‘Despite Canada’s curbs on India, reverse migration still a fantasy’: Expert

According to economist Prof Kuldeep Singh, the major factors of migration from Punjab was due to agrarian crisis, slow pace of industrialisation, fading away of Indian education system, declining employment opportunities.

Singh who was invited as a special guest in a seminar organised by the Canadian Punjabi Cultural Society in Brampton recently stated that though the intake of students has reduced, reverse migration can happen only when India's social- economic condition would be better than Canada. (File Photo)

The curbs imposed by Canadian government on India in the past eight months is not going to reverse the rampant migration of students happening in India, according to retired economic professor Kuldeep Singh of Punjabi University.

Singh who was invited as a special guest in a seminar organised by the Canadian Punjabi Cultural Society in Brampton recently stated that though the intake of students has reduced, reverse migration can happen only when India’s social- economic condition would be better than Canada. “Only then one can imagine reverting back, but still this is a fantasy, far from reality,” he said.

Quoting World Development Report, Prof Singh said, “Indian students going across the globe as international students has risen from 2 per cent in 2000 to 41 per cent in 2023.”

While speaking on ‘Global immigration of youth: Reasons and Challenges’, he said, as per the data of regulated Canadian immigration consultancy, there has been a 50 per cent increase in migration of Indian students to Canada – 50% upwards trend from 2014 to 2019. “In 2019 alone 198,235 students came from India to Canada and out of this, 71% ratio was from Punjab,” he mentioned.

He said that despite Punjab being one of the advanced states in India, the state government is not serious about creating job opportunities for the youth. “Major factors of migration from Punjab was due to agrarian crisis, slow pace of Industrialisation, fading away of Indian education system, declining employment opportunities due to which the Punjabi youth are forced to migrate to foreign countries for their education, employment and living facilities,” he said.

According to Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada( IRCC) data,the population of international students rose from 3.26 lakh in 2014 to more than 8 lakhs in 2022. By the end of December 2023, the number of study permit holders had crossed a million according to IRCC data with more than half of them living in Ontario.

Professor Dr Joga Singh, also a former faculty of Punjabi University, Patiala, pointed out that the previous Punjabi generation, which used to be against leaving the country, are now motivating youth to settle abroad for a better future. However, at an older age, this generation is facing the difficulty of family separation, he remarked.

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According to Prof Kuldeep Singh said the phenomenon of migration has been going on for centuries. In most countries, wars and upheavals have also uprooted people and forced them to migrate.

“Countries like Canada, America, Australia have given new opportunities to many immigrants and opened new ways by welcoming them. People do face mental and physical challenges during the initial settlement in new countries.”

Hardeep Singh Atwal, convener of the Punjabi Society, appreciated the contributions and achievements made by the immigrants in the progress of Canada, despite the fierce struggle.

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