students have been protesting for the past few months over issues related to housing and job shortages.

The International Sikh Student Organization has criticised the idea that immigrants are causing housing problems. They say that the real issues are due to the government’s policy failures, not immigration.

In 2024 alone, Canada issued 91,510 study permits to Indians.

Also read Study Abroad: IRCC verification flags 1,813 ‘potentially fraudulent’ acceptance letters

What does the new immigration policy say?

The new immigration policy, announced in January, aims to reduce the number of international students who can become permanent residents. The key changes include:

• Limiting student enrollment: Reducing the number of international students allowed to enroll in Canadian universities.In January, Canada restricted the total number of study permits to 3,60,000 for 2024.
• Restricting work permits: The policy change made it harder for students to get Canada work permits and limited their work hours to just 24 hours in a week.
• Tightening Canada permanent residency criteria: Increased requirements to qualify for PR which includes a high CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) score, longer and good work experience and they need to have specialised skills or work experience in specialised industries. Now, many of those holding postgraduate work permits (PGPW) who had been working toward a Canada PR are finding themselves falling short of requirements.

Also read Study Abroad: Canada to review postgraduate work permit for international students

Why did Canada change its immigration policy?

The Canadian government changed the policy citing the exploitation of international students by education providers; to attract skilled workers and reduce immigration.

What are the main demands of the protesting students?

The students are asking the Canadian government to review and reverse the new policy, create a simpler process for obtaining permanent residency and ensure international students have reasonable policies for staying and working in Canada.

How does the current situation connect to previous deportations of Indian students?

The protests are influenced by previous deportations. In May 2023, over 700 Indian students were deported due to problems like fake admission letters. This situation made students more worried about the new policy, which could lead to similar deportations.

On what basis could students be deported under the new policy?

Under the new policy, students could be deported if they don’t qualify for permanent residency under the stricter requirements; cannot secure employment or work permits and if the university exceeds the allowed number of international students.