New Delhi: One would recall how just before the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Canada and it’s PR (permanent residents) policy was the talk of the ton. It attracted millions to consider shifting lock, stock and barrel to the country and explore a life therein. PR forms were distributed by the dozens, agencies were set-up overnight to help people understand the immigration policy and special agents would go on house visits just to assist people who were keen to reside in Canada. No wonder the immigration policy was considered an envious one by other nationalities. According to Canadian reports; over 1.3 million new immigrants have settled permanently in Canada from 2016 to 2021. This happens to be the highest number of recent immigrants recorded in the Canadian census.
In 2022 alone, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), processed around 5.2 million applications for permanent residence, temporary residence and citizenship. This is double the number of applications that they had processed in 2021. It is pertinent to note that
- Immigration on its own accord is responsible for 100 per cent of the growth of Canada’s labour force.
- Roughly 75 per cent of the nation’s population growth comes from immigration. This is most widely seen in the economic category.
- By 2036, immigrants who are already settled in the country, will represent up to 30 per cent of Canada’s population as compared to 20.7 per cent in 2011.
- Out of the immigrants that are settled in Canada, 36 per cent are physicians, 33 per cent entrepreneurs and about 41 per cent of the workforce are engineers.
When the country is facing the nagging issue of an ageing population with more retirees than employed youth, it comes as a surprise that the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau would announce an immigration policy that aims to cut immigration by almost 20 per cent in a phased out manner.
The aim is to reduce immigration targets with permanent residency slots taking a major hit. They are slated to drop from 500,000 to 365,000 by 2027. The cuts are made in order to help ease housing shortages and infrastructure strain that Canadians seem to be struggling with at present. But this immigration policy would also end up being a burden for international students and foreign workers, especially those from India.
How will these curbs impact Indian students?
According to CIC News data, around 319,000 Indian students make up for over 41 per cent of Canada’s international student
population.
Mamta Shekhawat, the Founder of Gradding, tells News9live, that Canada is still a top destination for higher education among Indian students, specifically in the Computer Science, Engineering, Business, Health Sciences, and Information Technology courses. Popular cities being Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, and Vancouver. “Preferred fields of study for Indian students are engineering, information technology, health sciences and business. We see a rise in selecting artificial intelligence and data science as specializations. Students also tend to align their choice with the job market in Canada, such as programs in technology and management, as it makes it easier for them to obtain a work permit and ultimately permanent residency,” Shekhawat informed.
Here’s a table of the course break-up that Indian students take up in Canada as shared with us by Lakshmi Iyer, Managing Director, SI-Global India.
|
Undergraduate Postgraduate |
Postgraduate |
|
Engineering |
Master of Business Administration |
|
Computer Science |
Masters in Computer Science |
|
Bachelor of Business Administration |
Masters in Data Science |
|
Hospitality and Tourism |
Business Analytics |
|
Health Science |
Supply Chain and Logistic |
|
Nursing |
Data Analytics |
| Law | Health Administration |
However, recent policy changes have led to an 86 per cent drop in new study permits for Indian students as of late 2023, due to stricter visa requirements and diplomatic issues. “New Canadian policies have increased financial demands and imposed tougher conditions on work permits, posing significant challenges for prospective students amid rising living costs and limited affordable housing,” says Iyer. She also lists other issues that Indian students may face in Canada once the immigration policy and visa rules are revised.
- Canada has introduced new immigration rules for international students, which aim to manage enrollments but may create challenges for applicants.
- A 35% cap on new study permits increases competition, although renewals remain unaffected.
- Eligibility for post-graduation work permits (PGWP) is now limited to graduates from accredited institutions, with master’s graduates eligible for a three-year PGWP.
- Spousal work permits are restricted to partners of graduate-level students.
- Additionally, students must now demonstrate CAD 20,635 in funds to cover living expenses.
While these changes are intended to streamline the system, they may raise concerns for new applicants, students are also wary that with the new immigration policy, they may face stricter rules when converting to a work permit or permanent residency after graduation.
Why has this cut been announced?
The new policy announcement, made on Thursday, came at the back of certain problems that Canada has been dealing with for a long time including concerns of housing shortages for residents, social infrastructure being disturbed, and evolving public opinion on immigration that is not favourable. The general opinion has also undergone a change against high immigration as housing affordability is a glaring and a persistent problem for residents. The federal government, believes that by cutting immigration, Canada would successfully reduce housing supply gap by 670,000 units by the end of 2027.
The decision, which comes close at heels to the diplomatic tension brewing between India-Canada, has also given fodder to rumour mills. There is a murmur that Trudeau’s kneejerk reaction towards cutting immigration had a broader political angle as well. It’s no surprise that the Liberal government in Canada is under a lot of duress and is considered less popular at the moment. Many polls have shown that nearly 60 per cent of Canadians firmly believe that the nation is too welcoming to many immigrants, thus marking the highest level of opposition in over 25 years.
Although Trudeau has himself acknowledged the economic benefits of a relaxed immigration policy attracting more people to come and settle in Canada, he seems to be more than happy with less on his plate at the moment.
Will this cut, help Trudeau win some popularity back in Canada or will his government face another pushback, only time will tell. Meanwhile, Indian students have plenty of other options to explore… Germany is emerging as a safe bet. It could do us well to bid farewell to Canada and Danke to Germany?
