Protests are currently taking place across the nation of Canada, where over 70,000 graduates of foreign schools may be deported as a result of changes in federal policy. A record number of students who came to Canada with hopes of starting over feel as though their futures are now uncertain.
The graduates run the possibility of being deported when their work permits expire at the end of this year, according to representatives of the student advocate group Naujawan Support Network. This happens in response to the Canadian government’s announcement of revised immigration laws that included a cap on study visas.
For these students, the effects have been devastating. Many thousands who were going to apply for permanent residency after finishing their studies claim they are now left with crippling debt and dashed hopes.
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Marching from coast to coast
Anticipating deportations, foreign students throughout Canada are planning demonstrations.
In Prince Edward Island, some students have camped out in front of the legislature, where they have been staging nighttime protests for over three months.
The foreign students claim that they are in a dire predicament because many of them are now unexpectedly at risk of deportation due to new provincial regulations that call for a 25% drop in applications for permanent residency.
In British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario, similar scenes can be seen.
Mehakdeep Singh, a former international student who faces deportation, says, “I spent the most crucial 6 years of my life facing many risks to come to Canada.”
“The government has just taken advantage of us for the past 6 years, even though I worked, studied, paid taxes, and accrued enough points under the Comprehensive Ranking System.”
Singh is one of the previous international students who paid for their foreign tuition with the life savings of his family. His work visa is about to expire, and there is no indication that he will be granted permanent status. This is a terrifying deadline.
Immigration counselor Kanwar Sierah said that consistency is lacking these days.
“They got ready for the biweekly CEC (Canadian Experience Class) draws initially. Huge backlogs are being caused by students’ ignorance of the dates of the upcoming draws.
To refute the myth that they are to blame for the region’s housing and employment issues, hundreds of foreign students and immigrant workers have staged protests around Brampton in recent months.
Advocate groups like the International Sikh Student Organization and these students assert that the main cause of these issues is not the movement of international students, but rather larger governmental failings.
They are stressing that they make a substantial contribution to the Canadian economy and should be treated fairly, therefore they are pleading with the federal government to extend work permits and offer transparent routes to permanent residence.
Trapped between assurance and doubt
International students, who believe they have been unfairly singled out by the government, are becoming more and more frustrated, as evidenced by the protests.
They claim that after making significant investments in both the Canadian economy and education, they are now being ordered to complete their studies and go home, despite having enormous debts.
The students, together with their advocates, are pressing the government to extend work permits for those who have completed their graduate degrees, offer clear, consistent, and permanent residency pathways, and deal with the structural problems that have allowed these students to be exploited.
They argue that in the absence of these reforms, they fear that Canada would lose the faith of upcoming overseas students as well as a sizable chunk of its talented workforce.