Chandigarh: Visa by Canada for Indian citizens, including students, amid a growing diplomatic row between the countries has not stopped and aspiring students are rushing in to get admission for the January intake in colleges and universities as they normally do, officials here said on Saturday.
This is despite BLS, India’s visa processing centres in Canada, this week suspended services citing operational reasons.
Besides, India has issued a travel advisory for Indians travelling to Canada, citing safety concerns.
Speaking with the media, Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller urged Indians, who are concerned about safety, to remain calm.
“I think everyone knows Canada is a safe country and given the events of the last two or three days and the seriousness of the allegations that – it’s important for everyone to stay calm.”
Canadian federal public safety officials say Hindus from India are safe and welcome in Canada after a viral video from a pro-Khalistan group called for them to leave the country.
Saying there should be no tension between the Sikh Canadian and Hindu Canadian communities, Punjab-origin Member of Parliament for Brampton North, Ruby Sahota, wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “There has been a video circulating targeting Hindu-Cdns, calling on them to move back to India.
“This is against Canadian and Liberal values. I will always stand up for everyone’s rights. I condemn this statement and any hate towards Hindu-Cdns. Such speech has no place in Canada.”
Mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown, participated in a ‘garba’, a traditional Indian dance, on Friday.
“This evening, we hosted the @CityBrampton’s first City organized outdoor garba at Gage Park. Attendees dressed in their finest garba attire and took part in an evening of traditional dances, music, and cuisine,” he said.
India is the second largest source of foreign students coming to Canada, just behind China. In 2022, there were 118,095 Indians who gained permanent residence in Canada. Of these, 59,503 Indians transitioned from permanent residents to Canadian citizens.
Immigration consultants based in Chandigarh told IANS the admission process and craze of Indian students for admissions to Canadian colleges and universities is normal as there is no impact of “diplomatic standoff” between two nations.
“The number of applications for study visa in Canada for the January intake is the same as it was in the previous (September) session, which is normally the major among all three major intakes,” a consultant with Canam, a leading international education consulting organization, told IANS.
He said there is no delay in visa processing time for Indian nationals and colleges and universities are accepting new applications as they normally do.
Working in Canada while studying is an added attraction that can help one get practical work experience and build his/her network.
Most international students are eligible to work while studying. There are different requirements for working on campus and off campus. Normally, international students can work off campus up to 20 hours per week.
A majority of Indian students work in food services, retail, and hospitality.
As per the latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Canada issued study permits to 551,405 international students from 184 countries, in 2022, an increase of 24 per cent on 2021, in what Canadian immigration described as a “record-breaking year” for visa applications.
Out of the total international students, 41 per cent (226,450) are Indian students, a majority from cash-rich Punjab, up from 169,460 the previous year.
As per estimates, there were 807,750 study permit holders in Canada last December, over 190,000 more than in 2021, against Canada’s target of 450,000 foreign students by 2022 set out in the country’s 2014 international education strategy.
Upon graduation, a foreign student may apply for a work permit under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program. Under this program, the work permit may be issued for the length of the study program, up to a maximum of three years.
According to the Canadian government, foreign students contribute more than $15.3 billion annually to the economy. There are no restrictions on the type of employment during the study or work permit.
Also each year thousands of graduates from India opt for Canadian residency — a source of educated, young workforce.
(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at gulatiians@gmail.com)
–IANS
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