Over 250 organisations, including Amnesty International, have written a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and three other top officials, seeking an independent probe into border agents deeming a dozen Indian students potentially inadmissible after checking the immigration status of 20 of them at a protest in Calgary on August 12.
The presence of border agents at the protest was unprecedented in recent Canadian history. They called for processing work permits for Portage College graduates under the rules that applied when they enrolled. She asked international students to earn their education, then return home to build a life. Smith underlined that rules are what make a system fair. She called for a return to an immigration process that respects the rules. In July, Carney called for following a process if people do not have authorisation to stay and do not have the right to claim asylum. “It will not work. Migrants will keep organising, and keep speaking out. “I paid my tuition, completed my studies, and graduated. When I enrolled, we understood that the programme qualified for a post-graduation work permit. After we graduated, the federal government refused our applications.
About 1,500 students at Calgary’s Portage College began a demonstration and hunger strike on July 24 against the retroactive rejection and cancellation of their post-graduation work permits. The protest ended after the August 12 action. In the letter addressed to Carney, public safety minister Gary Anandasangaree, immigration minister Lena Metlege Diab, and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, the signatories called for immediate suspension of the exclusion orders and any removal action arising from the August 12 enforcement while these events are investigated. On August 12, Smith underlined that a student visa is a temporary document and that their universities and colleges were built first and foremost for Alberta students.
The signatories demanded clear public policies so that a protest never leads to immigration enforcement, regardless of a person’s status. They said they were called to the protest site due to complaints and that the protesters set up tents or other structures without a permit.
Amnesty International Canada said it was appalled by the CBSA’s crackdown. Migrant rights campaigner Julia Sande said people should not have to choose between speaking out against injustice and protecting their ability to remain in Canada. Calgary Police sought the “status check” on four people at the protest and found that two of them were not in compliance with their immigration status. Bikramjit Singh, of the PGWP Committee, an activist network advocating for international students and migrant workers, said what happened in Calgary was meant to frighten people into silence. We will defend those rights every time they are attacked,” said Singh. In a joint statement, the signatories cited emails and said they showed that students asked about their eligibility while still enrolled. It added that the federal government told Portage College that currently enrolled students would not be affected and that they should continue their programmes. Gurparas Singh, a Portage graduate, said he followed every rule. Immigration lawyer Ravi Jain described the enforcement action as “ICE-like and totally inappropriate,” referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the neighbouring United States, which has been under scrutiny over its high handed enforcement methods since President Donald Trump returned to power.
The permit denial put their immigration status in limbo. IRCC is the department in charge of immigration, refugees, and citizenship. Foreign nationals admitted to Canada are unable to work or study unless authorised. They are expected to depart Canada at the end of their authorised period of stay.
Because they enrolled in non-credit courses that did not provide a certificate, diploma, or a degree, hundreds of Indian students have been refused permits.
The denial followed an updated policy by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that retroactively disqualified graduates of “non-credit” college programmes.
