Canadian immigration: The good, the bad, and the ugly!
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WAKE UP, CANADA!
There is an alarming phenomenon going on in Canada right now. It is worse than the raging wildfire and destructive flooding in some provinces. And even more consequential than the heatwave being experienced more frequently by the whole country. What was once thought as the solution to Canada’s looming existential threat to its being a first world country, it is now becoming clearer it will be the trigger to its own implosion.
At its heart, is the broken system of its immigration program.
And politicians have finally started the serious conversations. But, still, they are playing catch-up to what has been so obvious less than five years ago. And the Canadian public themselves continue to pretend that their political leaders are united in their capability to find the solution to the current crisis.
Changes in the past 5 years
This is my own experience. We live in a 30-plus storey condo building in Toronto. Until sometime five years ago, whenever I go out of our unit each morning to take the elevator in the lobby, I would always taste the smell of bacon. Almost every day. When I get home late afternoon, in the same lobby, I would smell nothing. As if the building’s residents are not cooking anything for dinner. Maybe all salad?
However, from thereon, I would notice some variety of scents. Morning and afternoon, it is either the wafting of curry or something that smells of coconut milk. And many other exotic flavors that linger in the building’s common areas. And I love this, it always makes me feel hungry.
Meanwhile, inside the elevator – five years ago – it was impossible to forget that I was in Canada. Up and down the ride, it was so rare to find myself with non-Caucasian looking residents. Today, the whole building is a perfect presentation of the United Nations headquarters. Except for a fact that I can count with my fingers in one hand the Caucasian-looking individuals I encounter every few weeks or so.
Our condo building has changed so much for the past five years. Both the scents in the air and diversity of residents. Life in the condo has never been so vibrant and colorful.
This is now the reality in the whole of Canada. And it may mean something good, a reason to celebrate. Canada is no longer bland; it has a variety of flavor.
THE GOOD
Canada needs more immigrants. This has been the fact for the past 20 years. Without them the whole fabric of Canadian society would collapse. With its aging population, social infrastructure and public services would dry out.
In 1966 the cohort of working-age Canadians were 7.7 for every retiree. Seniors lived comfortably in their old age because funds were sustained by new taxes for those working. Fast forward to year 2022, and this ratio dropped drastically – only 3.4 working individuals are supporting each retiree. By 2027, it is projected that only 3.0 working Canadian would be working harder to support each senior. And without drastic intervention, by year 2068 there would only be 2.3 working Canadian to support each senior.
For sure, with the current trajectory, the shrinking ratio between working-age Canadians to its seniors is very bad news on public finances, since fewer taxpayers are there to sustain the cash transfers to seniors, most specifically Canada’s health care system.
So, it is good news to me personally when Canada opened its welcoming door to millions of new immigrants for the past five years. I have the peace of mind that during my senior years, the health care system is still robust enough to meet my needs.
THE BAD
But it is now becoming clear that people in government who designed, manage, and monitor the good-intentioned immigration program has dropped the ball. And terribly so.
The immigration problem has become so complex. And a lot of finger-pointing has commenced. Government officials put some blame at the private sector. In return, these private institutions are throwing back the blame ball to the government. Meanwhile, the crisis is getting worse, not by the day, but by the hour.
Let us take for example one area that is of urgent concern right now. The endless flow of international students. And the number is staggering. In 2019, there were 638,300 who came in. Due to Covid-19 pandemic this dropped to 528,200 in 2020. But by 2021, 621,600 were granted student visas. And in 2022, the number increased to 800,000. For this year 2023, the government is welcoming 900,000 more. This means, in just five years there would be 3,488,100 foreign students living around Canada.
What’s wrong with this?
With the housing affordability already in a crisis mode, many are blaming this influx of international students as the number one culprit. And it is not that difficult to agree. Three million and four-hundred eighty-eight thousand and one hundred young individuals! Where do you house them?
