Indian Students in Canada Face Deportation, India Says Not Aware

Hundreds of Indian students, including those from Panjab, in Prince Edward Island, a province in Canada, are protesting as they face deportation to India after a sudden change in provincial immigration rules. The students say they will continue to fight for their rights as it is a ‘now-or-never situation.’ Prince Edward Island recently changed the rules of its Provincial Nominee Programme (PNP) to reduce the number of immigrants as they were putting a strain on healthcare and housing infrastructure. The protesting Indians accuse the provincial govt. of suddenly changing immigration rules and refusing them work permits. The protestors are demanding an extension of work permits and a review of the recent changes to the policies. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), however, has stated that it has no reports or updates on the issue. ‘A large number of students have gone to Canada to study. The figure is pretty significant. But we haven't come across several students facing deportation...We do not have any updates on that. We are not aware. There may be one case here or one case there. But we don't see any major problem as far as students in Canada are concerned,’ said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a media brief. From 28 May to 1 Jun, the students were on a hunger strike for four days. They paused their strike after meeting Jeff Young, the province's immigration director. One of the protesters said around 50 students had already left Canada.