Panjab Targets Illegal Immigration Agencies, Families Worried Over Canada Row

The Panjab police, through the Non-Resident Indians Affairs Wing and Cyber Crime Wing in coordination with the Protectorate of Emigrants, Chandigarh, booked 18 illegal travel agencies across the state for unlawfully advertising employment opportunities abroad. This action follows the registration of at least 20 First Information Reports (FIR) against 25 such unscrupulous agencies in August, bringing the total number of illegal travel agencies booked to 43. Additionally, Director General of Police (Cyber Crime) Praveen Kumar Sinha urged citizens to exercise caution and verify the credentials of travel agents, and only to engage with agencies holding a valid Recruiting Agent (RA) license under the Emigration Act, 1983. Meanwhile, Indians in Panjab expressed concerns that their plans to work, study, or visit family in Canada might be jeopardized due to escalating diplomatic tensions. Indian students are feeling the effects most acutely, many mainly from Panjab, constituting over 41% of Canada’s international student permits in 2022, contributing approximately $16B annually to Canadian universities. Canadian study permits for Indians fell sharply late last year and the diplomatic tension was likely to weigh on future numbers. ‘It is something that both countries cannot afford because we are heavily dependent on each other,’ said Kanwalpreet Kaur, a political science professor at Chandigarh’s DAV College. Though both countries see no immediate impact on two-way trade, which stood at $8.4 billion at the end of the last fiscal year on 31 Mar, it is uncertain how trade will continue in the absence of diplomats (SDW Vol. 2, Issue 40, Story 10).