'Think twice...': Indian students in Canada face joblessness, inflation

Aiman Siddique

After thousands of Indian students were seen queueing up for the job of a waiter and a server at a newly opened restaurant prospecting students wanting to study in Canada fear joblessness, financial crunches and limited career opportunities in the country. A huge number of Indian students move abroad with significant financial burdens, expecting educational and career opportunities that lead to better futures, However, they often face unexpected struggles, including unemployment and employment opportunities provide salaries much less than the industry standards. Nungal Singh recently passed out from Algonquin College, Ottawa is heading back to India as she could not secure a full-time job which made her feel homesick.

"I did get a contract job but it was only for months. However, I was not able to get full-time job." she said. According to Singh, government rules like not having a permanent resident (PR) card or not having the surety of staying long in Canada hampered her prospects of securing fulltime job. Many students balance parttime jobs and college studies to cover living expenses, Some prefer getting internships focussing in their own field of study to improve their resume along with earning. However, their expedition is infested with challenges and some even go into depression as their expectations are not met. "I came here thinking that Canada will offer better opportunities than India, but I was totally wrong. The government is coming up with a new rule almost every day, which makes it more difficult—I will say rather impossible to secure a job here.

I feel like I am getting depressed and I will soon seek help from a counselor," said a student requesting anonymity. With limited opportunities to secure fulltime jobs, some Indian students said they had no choice but to accept jobs that paid less. Siddhi Shukal, a student of George Brown College, Toronto, argued that she had to settle down for a low-paying job after a continuous search for finding one in her own field. "Finding a job in one's own field is next to impossible here. I was without a job for two to three months after coming to Toronto. And even I landed an internship that pays me a stipend which is way below minimum wage," she said. Considering the rising prices, Shukal claimed that her friends in Toronto have resorted to working at multiple odd jobs to be able to pay their bills. "Many of my friends work multiple jobs to make ends meet. They believe driving for Uber is a good side gig," she said. Validating the claim of price rise further, Marilyn Mistry a graduate from Carleton University, Ottawa said, "The cost of living is high, the rents have increased and prices for food and amenities have surged in the past half decade." Mistry has studied and worked in Canada for more than five years and believes it has become more difficult for current students to cope with studies, price rise and low jobs as compared to when she first arrived. Many students also consider lifestyle changes in order to manage their expenses.

"It's challenging to cover living expenses especially in high-cost places like the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Personally, I am considering relocating to a more affordable area outside the GTA, despite the long daily commute of two hours to college and work, just to afford housing and maintain a decent standard of living," said Sonal Beniwal a student at Centennial College, Toronto. India's top envoy to Canada had recently warned Indian students hoping to study in the country, claiming that many students ended up in substandard colleges with no job prospects after spending lakhs of rupees, resulting in depression and suicide. "Our children are not getting what they had dreamt of. If I can say rightly, eight students share one (for lodging). They are admitted to such colleges where one class takes place a week. Throughout the week, they work at a store, as a daily wage. And, they all belong to good families.

But, despite higher education, they are doing odd jobs as a cab driver or something else," said Sanjay Verma, who served as India's High Commissioner to Canada since 2022 and was recalled after allegations of being "a person of interest" in the alleged murder case of radical Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the charges that Verma has denied. As per government data, in the current year, 4,27,000 students are studying in Canada and 3,37,630 in the United States.