India-Canada standoff: Future uncertain, Punjabi students on the hook

Like Harleen, who applied for admission in January, hundreds of applicants from the Doaba region, known as Punjab’s NRI belt, have been left without answers about the impact on their student visas. They stood in lines at local immigration offices for information.

Canada remains the top choice for Punjabi youth due to its flexible education policies, job opportunities, easier post-graduation immigration opportunities and a large politically influential Punjabi population. The path of first studying in Canada and then becoming a permanent resident (PR) is the most popular.

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the country welcomed 6,82,060 international students, of which India was the largest national cohort, accounting for 40.7% of the 2,78,250 study permits issued in 2023. In 2022, as many as 5,51,405 new international students arrived in Canada, of which 2,26,450 (41%) were from India.

Currently, about six million students have a study permit in Canada.

Changing dynamics

Komalpreet Kaur, 21, from Kapurthala, says that getting a study visa to Canada is getting more difficult every year. “Because of the changing dynamics between the two nations, my father convinced me to apply for higher education courses in Australia or New Zealand,” she says. Her brother is already in Canada on a study permit starting in 2022.

Sumit Jain, owner of an overseas job center in Jalandhar, says strained ties between India and Canada are a cause of concern for those who want to apply for Canadian student and visitor visas. “Although there is no clarity on the delay in issuing visas due to the suspension of Canadian diplomats, we are receiving a huge number of inquiries related to this. Fake information on social media keeps applicants on their toes,” says Jain.

Harsimran Singh Kahlon, an Amritsar-based consultant, says business has slowed due to immigration restrictions since Canadian authorities introduced stricter rules in May, but the ongoing struggle has heightened concerns among visa applicants, especially students.

Stricter regulations

From November 1, it will be a double whammy for applicants as IRCC has proposed strict immigration policies and regulations for student permits. The Canadian government has made changes to post-graduate work permits, a mandatory language test, opened visas for spouses and increased the amount of the Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC).

Jane says Canada’s immigration business, particularly student visas, has already dropped by 30% due to changes in immigration services, and will drop another 10% due to the fight between countries. “We hope that business will improve in the coming months. Now study visas are issued on time, but there is a delay in processing guest visas,” he adds.

In response to housing, resource and infrastructure challenges, IRCC introduced a two-year cap on study permits, reducing the number of international student permits by 35% in 2024. It aims to reduce the number of student visas by 10% in 2025.

From November 1, international students from Canadian universities applying for a post-graduate work permit (PGWP) will be required to achieve Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7, while college students will need to achieve CLB 6 to obtain a work permit.

There are also serious changes in issuing work permits.

Canada witnessed student protests in several provinces seeking to loosen immigration policies. Videos of students making emotional appeals to Canadian authorities are also circulating on social media.

Canada has doubled the GIC limit from CAD 10,000 to CAD 20,635 for students applying for student permits in 2024.

IRCC said open work permits will only be granted to spouses of international students enrolled in master’s and doctoral programs, as well as those enrolled in professional programs such as medicine and law, or others enrolled in an academic course of minimum 16 months.

After the IRCC guidelines, there has been a significant drop in inquiries from those who want to join postgraduate courses. “Students with a strong academic background and those who wish to enter graduate or doctoral programs receive approvals without delays or disruptions,” Kelon says.

Preferred destination

According to the study Beyond Beds and Boundaries: Indian Student Mobility Report, 2023-24, conducted by the private organization University Living: “Indian students are the largest international student group in Canada, comprising 35% of all international students. Indian students collectively spent $11.7 billion pursuing higher education in Canada during the last academic year, with an average spend of $39,000 per student per year.”

The countries for higher education are Canada, USA, Australia and Great Britain. Even in 2020 when COVID-19 hit, India brought the highest number of international students with 1,80,383 (34%) study visas out of 5,30,540 visas issued.