3 weeks ago
Last Updated:January 13, 2025, 23:16 IST
Canada has always been welcoming to foreigners but things changed for immigrants seeking permanent residency.
Immigrants as well as Canadian permanent citizens blame outgoing PM Justin Trudeau for the immigration issues plaguing the country. (IMAGE: REUTERS)
Canada, a nation that once took pride in welcoming foreigners, is facing backlash from Canadians as well as immigrants who have been seeking permanent residency (PR) in the country.
The immigrants as well those against immigration have blamed outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the mess.
The perception that immigrants and foreign students in Canada are responsible for unemployment, strains on the asylum system, rising housing prices and pressure on health care have affected immigrants and foreign students.
Hate crimes reported by police more than doubled from 2019 to 2023, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada, with 44.5% of incidents in 2023 motivated by race or ethnicity. Hate crimes can include anything from homicide and assault to mischief and public incitement of hatred.
A report by the Conversation said citing numerous Indian international students in Canada said some of them are facing online anti-Indian rhetoric, with claims that they take jobs or jeopardize Canada’s future.
These narratives overlook the significant contributions international students bring and instead contribute to discrimination and risks they face in Canada.
An Iranian couple, speaking to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), said that they think that pursuing PR in Canada is now “futile". They told the broadcaster that they spent $50,000 and wasted five years and fear that they may have to return to Iran, where they could be facing trouble for their opposition to the Iranian government, or start from scratch in another country.
The couple blamed the Trudeau government for their policies on immigration, which she says were changed keeping Canadian elections in mind.
“Australia and Canada were the best ones in terms of the clarity and straightforward path to get PR, and I chose Canada. But after four years, the system is broken now because of immigration policies. Trudeau broke the system. All this is for the election," Hamed Heydarzadeh, who is trying to secure PR for him and his wife, Mansooreh Fereidooni, was quoted as saying by CBC.
They also told the broadcaster that they sold many personal belongings to come to Canada and dread going home because of their activism.
’Lower Middle Class’
A gay couple from India who left for Canada for the nation’s tolerant approach towards LGBTQIA+ issues now face economic pressures. One of the men told the broadcaster that things that they could afford in India, they cannot think of affording in Canada.
“In Canada, I can’t think about purchasing a house, while there I bought a house already. My former colleagues are now buying their second house. In Bengaluru, I was middle class. Here, I’m in the lower middle class," Ankit, who chose to go with a changed name to protect his identity, was quoted as saying by the broadcaster.
’There Were Days I Didn’t Eat’
Aryan Panchal, a fifth-year international student at the University of Calgary, told the broadcaster that he has spent $107,000 in tuition and he cannot go back home because his family took a lot of time and made many sacrifices to save up that money.
“There were days that I didn’t eat or had to cut down on food. I tried to cut down as much cost as possible to save up enough money for tuition. The amount of investments that we make to move here and the return that we get is far less. Fall in love with suffering, because that’s what’s going to happen when you come to Canada," Panchal said.
Phil Triadafilopoulous, political science professor at the University of Toronto, told the broadcaster that the idea that “transition to PR would be easy" was sold to them.
“This was the story that they were sold by immigration consultants and the media. The problem is actually going to get worse, because not everyone’s going to go home," Triadafilopoulous said, while speaking to the broadcaster.
Location :Ottawa, Canada
First Published:January 13, 2025, 23:16 IST
News world ‘Trudeau Broke The System’: Soaring Costs, PR Chaos Crush Immigrants' Canadian Dream
