Foreign workers in Canada’s Prince Edward Island to hold day-long protest against immigration policy changes
A large number of students from Punjab are likely to be affected by the policy changes that would slash the intake of permanent residents.
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Protest by foreign workers in Charlottetown on Saturday. (Express)Foreign workers in Canada’s Prince Edward Island will hold a day-long protest on May 13 against changes in the province’s immigration policy that would reduce the intake of permanent residents by 25 per cent. A demonstration was held in Charlottetown on Friday over the issue.
A large number of students from Punjab living in the province are likely to be affected by the policy changes, announced by the province in February, as many of them work either on work permits or as international students. The burden on the healthcare and housing sectors were cited as the reason to reduce the intake. The focus would now be on nominating workers in the healthcare, childcare and construction trades.
“This has left the hundreds of foreign workers working in the retail and services sector hopeless as they are unlikely to get their work permit renewed once it expires. Even if they shift to the healthcare, childcare and construction trades now, they won’t get any benefit as work permits in these sectors will be extended only to those who have prior experience,” said Manpreet Kaur Longowal, a volunteer of the Montreal Youth Students Organisation (MYSO).
MYSO has extended support to protesting foreign workers in the retail and services sector. Longowal addressed a rally held in the connection in Charlottetown on Saturday.
Monday’s protest will be held outside the provincial nominee program office in Charlottetown.
Longowal said, “The postgraduate work permit of workers in the retail and services sector is unlikely to be extended and hence they will have no choice but to leave the country. This is the reason that we are raising our voice that sudden changes in immigration policies should not be applicable for the foreign workers already working in those sectors in P.E.I (Prince Edward Island).”
“P.E.I has temporarily closed the provincial nominee program and the Atlantic immigration program in the retail and services sector. This has caused panic amongst foreign workers working in this sector,” Longowal added.
Prince Edward Island is a thinly populated province of Canada and international students and foreign workers often meet the requirement for workers. This also helps them get permanent residence (PR) after working and staying in the region for a particular time period.
However, the changes in the provincial nominee program have shocked the foreign workers who were hoping to apply for permanent residence in the coming months. Now the points for applying for PR have been raised to 65. The protesters feel that for the majority, this score is impossible to meet.
Varun Khanna, another MYSO volunteer, said, “In case of a shortage of workforce, provinces relax the norms and whenever they are filled they start acting strict, which is not justified. The changes shouldn’t be applicable for existing foreign workers working in the retail and services sector who came to this Island years ago and have contributed to the economy of the country.”
The other demands are that the provincial nominee program should be applicable in the retail and services sector as well in an impartial manner and that the postgraduate work permit of all workers should be extended.
“We appeal to maximum foreign workers to get united to raise these issues,” said Khushpal Grewal, another MYSO volunteer.
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