Jalandhar: In a major setback for lakhs of students from Punjab and Haryana aspiring to study and settle in Canada, the Canadian government on Tuesday, January 23, announced a two-year cap on international student visas, besides other changes, leading to anxiety among students and their parents.
From International English Language Testing Skills (IELTS) centres, where one can easily find more students than those in the colleges, to people across villages and in the cities, the only topic of discussion has been the Canadian government putting a cap on student visas.
The announcement was made by Canadian minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship (IRCC) Marc Miller during a press conference on January 23, in Ottawa. Miller said, “International students enrich our communities and are a critical part of Canada’s social, cultural and economic fabric. In recent years, the integrity of the international student system has been threatened. Some institutions have significantly increased their intakes to drive revenues and more students have been arriving in Canada without the proper support they need to succeed. Rapid increases in the number of international students arriving in Canada also put pressure on housing, health care and other services.”
The cap meant for two years would lead to a 35% overall reduction in new study visa permits this year and around a 50% decline in Ontario province alone, where bulk students were heading to popular colleges like Humber, Sheridan, Lambton, Centennial, and George Brown to name a few.
The change in study visa rules was almost imminent, as last year the Canadian government had increased the Guaranteed Certificate Limit (GIC) amount, a mandatory requirement for a study visa permit from CAD 10,000 to CAD 20,635, which means Rs 12.58 lakh as compared to the previous amount of Rs 6 lakh. This directly increased the overall study visa expenses to almost Rs 30 lakh.
A major reason behind this decision has also been the housing crisis and inflation in Canada, making it difficult for immigrants to sustain, a topic that has remained in the news. However, despite this fact, Canada is still the most sought-after country among students in Punjab for the sheer reason that it offers a Permanent Residency (PR) option within a period of three years. Other than Canada, students have also been moving to the US, UK, Australia, Europe, and Germany.
Notably, the Canadian government’s change in study visa rules has come against the backdrop of sour diplomatic relations between India and Canada, which hit the international headlines last year. In September last year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian agencies of killing a Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, leading to a series of diplomatic moves affecting both the countries.
Jalandhar’s travel agencies. Photo: Stefania Prandi
Punjabis selling assets to send children to Canada: study
An in-depth study on Overseas Migration from Rural Punjab: Trends, Causes, and Consequences conducted by three professors of the sociology department from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana found that about 56% of households borrowed money to send their children abroad. Canada was the first choice among applicants followed by Dubai and Australia.
The study conducted by professors Shalini Sharma, Manjeet Kaur, and assistant professor Amit Guleria from the year 2021 to 2023 found that Punjabis sold assets worth Rs 5,636 crore and borrowed a total amount of Rs 14, 342 crore to send their children abroad. On average, a family in Punjab spends around Rs 18 to 25 lakh on a study visa and up to Rs 4 lakh on other visas, including those moving to Dubai on work visas in the Middle East. Around 71.88% of people moving abroad were engaged in agriculture in Punjab.
Another interesting fact was that of the total migrants, 73.16% moved abroad after 2016. Among male migrants, 43.15% went on a work visa and 33.73% on a study visa. The education level of female migrants was also way too high than that of males at 37.25% of graduates and above. The males’ education level was 17.47% and above.
Changed immigration policies
In his address, Canadian minister Marc Miller said: “The Government of Canada will set an intake cap on international student permit applications to stabilise new growth for a period of two years. For 2024, the cap is expected to result in approximately 3,60,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35 percent from 2023. Study permit renewals will not be impacted. Those pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees and elementary and secondary education are not included in the cap.”
Miller also said: “These temporary measures will be in place for two years and the number of new study permit applications that will be accepted in 2025 will be re-assessed at the end of this year.”
Another major change was also announced for Spouse Visa cases, under which in the weeks ahead, open work permits will only be available to spouses of international students in master’s and doctoral programs along with medicine and law. “The spouses of international students in other levels of study, including undergraduate and college programs, will no longer be eligible,” Miller said.
