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Thousands of international students in Canada face deportation sparking protests nationwide
More than 70,000 international student graduates could face deportation due to federal policy changes. Due to this incident Canada is currently witnessing countrywide protests. Now a wide number of students who came to the country with dreams of a new life say their futures are now in uncertainty.
After the Canadian government announced changes to its immigration policies, which included limiting study permits, representatives with Naujawan Support Network, a student advocacy group, said the graduates are at risk of being deported when their work permits expire at the end of this year.
Tens of thousands of students, who had planned to apply for permanent residency after completing their studies say they are now left with heavy loans and shattered dreams. The impact has been devastating for these students
Uniting from coast to coast Throughout Canada
Against the backdrop of looming deportations, International students across Canada are organizing protests.
Outside the legislative assembly in Prince Edward Island, a group of students have set up encampments overnight to raise the time period for more than three months.
As per the report confirms, the international students say that they are facing a critical situation as new provincial policies for a 25 per cent reduction in permanent residency nominations have left many unexpectedly vulnerable to deportation.
Mehakdeep Singh, a former international student who is facing deportation said “I spent the most crucial six years of my life taking many risks to come to Canada”.
He added “For the past six years, I studied, I worked, I paid taxes, I earned enough CRS [Comprehensive Ranking System] points, but the government has just taken advantage of us”.
Singh is a former international student who paid for his foreign tuition with the last of his family’s life resources. Now that his work visa is about to expire, he faces the terrifying prospect of being without permanent residence.
Kanwar Sierah, an immigration consultant said “There isn’t consistency anymore”.
He added, “At first, there were CEC [Canadian Experience Class] draws every two weeks, so they prepared for that. Now, students don’t know when the next draws will be, causing huge backlogs.”
A narrative that holds them responsible for the local housing and employment difficulties has been refuted by hundreds of international students and immigrant workers who have staged protests around Brampton in recent months.
Students like these and advocacy organizations like the International Sikh Student Organization assert that rather than being caused by the influx of foreign students, these issues stem from larger policy shortcomings.
They are requesting that the federal government prolong work permits and offer unobstructed routes to permanent residence, stressing that they should be treated fairly because they make a substantial economic contribution to Canada.
Between optimism and doubt
The rallies are a reflection of the increasing anguish and despair among overseas students who believe they have been unfairly singled out by the administration.
They claim they are now being told to complete their degrees and return home while managing enormous debts, despite having made significant investments in both the Canadian economy and education.
In addition to offering consistent and clear avenues to permanent residency, the students and their supporters are pleading with the government to prolong post-graduate work permits and address the systemic faults that have resulted in their exploitation.
