Hundreds of Indian students in Canada’s Prince Edward Island (PEI) region took to the streets on Friday to protest against the Canadian government for “changing their [immigration] policy overnight and denying them work permits.” According to the Hindustan Times, the students alleged that despite graduating, they were denied work permits and now face deportation. The students threatened to go on a hunger strike if their demands weren’t met. The protests near the PEI government buildings began on May 9. According to CBC News, over 100 students gathered on May 13, urging the provincial government to intervene and help the many foreign workers whose work permits are about to expire.
Last year in July, PEI passed a law restricting postgraduate work permits to students with specific qualifications. They now allow only students with construction/home-building and healthcare qualifications to get a permit. This reportedly meant that hundreds of immigrants in other industries, such as retail sales and service, may not have their work permits extended when they run out in the next few months. This left many international students unable to continue working in Canada, the HT report said.
In February, the PEI government announced it would cut the number of people from other countries that it nominates for permanent residency in Canada through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). “The number of nominees will fall by 25 percent in 2024, partly as a result of pressure on P.E.I.’s healthcare system and housing market,” CBC News reported.
Protest leader Rupender Singh told the CBC, “They called us here, now they want us to leave…Our province gave us false hopes.” Singh, who came to Canada from India in 2019, said, “They were giving us wrong information. This is totally an exploitation.”
As per the HT report, the protesting students demanded an extension of work permits and a review of the recent changes to immigration policies. They want to be ‘grandfathered’, which will allow them to be exempted from new regulations or policies based on their previous status or circumstances. A “grandfathered” status provides a measure of “stability and fairness in immigration systems”, allowing individuals to plan their lives and futures with greater certainty, the HT reported. They threatening a hunger strike if their demands aren’t met by mid-May.
Several videos showed a large groups of Indian students marching through streets of Charlottetown, protesting against sudden policy changes.