Dampener for students
The Canadian government’s cap of two years on study visas came as a dampener for all the students, with many stating that they might consider moving to the US, UK or Australia. However, most of the students said that they still prefer Canada as the best country to move and work.
A major reason behind students from Punjab moving in bulk to Canada was that they were migrating with their friends and cousins. Interestingly, there was a time when students used to plan admissions in the best colleges and universities in Punjab. However, in the past decade, this trend shifted to students searching for famous colleges in Canada, hence draining nearly all the colleges of funds in Punjab.
The Wire spoke to students at different IELTS centres in and around Jalandhar, who appeared disheartened and apprehensive about their prospects in Canada. Even at the IELTS centres, where earlier students would rush to inquire about IELTS coaching and fees, the queries were confined to how they can get study visas.
At Touchstone IELTS Academy, Jalandhar, three applicants who came for a counselling session said that they were aware of the new study visa rules and wanted to clear their doubts. One among them said, “We are aware of the new changes announced by the Canadian government. I would rather go to the US to study, than consider Canada.” The other two students said that they would try for a Canada study visa.
Kapurthala district-based boys Anmol and Gurcharan, class XII students, and IELTS students at Touchstone Academy said, “Given these circumstances, we might consider moving to the UK or Australia. Given the number of international students in Canada, these changes were bound to take place sooner than later.”
At Canam Consultants, Jalandhar, Inderjit Kaur, an IELTS student was disheartened to learn that the open work permit will no longer be available to spouses of graduate programs. A class XII pass out, Inderjit’s fiancé was in Dubai and the couple was planning to get married soon. “I was planning to move to Canada on a study visa and invite my husband on a Spouse visa. We will have to rethink and plan accordingly”, she said.
Another student visa applicant, Neha from Lambra, Jalandhar said that she had already made up her mind to move to the UK, instead of Canada because of several factors.
When asked why she was desperate to move abroad, the student said, “There is no point paying hefty fees here in India and working on meager salaries of just Rs 10, 000 to Rs 12,000 and ruining your life. It is better to spend that money on moving abroad through study permits, find work and earn well. There is no future here.”
Visa consultants affected
A visa consultant of a leading IELTS Academy in Jalandhar with branches across the region said that they were already expecting these changes, which clearly means that the Canadian government will now focus only on the creamy students. “We are yet to get clarity on how the 35% reduction in study visas will be implemented but surely, this will lead to more scrutiny of applications and study visa refusal. Our understanding is that the Canadian government might demand higher IELTS and academic scores and strict admission policy in various courses,” she said.
The consultant also said that now students with 10 to 12 years of education gap would not be entertained as was the case earlier. “It will become difficult to get a Canada study visa despite the fact that Canada is not just the sought after destination to move abroad among students but for applicants in other categories too,” she added.
She also said that there was more hype about the lack of jobs in Canada than the fact that the entire Canada was not affected with joblessness. “This problem was more evident in Provinces like Ontario, where the concentration of international students was way too high as compared to other places. We have been suggesting students to opt for Nova Scotia, Alberta and Winnipeg, so that they do not face this crisis”, the consultant shared.
Parmeshwar Rao, Managing Director of Golden Pillars IELTS Academy, Jalandhar said that it is simple, the Canadian government will be issuing less study visas now. “This reduction means that students with higher IELTS scores would be considered, as compared to those just fulfilling the basic criteria of 6 band each in all IELTS modules and an overall 6 score. Even the course selection will matter a lot now, which means that students opting for professional courses will get study visa”, he said.
The consultant also said that Australia and New Zealand were the first ones to start a study visa system around two decades ago. “When the number of applicants these countries wanted were taken in, they made the selection criteria for study visa strict. Canada is also doing the same and has introduced a cap of two-years. The Canadian authorities might rethink about migration two years from now but as of now, the Canadian dream has come to a halt”, he added.
He also said that it is not just Punjabis, people have been moving to Canada from across the world through different immigration programs. “Canada might plan about developing some other provinces and cities, where there was no infrastructure and houses. “But even for that, they need time. So, the Canadian government will be implementing checks on the study visa process and surely many candidates will be affected,” he said.
