By Harinder Mahil

There has been a lot of discussion in the press lately about Canda’s housing problems. Some commentators suggest that international students have caused the housing crisis.

We will be hearing a lot about Canada’s immigration problems as the next federal election approaches. Immigration is likely to be a much bigger issue in the election than it has ever been before.

Last month, the federal government unveiled a three-year immigration plan that will reduce the annual intake of permanent residents over the next three years. It will also reduce the temporary population including international students and foreign workers to 445,901 in 2025 and 445,662 in 2026.

Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, has confirmed that new regulations impacting the International Students Program have now taken effect, including the number of hours international students may work off campus. Work permits for thousands of students are no longer being renewed.

For three months, current and former international students have been staging a permanent protest near the busiest highway in Brampton, Ontario. They started the encampment on August 30, 2024, to draw attention to the over 200,000 Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) holders at risk of deportation due to the government’s immigration policy changes, and to build support for their demands for fairness, respect, and a path to permanent residency.

Last week, I had an opportunity to hear a presentation by two international students Bikram Kullewal and Mehakdeep Singh, who are part of the encampment in Brampton to get their work permits extended. They made the following points during their presentation:

Canada openly marketed the international students’ program as a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship. Their slogan was: “Study, Explore, Work, Stay.” Colleges and their recruiters abroad propagated this promise.

Most of the students came from working class and farming families. They sold their land and spent their life savings to come to Canda.

Their tuition, labour and taxes contribute $31 billion annually to the Canadian economy.

During COVID, the government allowed international students to work full-time, extended post-graduate work permits, and made it easier for many students to obtain permanent residency. The government also hailed them as heroes.

The government could choose to “grandfather” current and former international students with respect to the new policies, which means that the new rules would only apply to future cohorts of students.

 The students’ protest is receiving a lot of support for their cause from the labour movement and community organization in Ontario. These students say that they are fighting back against unjust deportation orders.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the international students took on jobs that many Canadians refused to do and considered too dangerous. In doing so, they put themselves in harm’s way and kept Canada’s economy going. Lauded as “heroes” and exploited as cheap labour, they are now being told they are disposable and unwanted. This treatment is irresponsible, unacceptable, and unjust.

The labour movement and community groups in Ontario echo these workers’ demands for:

*an extension to work permits that are set to expire in 2024 and 2025.

*a five-year postgraduate work permit for all international students.

*an immediate end to ‘Labour Market Impact Assessment’-based exploitation; and

*a fair pathway to permanent residency.

In my view, the students’ demands are reasonable and should be seriously considered by the government.  If the government believes they need to tighten up its policies with respect to international students, it should apply new policies to students who are arriving now and not to those who have been in the country for years.

Harinder Mahil is a human rights activist and is secretary of Dr. Hari Sharma Foundation.