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Some foreign students have accused the Canadian government of using them as cheap labour and discarding them once they are no longer needed.
Last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government allowed about 50,000 foreign students to stay for 18 months after graduation in search of work, just as the economy reopened due to the coronavirus shutdown and companies needed to hire.
The government is selling permit extensions to “help more graduates meet urgent needs in key industries” and allow them to gain the work experience needed for permanent immigration. But a year and a half later, some of these permanent resident hopefuls have no status and are unable to work or remain in the country.
“I’m basically sitting at home and living off my savings, not knowing how long I have to do it,” Daniel De Sousa, an accountant and former student at Seneca College near Toronto, said in an interview. “I regret choosing Canada as a country to immigrate, study and live in. Canada should appreciate foreign students more than just using them as cheap labor.”
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser’s department said it was considering how to better support those who wanted to settle permanently in the country. Spokesman Jeffrey MacDonald said in an emailed statement that the government “recognizes the enormous social, cultural and economic benefits that foreign students bring”.
Like many of the graduates in the 2021 program, D’Souza’s career is now on hold and his future is uncertain. These former students – many from India and the Philippines – had to leave their jobs when their work permits expired, and there was no guarantee they would be granted permanent residency. Even if their application is ultimately successful, they face months without jobs, income, health and social benefits.
“When they needed us, they exploited us. But when we needed their help or support, no one was there,” said Anshdeep Bindra, a former consultant at Ernst & Young in Toronto. “We pay fees and taxes and get nothing in return. You don’t acknowledge that we are the ones helping you with your labor shortage.”
new goal
The Trudeau government plans to welcome a record number of new immigrants over the next three years to offset the effects of an aging workforce, an updated target announced Tuesday morning in Toronto.
“Those who benefit from these public policies are gaining access to similar or in many cases skilled work experience as graduates prior to the pandemic,” MacDonald said.
Foreign graduates hope the permit extension will give them more time to gain Canadian work experience and improve their scores under the Canada Skilled Worker Immigration Ranking System.
But these graduates were caught in a backlog of applications that led to a 10-month shutdown of the system to allow the government to process them. Once the system reopened, students found themselves competing with immigrant groups with scores far above normal, reducing their chances of securing permanent residency.
USCIS said the temporary moratorium allowed the system to catch up and that “reducing or suspending invitations to apply to manage the growing inventory is part of what the system is designed to do.”
Nearly 40 percent of all permanent residents welcomed in 2021 are former international students, a record, according to the department. The government said it had issued 26,250 invitations to apply for permanent residency since July this year, of which 10,212 were international students or graduates.
But that’s no consolation for those still waiting or their former employers. “Now, when I’m already here, the company is going to have to find another person to replace me,” said Leovilee Duatin, who works for a real estate firm in Caledonia, Ontario. “It feels like they just want us in Work here to get our taxes and get rid of us.”
Not only do international students contribute more than C$21 billion ($15.3 billion) to the economy each year, according to the government, but every year tens of thousands of graduates who choose to immigrate permanently become a source of well-educated young workers. They could also play a key role in addressing the current labour crunch and future job market demands, economists at RBC said in a report last month.
Amira Ali, a rental expert with a Calgary property management firm, said the government needs to “prioritize those who pay for their education here, have experience here and have connections with employers here.” “They cornered us and left us helpless.”
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