Toronto: Canada’s study permit system is facing intense scrutiny following the arrest of a Pakistani national charged with terrorism. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was apprehended in Ormstown, Quebec, last week. He faces charges in both Canada and the United States, with allegations of planning significant attacks in New York City targeting the Jewish community. On Tuesday, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, Marc Miller, confirmed that Khan entered Canada on a study visa in May 2023.
This revelation has intensified anti-immigration sentiment in Canada, which is already grappling with a shelter affordability crisis linked to a significant influx of temporary residents, particularly international students. Many of these students, now on post-graduate work permits, face an uncertain future.
In response, the Naujawan Support Network, an activist group, has organized an indefinite protest in Brampton, part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Bikramjit Singh, a key organizer from Hoshiarpur district in Punjab, estimates that around 130,000 former international students will face work permit expirations by the end of this year and in 2025, risking deportation due to increasingly restricted pathways to permanent residence.
Singh, who arrived in Canada as a student in 2019, criticized Canadian politicians for their lack of action, attributing it to the prevalent anti-immigration sentiment and the fact that many protesters are not voters. Their indefinite protest, which started last Friday, aims to secure extended work permits, universal post-graduate work permits for all international students, and a fair pathway to permanent residency.
Desperate students are now exploring various options, including refugee claims, illegal entry into the United States, or even marriages, to maintain their status in Canada.
In contrast, former international students from India had a different experience last year when many faced deportation due to forged documents used by immigration consultants to secure their study permits. A protest in May led to a summer resolution as the Canadian government announced an amnesty for those who had genuinely intended to study in the country. This resolution followed pressure from MPs and political leaders who joined the protesters at their encampment.
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