Amid strained India-Canada bilateral relations, the growing trend of reverse migration of students, who once aspired to secure jobs while pursuing higher education in Canada, has raised concerns in the state. Moreover, nine Indian students have died in Canada in the last five years, the highest number of student deaths abroad during this period.
Speaking to The Hindu, Ajit Kolassery, Chief Executive Officer of NoRKA-Roots, a field agency of the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NoRKA), said that although the exact number of students or individuals who have migrated to Canada in recent years and have not been able to secure Permanent Resident (PR) status is not known. It is not known who returned, 20-30% of them are estimated. have returned to the post-epidemic period. A detailed study is needed to give an exact number of such candidates, and things are not so rosy in countries like Canada and Germany due to stricter immigration norms, Mr. Kolassery said.
According to Sooraj Athipatts, secretary of Samanavaya Cultural Association, an organization of the Malayali diaspora in Canada, it is estimated that about four to six lakh Keralites, including recently migrated students, have settled in Canada’s 10 provinces over the years. Now they have tightened the visa criteria and increased the PR score to reduce the influx of people from other countries. This has resulted in a large number of students and people arriving on student and visit visas and awaiting refugee status to return to Kerala, Mr Athipatts said.
Furthermore, there have been cases of ‘No Students Allowed’ boards placed in front of government-run food banks in Canada. Although food banks and gurudwaras provide free food for the homeless, many Indians are used to using this facility due to the high cost of living.
According to the statistics available with the Union Ministry of External Affairs, 20 students have been killed in 58 attacks against Indians abroad. Of these, Canada topped the list with nine deaths of Indian students, followed by the US with seven deaths, accounting for 15 of the 20 deaths.
Irudaya Rajan, President, International Institute of Migration and Development, a noted migration expert from Kerala, said the state government should formulate an urgent policy to address the issues related to reverse migration. Students returning to Kerala from Europe cannot be compared with reverse migrants from West Asia, as these students are unfortunate reverse migrants. In the next 5-10 years, the inflow of reverse migrants will be higher in countries like the US and Canada with regime change and their inclination towards right-wing policies and anti-immigration stance, Mr. Rajan said.
published – Dec 21, 2024 09:34 pm IST