Ahmedabad: The global presence of Gujaratis is a familiar phenomenon but what’s noteworthy is their intense eagerness, almost an obsession, to settle overseas regardless of the cost.
In 2022, the Gujarat Police initiated an investigation when six Indian nationals from the state, aged 19-21, were apprehended from a sinking boat in the Saint Regis River in Akwesasne, US, near the Canadian border. Before a US court, these individuals struggled to answer the judge’s questions in English despite scoring 6.5 to 7 bands in IELTS.
The police probe revealed that ineligible students had fraudulently obtained high scores in an international English proficiency test (IELTS ) enabling them to travel to Canada on student visas and attempted illegal entry into the US. Subsequently, 45 individuals were booked in this case.
The prevailing trend, thus, extends beyond just illegal immigration and there is a distinct craze among the youth to pursue education overseas. The topic of discussion at dining tables and in parent-teacher meetings used to be NEET and JEE (medical and engineering entrance exams in India) once, it has now shifted towards conversations about IELTS and foreign university entrance exams. This change is apparent in the data presented by both the Central and state government in the Parliament and the Gujarat assembly, respectively.
IELTS and visa centres are mushrooming in the cities and towns of Gujarat. Photo: Suchak Patel
According to the Ministry of Education, over 30 lakh Indians pursued higher education abroad from 2017 to 2022. Moreover, data suggests that there has been an increase in the number of students opting to study abroad, escalating from 454,009 in 2017 to 517,998 in 2018 and 586,337 in 2019.
Conversely, in the academic year 2021-22, there were a total 65,608 engineering seats available in Gujarat, with 47% (30,829) remaining unfilled. Transitioning into 2022-23, out of a total of 69,410 engineering seats, 56.7% (39,360) were left vacant. The data presented in the Gujarat assembly by the state government unveiled a substantial rise in the percentage of vacant seats at government engineering colleges, surging from 21.31% in 2021-22 to nearly 50% in 2022-23.
A kite store named B.Tech Patangawala (Patangwala means kite seller or someone who engages in kite business). Photo: Suchak Patel
The desire to settle abroad has spawned a new market in India, covering IELTS coaching, visa consultancy, representation of foreign universities, and services related to obtaining foreign loans. However, this fervour has resulted in some individuals resorting to illegal means in pursuit of their dreams.
In the past five years, American homeland security has grappled with over 200,000 illegal Indian immigrants, as per data revealed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in Parliament.Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan. Further, data suggests an escalating trend as 8,027 Indians illegally migrated in 2018-19 which substantially surged to 30,662 in 2020-21. The challenge persisted in 2021-22 with 63,927 cases, reaching a pinnacle with the reported cases crossing the 96,000 mark in the most recent data for 2022-23.
In January 2022, a four-member Gujarati family, including a baby, died from exposure to extreme cold weather on the Canadian side of the border with America while trying to migrate illegally to the US. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau aptly labelled it as “mind-blowing tragedy”.
Similarly, in April 2022, another Gujarati family’s attempt to enter the US illegally resulted in a tragedy as their boat sank in the St. Lawrence River, leading to the loss of the family, consisting of a couple and their two adult children.
The push factors
First, the surge in interest to settle overseas is primarily rooted in economic factors. Wages are at a standstill, and inflation is steadily climbing. The increasing economic and societal disparities are constraining opportunities for the youth. Government jobs, once an aspirational goal for many, are losing their appeal due to prolonged delays in the examination process.
Illustrating the harsh reality of these challenges, one individual made the tough decision to sell their ancestral land to finance their son’s education at a Canadian university. When asked about parting with a cherished piece of family heritage, this person candidly highlighted the stark truth – in India, the prospects for the youth appear bleak. They emphasised that staying in India seems futile when fresh engineering graduates struggle to secure jobs with salaries as low as Rs. 10,000.
Pavan Chaudhary, who operated a staffing agency, pointed out that a significant number of students enrolling in Canadian universities come from farming families. This trend is influenced by both economic and social factors. On the economic side, agricultural distress is a key factor motivating young people to consider settling abroad. TheAnnual Status of Education Report (ASER) survey also highlights this trend, and the 12th ASER report indicates that only 1.2% of the youth aged 14–18 actively engaged in agriculture, aspire to be farmers. This indicates the waning interest of youth in agriculture.
