International student graduates have taken to the streets in Canada, a country they came to call their home, as they face the risk of deportation. Federal policy changes to the temporary foreign worker program by the Justin Trudeau government have forced over 70,000 international students to protest against the decision. 


Representatives from student advocacy group, Naujawan Support Network, said the graduates are at risk of being deported when their work permits expire at the end of this year, reported CBC News. 


The impact has been devastating for the students whose future now lies in limbo. Tens of thousands of immigrant students who had planned to apply for permanent residency after completing their studies are now left with heavy loans and shattering dreams. 


“I spent the most crucial six years of my life taking many risks to come to Canada,” Mehakdeep Singh, a former international student who is facing deportation, told City News Toronto. 


“For the past six years, I studied, I worked, I paid taxes, I earned enough CRS [Comprehensive Ranking System] points, but the government has just taken advantage of us," he added. 


The students have set up encampments outside the legislative assembly in Prince Edward Island, protesting overnight for more than three months.


Similar scenes were witnessed in Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia. 


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Why Did Canada Introduce The Policy Change 


A study permit is one of the pathways most sought by foreign nationals to Permanent Residency in North America. While not a fully guaranteed way, the permit enables foreign nationals to win citizenship in the country. 


Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the Canadian government handed over work permits to temporary citizens in record numbers to bridge the shortage of labour in the country. However, Prime Minister Justine Trudeau announced on Monday that the government will scale back the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada after a historic surge in recent years.


Trudeau admitted that these foreign workers were vital during the labour shortage but said: "the country’s economic needs have changed since."


"We need Canadian businesses to invest in training and technology, not increasing their reliance on low-cost foreign labour," Trudeau said during a news conference in Halifax.


"It's not fair to Canadians struggling to find a good job, and it's not fair to those temporary foreign workers, some of whom are being mistreated and exploited."


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Govt 'Scapegoating' Foreign Workers 


Worker advocates have blamed the Trudeau government for "scapegoating" temporary foreign workers by blaming them for rising unemployment. 


"High unemployment, low wages and unaffordable housing are not being caused by immigrants and migrants," said Syed Hussain, executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, reported CBC News. 


Husain blamed the Canadian government's policy failures and exploitation by employers as the cause of the issues. 


"Migrants build communities, and they deserve equal rights and respect, not scapegoating," he said.


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