Panjabis Borrowed $1.7B to Migrate from India

A study conducted by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, on the emigration patterns in Panjab has revealed that Canada continues to remain the most preferred destination for Panjabis. The report, A Study on Overseas Migration from Rural Punjab: Trends, Causes, and Consequences, covered 1300 families from 44 villages from 22 districts in the period 2021 and 2023. Canada (41.88%) was the most preferred destination for Panjabis followed by Dubai (16.25%), Australia (9.63%), Italy (5.54%), United Kingdom (3.49%), the United States (3.25%) and others (19.98%). The study has found 13.34% rural households have at least one family member abroad. Women (65%) outnumbered men (35%) in obtaining study visas as they were able to secure the required IELTS bands. The study reveals that families have spent $21,650-$30,070 each on study visa and up to $4,811 each on work visa, spouse visa or Permanent Residency. At least 19.38% of migrant families sold their assets, including land, plots/houses, topsoil, cars, gold, and tractors. The price of assets sold by families to send their children abroad is estimated to be $679M for the entire state in the period 2021-23. About 56% of households borrowed money to send their children abroad. The average amount borrowed by migrant households worked out to $3,767 per household. Of this, non-institutional borrowing constituted around 39% and institutional funding formed around 61%. At the state level, people borrowed about $1.7B to migrate. On reasons for migration, people cited low income and lack of employment opportunities (72%), corruption and systemic problems (62%), drug prevalence (52%), social insecurity (50%), small land holdings (35%), landlessness (28%), and debt (24%). These numbers are all related to the inaptitude of successive governments and are a devastating indictment of Panjab’s progress and promise; the report omits Sikh and Panjab related political problems as a reason for migration.