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Second, social factors also play a significant role in driving the inclination towards settling overseas, particularly concerning marriage. In Gujarat, the Patidars, despite belonging to a higher social class and being part of a land-owning community, encounter obstacles in gaining social recognition. This challenge is further compounded by Gujarat’s skewed sex ratio of 955 females per 1,000 males, as reported by the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21). Many young individuals from farming families struggle to find suitable brides, as girls are often reluctant to marry into farming households. Consequently, possessing a foreign visa has emerged as a desirable asset in the marriage market, prompting rural youth to seek opportunities abroad.
In the relentless pursuit of a better lifestyle, Gujarati families are risking their land, livelihoods, and even lives, inadvertently creating fertile ground for fraudsters. Chetna Rabari filed a report at Prantij police station in Sabarkantha, stating that her husband Bharat Rabari was missing. She claimed that two agents, Johny Patel and Mahendra Patel, promised her husband a US work permit visa in exchange for Rs 70 lakh. Chetna paid Rs 20 lakh upfront, with the remainder to be paid after reaching the US. Johny Patel was arrested, and the investigation revealed that eight more people sent to the US by the same accused were also missing. Another person involved in the scheme, Mahendra Patel, is the brother of Jagdish Patel, who tragically died with his family while attempting to enter the US illegally from Canada.
The pull factors
Various push factors contribute to the growing trend of settling overseas, but there are also significant pull factors at play.
According to the Henley Private Wealth Migration Report 2023, an estimated 6,500 high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) are expected to leave India in 2023. One major attraction for these HNIs is the EB-5 (employment-based, fifth preference) investor visa programme offered by the USA. This programme allows foreign nationals and their spouses to secure a U.S. visa by making a minimum investment in a for-profit enterprise that generates or preserves a specified number of jobs. Indian entrepreneurs, facing potential political vendettas and bureaucratic challenges to their businesses, often choose this programme as a safeguard for their wealth and future prospects.
Another pull factor is the influence of relatives and friends among Gujaratis living abroad and their affluent lifestyles. Many families have connections in the USA and Canada. When these relatives return home, local people are often impressed by their sophisticated lifestyle and high living standards. Notably, these overseas relatives have even acquired properties in cities like Ahmedabad, Surat and Aanand, which seems like a distant dream and nearly impossible for the locals running small businesses to achieve. This stark contrast leads people in Gujarat to believe that relocating abroad could offer them a better life in the coming years.
Exploring other options
The phenomenon of the “IELTS bride” is well-known in Punjab, and a similar trend, though not explicitly acknowledged, is implicitly observable in Gujarat as well. For a young man in Gujarat aspiring to go abroad but lacking fluency in English, the typical route involves finding a suitable match. The criteria include ensuring that the prospective bride possesses a good IELTS score. Following the marriage, the woman travels on a student visa. Once there, she facilitates her husband joining her on a spouse visa, which subsequently leads to obtaining an open work permit. If all unfolds as planned, the final step is securing Permanent Residency (PR).
In the pursuit of new opportunities, the Gujarati community has also strategically turned to legal provisions as a viable avenue.
In Canada, the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Programme (SINP) stands out as a widely recognised immigration initiative, particularly popular among the Gujarati community. SINP is a provincial nominee programme designed to nominate individuals for permanent residence based on their potential contributions to the local economy.
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The standard modus operandi is that Indian families involved in businesses such as hotels or malls in Saskatchewan initiate applications for the SINP. Subsequently, they extend invitations to their relatives or friends residing in Gujarat to join them in Canada. However, it’s noteworthy that these invitations often come at a significant cost, sometimes reaching up to 50 lakhs. Despite the substantial financial investment, the scheme remains sought after due to its legality, and Gujaratis are willing to expend such considerable amounts to pursue this lawful route to Canadian permanent residence.
Many Gujaratis in the USA follow a common approach. They start by visiting a couple of countries like the UAE and Singapore on a visitor visa, which is relatively easy to obtain. The idea is that travelling to a few countries makes it easier to secure a visitor visa for the USA. Once they get the USA visitor visa approved, the family travels to the USA and often doesn’t return. In many cases, the family either applies for asylum or goes off the radar.
The recently concluded Vibrant Gujarat summit saw the signing of MoUs for investments amounting to Rs 26.33 lakh crore. Gujarat boasts a per capita income of Rs 2,76,588 in the fiscal year 2021-22, surpassing the national average of Rs 1,72,913. Notably, the state holds the third position among Indian states in terms of foreign investment in the manufacturing sector, having attracted a substantial foreign direct investment (FDI) of $34,186.6 million from 2019 to 2023. However, juxtaposing this data with the current trend of fervent Gujarati youth aspirations to settle overseas raises many unanswered questions.
