Anxiety builds among Indian students and residents going to Canada as relations deteriorate

Applicants for Canadian PR (Permanent Residency), educational consultants working with Canada, and those interested in studying abroad succumb to anxiety as Indo-Canadian ties continue to deteriorate, The Indian Express reported.

After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested that the Indian government had a "potential link" to the murder of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the Canadian Parliament, the situation deteriorated as Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat on Monday. In Surrey, British Columbia, Nijjar was fatally shot in front of a Gurudwara.

The strained ties have presently become a huge issue for both governments as India has a sizable student population and a Punjabi diaspora in Canada, and Canadian educational institutions rely significantly on international students, 40 per cent of whom are from India.

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“I cleared my IELTS (International English Language Testing System) just last month, and now I’m researching various universities in Canada, as my ultimate dream is to settle there after my studies. However, I’m afraid the Canadian embassy may deny me a student visa,” The India express quoted Vikramjit Singh Arora, a student fromJalandhar.

Another student, Ashnoor Kaur, claims that her adviser informed her that prospects for "study abroad" won't be impacted because neither Canada nor India would want to stop this procedure. “I spoke to my consultant, who is assisting me in gaining admission to a Canadian college, and he assured me that there’s no need to worry,” Kaur told The Indian Express.

However, some consultants say that international students may be affected by the situation. According to consultant Gurpreet Singh, who has ten years of experience in the industry, Indian students make about 40 per cent of all foreign students who move to Canada each year. Such a large source of revenue cannot be disregarded by Canada. She said that those who wish to immigrate to Canada must keep a lookout for how each nation manages traveller admission at its own borders.

Other consultants speculated that people advocating study abroad in nations other than Canada would take advantage of this development to cast doubt on Canada by making unfounded claims about its influence on international education. There have been worries that student admittance into both nations may become more difficult.

Apart from students, a couple from Jalandhar who had applied for Canadian PR and anticipated receiving it by the end of this year expressed their concerns. They told the Indian Express, “We have been eagerly awaiting our PR status by the end of this year, but now we fear it might get delayed. Even if relations improve, there could still be a few months’ delay.”

Another Jalandhar-based PR is hopeful. “Most of my family members are settled in Canada, and they are eagerly waiting for me to join them as my PR is expected any moment. India and Canada must act sensibly, as these political decisions could affect our future,” he told the Indian Express.

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