Indian Students in Calgary Protest Denied Work Permits Amid Rule Dispute

Indian students protesting in front of their college in Calgary, Canada, after they were refused work permit by the government. Thousands of students, mostly Indians, who attended the business management diploma program offered through Portage College and the Canadian Institute of Osteopathic Therapy in Calgary, are in limbo as they are not getting a post-graduation work permit from Canada. These graduates claimed that the Canadian Immigration changed a rule and made non-credit programs ineligible for this work permit. But they applied for a work permit before the change of rules. IRCC, meanwhile, said there has been no change to any rule. And some students from the same institution got a work permit.

“My father spent his whole lifetime saving for me,” Jaspinder Kaur told CTV News. “After completing my two years of study, I thought I would be able to work and gain some Canadian experience.” For many, the tuition fee alone cost $32,000 for two years, excluding other living costs. Mukul Rana said students who received refusals are now struggling financially and mentally after losing the ability to work. “This is a betrayal of thousands of international students; it is not just administrative, it is a human crisis,” Rana said. As the unfolding situation shifts the responsibility of the situation to the college, the administration did not comment on it. Calgary immigration lawyer Laura-Anne Goulding of Shory Law told CTV that her office has been contacted by dozens of affected students, and her office alone is dealing with 200 students. What is a post-graduation work permit in Canada? A post-graduation work permit is an open work permit issued by the Canadian government that allows eligible international students to work in Canada after completing a qualifying program at a designated learning institution. Two factors are crucial: the qualifying program and institution. This work permit offers Canada work experience to international students and though this can not be renewed, it offers a pathway to obtain Canadian PR. Major social media debate over protest video As the protest of the students on Friday was covered by Canadian media, social media users pointed out how there were only Punjabi students and not international students. Some users argued in favor of the government refusing them work permit and said students should leave after their studies, and a two-year diploma should not guarantee work permit followed by residency. Some highlighted the fraud by the college that got all the money promising work permit at the end of the course knowing all along that they won't qualify for a work permit.