Recently it was announced by Canadian government that they would be toughening up their immigration policies, specifically they would be raising the minimum requirements that hopeful foreign aspirants would need to meet in order to obtain a study visa. This included doubling the minimum cost-of living funds and stricter work policy for foreign students. Although Canada claimed that they were implementing their policies in order to ensure better sustainability for foreign students, the Australian government has outright stated that they intend to implement stricter immigration policies in order to halve the amount of immigrants that enter Australia each year.
In a media briefing, Australia’s home affairs minister Clare O’Neil unveiled that the government is working on a new immigration plan that intends to halve the amount of foreign students and low-skilled that workers that obtain the Australian visa over the next 2 years. The governmen claims that the previous system was “broken” and in need of some serious reforms.
O’Neil said that it is not just about the vastness of the numbers but to ensure sustainability in Australia’s future. The net immigration peaked in 2022-23 at 510,000 and that the increase was mainly driven by international students. The sudden arrival of too many workers and students also majorly contributes to a rising homelessness crisis in the country. The Australian Citizens seem to share the government’s sentiments as it was revealed that 62% of Australian voters believe that country’s migration intake is too high.
This follows a recent announcement made by the Canadian government wherein they announced that the minimum funds required to obtain a study visa would be doubled, going from nearly 6 lakhs to 12 lakhs and imposed a strict 20 hour work limit on foreign students. One can’t help but ponder at the impact that these policy changes would have on the demographic that is most associated to relocating abroad, which are the Punjabis.
Recent statistics show that the Sikhs are the fastest growing community in Canada and that Punjabi is the fastest growing language in Australia. It is not surprising since being abroad is one of the most glorified subject in Punjabi entertainment and popular culture, with references being made to foreign, specifically Canada, USA and Australia, in majority of the media that achieves trending status within Punjabi communities.
Inflation and steep hikes in the cost-of-living and rental funds are among the cheap factors that contribute to the struggles for ambitious foreign aspirants. It is not uncommon for the students to give up on their dreams and subsequently return home after struggling to make ends meet so far from their home. The Canadian government claimed to have kept this in mind while making their decisions while the Australian government just claims that they just want to reduce the migrant numbers to a “sustainable” amount.