But is it based on facts on the ground? Are international students really the number one cause for the housing crisis in Canada? My short answer is a resounding NO. It is just pure common sense. Being new and no financial history, majority of international students do not easily qualify for rental, let alone buy a home! So, let’s leave this finger pointing crap behind.
The real problem
The problem with the current predicament of international students is that they themselves are becoming the victims in particular. And Canada itself in general.
According to the new Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, the most concerning is not about the housing crisis but the “integrity” of the immigration system itself. He says there are a number of “illegitimate actors” gaming the system. International students program is being abused immensely, using it as a backdoor entry into Canada. This means many of those with student visas do not hold proper qualifications. Just months ago, the plight of international students from India became a headline. They were allowed entry into Canada a few years ago as international students. Yet, when it was time for them to apply for permanent residency, they were declined after it was discovered that their documents were fake.
Clearly, there is a perceived disconnect between the border immigration and the permanent resident immigration processes. And with the schools.
Another bad actors are in Canadian institutions
A few days ago, when the call to halt or cap the number of international students coming in got louder, some pushbacks from those who benefit the most are even much louder.
International students in Canada can expect to pay four times more tuition than domestic students. It is no wonder that colleges and universities are vigorously defending the continued influx of their golden-egg laying geese!
“Regulated career colleges provide efficient, high-quality, industry-driven training for domestic and international students to produce the skilled workers Canada most desperately needs.” Those are the words coming from the National Association of Career Colleges.
Meanwhile, the interim president and CEO at Universities Canada chimed in. “I think we can say that the housing situation is a crisis for Canadians broadly. I do not think that the blaming newcomers or international students …is the right way to go.”
THE UGLY
Although those words coming from educational institutions that enjoy this very lucrative anomaly sound patriotic and benevolent, they are silent on their role in helping provide housing to many international students.
Some videos on social media are appearing showing some international students struggling to survive, literally. A few months ago, a trending story of an international student living under a bridge in the city of Toronto became sensational on TikTok.
Meanwhile, on YouTube a number of videos are also trending depicting the dire situations of international students. In some of these videos, international students are being given tips how to find free groceries! The target? Places like the Food Banks and other charitable organizations like the Salvation Army.
These incidents are ugly and despicable. Those are the places of last resort for Canadians who are struggling, especially the poor and elderly and on disability.
And I have not even discussed here other abuses heaped upon these poor foreign students by businesses and employers. I, myself, have heard stories first-hand from students telling their sad stories regarding these abuses. The government should be aware by now how prone to these kinds of abuses international students are.
SO, WHY?
So, what is happening, Canada? Why are you so fond of creating dumb programs like the predicaments at Immigration? Why didn’t you plan it well in the first place?
Blaming the “bad actors” at this point is dumber. Geez, bad actors are everywhere. Surely, you should have foreseen it that any program that relates to easier pathway into Canada would be a lucrative target.
Or, is Canada so desperate for money? If so, can you blame the growing number of new immigrants accusing Canada of milking the desperate, the needy, the persecuted in their home country? How much does it cost, really, to immigrate into Canada? And how many times has the government increased the fees?
And how much power do colleges and universities wield over the government when it comes to the crisis being faced by international students? How did those fake papers escape their scrutiny?
I am sure many more individuals, groups, institutions outside of government are reaping the windfall at the expense of the misery and tears of many international students.
MY WISH
Yes, I would personally love to see these talented, hard-working, and intelligent international students become permanent residents in Canada. And I would be happy to see them prosper and thrive. This includes my selfish motive that my retirement years are taken care of by the Canadian government, because more and more working-age Canadians are paying their due taxes.
But, as things stand now, it would be so sad to know that I am a Canadian. And I am a part of a country that is not lacking when it comes to inept politicians who seem to be incapable of fixing a problem of their very own making.
Canada, wake up! Before more damage is done to our society’s fabric. Canada deserves better than this current shameful crisis.
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