Hundreds of Indian students are facing deportation as a result of Prince Edward Island, a province in Canada that has changed its provincial immigration rules.
Indian Students Facing Deportation In Canada
It appears that over 300 students are protesting in this regard and further have threatened to go on a hunger strike if the Canadian province doesn’t review its latest immigration policy.
This all happened due to a sudden change in provincial immigration rules.
Prince Edward Island, a Canadian province, has made changes to its Provincial Nominee Programme (PNP) immigration rules to reduce the number of immigrants due to the strain on its healthcare and housing infrastructure.
Further, these protesting students are accusing the provincial Canadian government of suddenly changing immigration rules and refusing them work permits.
These students are now facing deportation despite having graduated, as per the report.
Basically, these protestors are demanding an extension of work permits along with a review of the recent changes to immigration policies.
Protest & Demands
According to one such protestor, Rupinder Pal Singh, a leader of the protest, who came to Canada from India in 2023, “We have three demands that we are focusing on.”
Adding, “First, we demand to be grandfathered into the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) system because we were already here, working on valid work permits, before the new rules were implemented. It is only fair that those who were present before the changes be allowed to continue under the old system.”
Sing said, “Secondly, we call for fair PNP draws without a point system. Recently, sales and services, food sectors, and even truckers have been excluded from the PNP draws, despite our hard work and contributions. We deserve the same opportunities as other sectors, and the current point system, which requires 65 points, is nearly impossible for those under 25 to achieve.”
Adding, “Lastly, we demand an extension of our work permits. Due to the government’s changes and economic issues, our work permits were effectively wasted, causing many of us to lose our jobs. It is only fair that our work permits be renewed to compensate for the lost time and opportunities.”
This all started on May 9 with about 25 people, the protest by immigrant students began and has since grown to over 300.
This move holds a great significance as the Indian protesters are upset about the PEI government’s announcement.
This will result in cutting the number of people from other countries that it nominates for permanent residency in Canada through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
The decision to cut the number of people came in February.
These changes in rules came in February which will result in the number of nominees falling by 25% in 2024.
This is partly due to pressure on PEI’s healthcare system and housing market.
