Amid strained India-Canada bilateral ties, a growing trend of reverse migration of students, who once aspired to secure jobs while pursuing higher education in Canada, has sparked concerns in the State. Further, as many as nine Indian students were killed in Canada during the last five years, the highest-ever student death toll in a foreign country during this period.
Speaking to The Hindu, Ajith Kolassery, Chief Executive Officer of NoRKA-Roots, the field agency of the department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NoRKA), said that although the exact number of students or people who migrated to Canada in recent years and returned after they were not able to secure permanent residency (PR) status is not known, it is estimated that 20-30% of them have returned during the post-pandemic period. A detailed study is needed to give the exact number of such candidates, and things are not so rosy in countries such as Canada and Germany due to the tightening of migration norms, said Mr. Kolassery.
According to Sooraj Athipatts, secretary of Samanwaya Cultural Association, an outfit of the Malayali diaspora in Canada, it is estimated that around four to six lakh Keralites, including students who migrated recently, settled in 10 provinces in Canada over the years. Now, they have tightened the visa norms and increased the PR score to reduce the inflow of people from other countries. This has resulted in a good number of students and people who reached on visiting visas and are waiting for refugee status to return to Kerala, said Mr. Athipatts.
Besides, there have been instances where ‘students not allowed’ boards were placed in front of the government-run food banks in Canada. Although the food banks and gurdwaras provide free food for the homeless, a good number of Indians used to make use of this facility to stay on due to high living costs.
According to statistics available with the Union Ministry of External Affairs, as many as 20 students were killed in 58 attacks against Indians in foreign countries. Of this, Canada tops the list with nine deaths of Indian students, followed by seven student deaths in the U.S., which together account for 15 deaths out of 20.
Irudaya Rajan, Chair, International Institute of Migration and Development, a prominent migration expert from Kerala, the State government should urgently frame a policy to address issues related to reverse migration. Students coming back to Kerala from Europe cannot be compared with the reverse migrants from West Asia, as these students are distressed reverse migrants. In the next 5-10 years, the flow of reverse migrants will be high with change in regimes in countries like the U.S. and Canada and their inclination towards right-wing policies and anti-migration stances, said Mr. Rajan.
Published – December 21, 2024 09:34 pm IST