MEA Unaware Of Canada Student Deportations, Protests Over Policy Change

Protests against the Justin Trudeau administration have broken out as concerns among Indian students studying in Canada have grown, accusing them of "changing the immigration policy overnight and denying them work permits." Many students who had previously finished their courses now face the possibility of deportation as a result of these sudden developments. There has been no update on the deportation issues impacting these students, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

As per ANI, during the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressed the situation, acknowledging the significant number of Indian students in Canada. "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," Jaiswal remarked.

Jaiswal further indicated that while there might be isolated incidents, there is no widespread issue concerning Indian 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," he said.

Prince Edward Island, where the province's overburdened housing and healthcare systems have prompted recent changes to the Provincial Nominee Programme (PNP), has seen particularly severe chaos. Indian students allege that their work licences were abruptly removed as a result of these new regulations. These students have graduated, but they now run the risk of being deported. 

According to media reports, the protesters are demanding an extension of their work permits and a reevaluation of the recent immigration policy changes. "We have three demands that we are focusing on," stated Rupinder Pal Singh, a leader of the protest who arrived in 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 added.