PTH 123

CHANDIGARH | SUNDAY | 21 JULY 2019 11

CANADA: THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER
INDIAN NUMBER OF INTER- INCREASE IN INCREASE IN
STUDENTS WHO NATIONAL STUDENTS STUDENTS MOVING STUDENTS MOVING
MOVED TO IN CANADIAN TO CANADA FROM TO CANADA FROM
CANADA (IN 2018) COLLEGES (IN 2018) 2017 TO 2018 2014 TO 2018
1,72,625 5,72,415 40% 350%

Punjab at the receiving end

MIGRATION

❝ DYNAMICS
Plus Two passouts

of the Canadian dream

from Una and
Hamirpur are
coming to us in
large numbers to
seek advice on

are secondary immigration and

take courses
in IELTS.
Drain of youth continues, professors and bankers join in | HP in it too
e wants to migrate Navneet Singh, Deepkamal Kaur in jalandhar BREXIT EFFECT: UK IS HOT AGAIN ~10 lakh from our relatives and ~4 lakh from
the bank for him, but have not been able to

I
IMMIGRATION FIRM OWNER
F there is a sector that has seen a boom
in Punjab in the last few years, it is the
Most young assistant professors hired immigration sector. There are as many
by the college in the last few years as 946 licensed immigration compa-
have taken NOC from the college for nies, visa consultants, IELTS centres and
applying for Permanent Residency in
air ticketing companies in the NRI hub of
another country. Jalandhar alone, with at least three times
Gurpinder Singh Samra, PRINCIPAL,
more people illegally engaged in the work
LYALLPUR KHALSA COLLEGE, JALANDHAR in the city.
An ever-increasing number of immigration
Ever since the firms has led to stiff competition, forcing them
Canadian to innovate with their offers, the most popular
government being ‘Pay fee after visa approval’. Social
changed its rule to media too has become an important tool with
make six bands video testimonials of new and successful aspi-
compulsory in rants being flashed on a daily basis. Central
each module of city area near the bus stand houses most
IELTS, the number immigration firms, their windows decked up
of students facing with LED screens shouting out: ‘Apply UK
rejections has study visa, with or without IELTS, no old
increased funds required, spouse can go along’.
manifold. Many Punjabi students have While Punjab is already sending nearly 1
not been able to clear the language
lakh students abroad each year, companies
tests even in eight attempts after
in Jalandhar have found a new market: the
having spent ~70-80,000 on the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh.
course and exam fee. “Plus Two passouts from Una and Hamirpur
Sukant Nain Trivedi, IMMIGRATION EXPERT are coming to us in large numbers to seek
advice on immigration and take courses in
IELTS,” says Navneet Singh, who runs a for-
If Punjabi youth abroad were sending
eign consultancy service here.
in an estimated ~90,000 crore
annually back home till last year,
As trends change
there has been a drop of at least 15
Immigration in Punjab began with courses
per cent this year. It is not easy for the
in nanny training about 15 years ago, fol-
students to cope up with studies and
lowed by cabin crew training and then nurs-
work at the same time.
ing. However, as Canadian colleges opened
Anonymous, OFFICIAL,
their doors to Indian students, all earlier
FOREIGN EXCHANGE COMPANY
modes of immigration disappeared. Citing
reasons like prevalence of drugs, rising
My son has done unemployment, increasing incidents of vio-
BBA from Canada lence and terrorism, state of affairs in the
and has now set country vis-à-vis better social security
up an immigration abroad, youth are making a beeline to reach
consultancy in foreign shores and become, what they fond-
Brampton. Once ly call, ‘Pucce Canada wale’.
abroad, the Needless to say, immigration business is
students need making all the sense too. The immigration
advice on firms get a brokerage of 10 per cent per stu-
extension of dent from the universities where the stu-
student visa, work dents seek admission. To save themselves of
According to some immigration firms,
the UK has once again started giving
admissions to Indian students in its
universities. “About 100 universities in
the country have opened admissions
for Indian students. At our centre, we
assist the students in preparing docu-
ments and readying them for Skype
interviews. We have been able to send
quite a few students to the three UK
universities we are working with,” says
Gundeep Singh who has been in the
business for 18 years.
He says England was a preferred desti-
nation earlier too. “But, in 2012, the UK
government shut down many colleges
labelling them as fake as they were not
meeting the norms.” Following that, the
students had to come back and Gun-
deep quit the profession. However,
when he got to know that the UK gov-
ernment is once again keen on Indian
students, especially in the wake of
Britain’s impending exit from the Euro-
pean Union, he restarted his firm. “In
the last one year, I have been able to
send 100-odd students to England. A
few of them have even got scholarships
on the basis of their sports achieve-
ments here,” he says.
Inward remittances fall by 15 pc
A senior official of a foreign exchange compa-
ny says the inward remittances have fallen to
a large extent. “If Punjabi youth abroad were
sending in an estimated ~90,000 crore annual-
ly back home till last year, there has been a
drop of at least 15 per cent this year. It is not
easy for the students to cope up with studies
and work at the same time. Though Canada
allows them to work for 20 hours a week, they
are not able to bear course fee and the cost of
living. Many of them have to ask their parents
back home for money. Sometimes, even after
completing their studies, they end up doing
odd jobs. If they somehow land a good job, they
start looking for a car, own house... In short, the
trend of children sending remittances to their
parents is fast dwindling,” he says.
Sarabjit Singh of Nawanshahr, whose
daughter is pursuing BCom in Canada, feels
return even a penny to our relatives; the bank
loan is also being repaid by us. We had thought
that we will start getting returns when his
studies would be completed three years later.
However, we are still bearing his expenses.”
The son has also not been able to find a job
matching his qualification and is doing menial
work, that too off and on. “To continue staying
there on work permit, he has to show that he is
working with a firm. The ‘salary’ supposedly
earned by him, $300 annually, is being paid by
us. I do not know when the fortune will turn in
our favour,” she says.
Six-band module comes a cropper
A minimum of six bands for each module of
IELTS has come as a major cropper, especial-
ly for rural students seeking student visa to
Canada. Sukant Nain Trivedi, ex-president of
the Association of Consultants for Overseas
Studies, says, “Ever since Canadian govern-
ment changed its rule to make six bands
compulsory in each module of IELTS, the
number of students facing rejections has
increased manifold. Many Punjabi students
have not been able to clear the language tests
even in eight attempts after having spent
~70-80,000 on the course and exam fee.”
He says that as per estimates, about 85,000
Punjabi students have gone to Canada on
study visa so far this year. Another 15,000 have
opted for Australia, England, New Zealand,
Dubai or Cyprus. “Australia too has been beck-
oning students for a while, but only genuine
students, who are given just six-month work
permit after completion of the course. The
country is somewhat expensive than Canada
too when it come to fee and cost of living, but
it surely offers bigger dividends too. For exam-
ple, a BTech student in India spends ~10 lakh
on studies and has to eventually move to a
metro city for job. If one has to settle in a metro
city like Bengaluru, why not abroad? In either
case, the child will come home only once a
year but will be earning at least three times
higher in Canada,” says Trivedi.
Meet the new applicants
After students, it is the turn of the teaching
faculty to immigrate abroad. Gurpinder Singh

