Indian students are facing the risk of being deported after immigration cuts by a Canadian province. The hunger strike by Indian students in Prince Edward Island entered its fifth day on May 28, and the protesters have gone on a full hunger strike. Two of the protesting Indian students also spoke in the Parliament of Prince Edward Island (PEI) about why the policy on immigration cuts was unjust.
Rupinderpal Singh said he had spent three times more on his education in Canada than Canadian students, and yet he had to suffer as an immigrant.
He spent extra money both on his education in Ontario and the taxation in Canada. This should have ensured his equal rights as a Canadian citizen, he said, according to Canadian news portal True North.
“And my friends who work here, paid $2500 for the same course. For two semesters. How fit is that sir? This is where I come from. This is what I paid extra. How interesting is that,” Rupinderpal Singh asked.
“Altogether, I paid around $30,000 for my tuition. For the same schooling fee, a person born and raised in Canada paid around $10,000,” said Singh. “An extra $20,000 for the same thing, and still suffering. How unfair is that?”
Rupinder and Jaspreet Singh were testifying in the PEI Parliament, after requesting the provincial government not to deport them after their work visas expired.
WHY INDIAN STUDENTS ARE PROTESTING IN CANADA
This speech comes at a time when Indian students have been protesting day and night against the 25% immigration cut in Prince Edward Island.
The immigrants are saying the housing crisis is a result of the provincial government’s inability to see how much it accommodates.
They also want anyone who lived in PEI before the immigration cuts to be grandfathered in and allowed to become a permanent resident.
But the province has said it would only extend the visas for construction and healthcare workers as they are the most needed by the province.
The deportation would make the Indians’ situation quite “emotionally, financially and mentally unstable,” said Singh, reports True North.
WHY CANADIAN PROVINCE WANTS CAP ON IMMIGRANTS
While the fear of being deported from Canada even after paying heavy taxation and fees is true, there is more to the story.
Many Indian students looking for permanent residency (PR) in Canada come to private college. Students with the brightest academic records make it to the public universities in Canada.
While public universities have residential programmes, their admission process is rigorous. Private colleges, although easier to get into, have no residential facilities. This increases the accommodation problem further.
It is to be seen if the immigrants and the locals can find a solution to their problems.