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VOL 23 - ISSUE 25
www.theasianstar.com SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2024
Federal Immigration Minister says no guarantee that foreign students will get to stay in Canada
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Dozens of Indian workers freed from ‘slavery’ in Italy
“Historically” large number of foreign students is a problem By Umendra Singh Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller admits that the large number of foreign students in Surrey, specifically, and in Canada, generally, is a serious problem. And the situation the foreign students themselves are in is not good for them or for anyone. At a press conference in Surrey earlier this week, Miller would not commit to agreeing to give the foreign students permanent residency Immigration minister Marc Miller with Surrey Newton Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal
visas automatically or anything close to it. “The foreign students were given student visas and were not guaranteed or promised anything else – they were not promised a permanent resident visa if they attended and completed school in Canada,” Miller said. He said his ministry is reviewing the situation to see what the best solution is, but it could be that the students would have to return to their home countries at the end of their studies. Miller said that according to Statistics Canada, temporary residents (foreign students and those with temporary work permits) make up 7 percent of Canada’s population -and this large number puts a big strain on infrastructure and resources – including housing and health care. Continued on Page 7...
Dozens of Indian farm labourers have been freed from slave-like working conditions in northern Italy, police have said. The 33 workers were lured to Italy on the promise of jobs and a better future by two fellow Indian nationals, police say. But instead, they were allegedly forced to work more than 10 hours a day, seven days a week for a tiny wage which was used to pay off debts to the alleged gangmasters. Continued on Page 15...
BC caps international post-secondary student enrolment
South Asian business owners say extortion calls continue, despite RCMP task force Business owners in the Fraser Valley say they are still receiving threatening phone calls demanding cash months after RCMP established a task force to deal with extortion attempts. Some business owners say they have been getting constant calls since last summer, with callers threatening to kill their families if they do not pay up. One victim told Global News that during one phone call, the extortionist told him that police wouldn’t do anything, knowing an officer was in the room with him. “I need help. I can’t see if something goes wrong to my family,” Jas Arora with Highway King Transport told Global News. It appears those making the threats sometimes follow through. RCMP said a White Rock shooting last December is connected with the ongoing extortion cases. In Edmonton, police said they
believe a series of arson and drive-by shootings are also tied to extortion cases. Earlier this year, the RCMP established a national team to tackle these threats against South Asian communities. Global News asked the BC RCMP for updates, but no one was available for an interview. “Police take this very seriously,” B.C.’s Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said on Wednesday. “What’s important and what police need is information and they need people who are facing these threats or extortion attempts to come forward.” The entrepreneurs affected by these extortion attempts say they will discuss these issues at an upcoming town hall this weekend. “We are not seen and the only way to be visible is to come out in strength and show that we need support,” said Amit Kumar with the Canadian Trucking Association of B.C.
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British Columbia’s government has introduced new guidelines for public postsecondary education institutions, capping the number of international students at 30 per cent of their total enrolment. In a statement, the provincial Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills says the new limit is meant to make sure that “international student enrolment doesn’t strain an institution’s ability to provide appropriate services.” The ministry says the new guidelines call for public universities and colleges to submit international education strategic plans to the government, which the province will monitor to make sure the cap is being followed. Continued on Page 10...