Doaba
dream for youth in Bathinda
of students keen on studying in Canada
has increased substantially because of the
country’s friendly visa policy.” She says
the craze to settle abroad and fewer job
opportunities in the region are the major
reasons behind the growing trend of
studying abroad.
Experts say the kind of regard given to
those abroad lends impetus to foreign
dreams. “Tags such as ‘NRI’, ‘foreign
returned’, ‘green card holder’ etc., are
held in high esteem in our country. Even in
the marriage market these tags are valu-
able. This mentality has also led our stu-
dents to dream of going abroad for higher
studies and jobs,” says an expert.
sit, are a common feature in Punjab.
permit, etc. So, my son handles that taxes here, these companies have started girls require more money for living abroad Samra, principal of Lyallpur Khalsa College,
bit now. depositing this brokerage amount in their than boys. “We have seen young boys save Jalandhar, says most young assistant profes-
Kamal Bhumla, CHAIRMAN OF THE ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTANTS branches abroad. “Thus, they save 18 per lodging money by staying in warehouses. This sors hired by the college in the last few years
FOR OVERSEAS STUDIES cent GST and 33 per cent income tax levied suits the employers also who expect them to have taken NOC from the college for applying
by the Indian government. In case the firms wake up at odd hours in the night for loading for Permanent Residency in another country.
don’t have offices there, they have bank and unloading works. Rent of an average “All of them intend to take up a two-year
accounts. As such, India faces double loss,”
explains one of the top players in the field.
room costs $300 and it is common to see eight
to 10 boys share a room. As such, their cost of
course abroad to match their standards,
acquire a job and ultimately settle there with
Interestingly, some foreign companies, like living comes down a lot. The arrangement their families. If this trend goes on, I can fore-
IDP Education and AECC Global, have set cannot work for girls who need a decent place see that it is going to become difficult for me to
up branches in Jalandhar. While they oper- to live. Generally, only two to three girls share get a good new teacher for the college in two
ate here, their funds are stacked abroad. a room and the average accommodation cost years’ time. And there will soon come a time
Locals are following suit. Kamal Bhumla, comes to $100 per month,” he says. when there only will be the elderly in Punjab.”
chairman of the Association of Consultants Parents back home face a tough time. They Not just professors, even bank managers
for Overseas Studies, says his son has done take loans to send sons and daughters abroad are common new applicants for IELTS cours-
BBA from Canada and has now set up an in the hope of returns soon, but things may not es and Canadian visa. “Shunning the status
office by the same name in Brampton. “Once go their way. Bholath resident Manjit Kaur’s that they hold here, they are ready to restart
Colleges abroad, the students need consultancy on
extension of student visa, work permit, etc.
So, my son handles that bit now.”
son has been in Canada for five years. She
says, “Things have not panned out the way we
had expected them to. We had taken a loan of
their lives in Canada even if they have to
work as clerks in their banks,” says Bikram
Singh Rana, an immigration consultant.
bear the
brunt
L
ACK of job opportunities is forc-
ing students to migrate abroad,
resulting in a decline in college
admissions. The young minds pre-
fer to shift base to Canada or Australia.
PK Sharma, principal of Hindu College,
Amritsar, says, “Overall, the admissions
in colleges have gone down. Students
want to study abroad due to better
employment opportunities. The govern-
ment is callous towards education sys-
tem.” It’s a worrying trend as even bril-
liant students are opting to study abroad,
adversely affecting the human resource
of the country. “Intelligent students are
willing to leave the country for a better
life. This trend is dangerous,” said Khal-
sa College principal Dr Mehal Singh.
Sundeep Dawar, director, EPA Global,
an immigration company, said, “Stu-
dents prefer Canada and Australia. I
receive 200 applications in a month, out
of which 50 get mature. Students have to
be guided properly, otherwise they land
in trouble. The craze for European coun-
tries is also rising.” —Divya Sharma TICKET TO FLY: An entire building is dedicated to various IELTS coaching centres in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH