Punjabis Fear Dispute With Canada Endangers Work, Study Plans

Photo: Reuters/Adnan Abidi

CHANDIGARH, (REUTERS) – Indians in Punjab, worried that plans to work, study or visit families in Canada will be jeopardized by this week’s tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats over the murder of a Sikh separatist, are urging both governments to reduce the tension.

Canada’s nearly 800,000 Sikhs formed the world’s second largest community in 2021, after roughly 20 million in India.

“Many clients have reached out, worried about how this might affect their plans to migrate to Canada,” said an immigration lawyer, Karan S. Thukral, who is based in Delhi, though adding he had seen no big drop yet in legal inquiries. “Indian students are among those feeling the impact most acutely.”

Indians have made up Canada’s largest group of international students in recent years, mainly from Punjab, holding more than 41% of student permits in 2022. International students bring in about $16 billion for their universities each year.

“We want to go to Canada to study and settle there, but now that’s not possible because students who want to go there are facing difficulties,” said Anita, a student in Chandigarh, who gave only her first name.

Canadian study permits for Indians fell sharply late last year and the diplomatic tension was likely to weigh on future numbers, Immigration Minister Marc Miller had said in January.

“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. “It is really keeping students on edge because their future is tied up with Canada,” she added.

“It’s a loss for families and for our children who want to go there to live a better life,” said Gurinder Singh, who runs a cloth business and exports to Canada.

“The government should consider all this and should ensure that the matter does not escalate.”