‘We are not aware’: MEA says it has no update on Indian students facing ‘deportation’ in Canada

‘We are not aware’: MEA says it has no update on Indian students facing ‘deportation’ in Canada
New Delhi/Ottawa: Amid reports of Indian students in Canada protesting against the Justin Trudeau government for “changing the immigration policy overnight and denying them work permits”, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that they don’t have any update on deportation issues being faced by these students.

Addressing the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “You know we have a large number of students who have gone to Canada to study. The figure is pretty significant. But what you are mentioning is that several students are facing problems that we haven’t come across as of now. Sorry, deportation. I don’t have an update on that. We are not aware of,” he added.

MEA further pointed out that there may be some rare cases but there is no major problem concerning students in Canada.

“There may be one case here or one case there, that’s about it. But we don’t see any major problem as far as students in Canada, as they’re concerned,” said MEA.

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. The protesting Indians accuse the provincial Canadian government of suddenly changing immigration rules and refusing them work permits. According to the report, these students, despite having graduated, are now facing deportation.

The Indian protestors are demanding an extension of work permits and a review of the recent changes to immigration policies. “We have three demands that we are focusing on,” said Rupinder Pal Singh, a leader of the protest, who came to Canada from India in 2023.

“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,” Singh 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,” he said.