Chandigarh: Cabinet Minister Lalchand Kataruchak has demanded immediate central government intervention in the post-graduation work permit crisis facing Indian students in Canada, particularly Punjabi students. He has appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs to engage in diplomatic dialogue with the Canadian government to prevent the affected Indian students from being deported.
Appeal of Minister Lalchand Kataruchak
Minister Lalchand Kataruchak stated that students enrolled at Portage College in Brampton in 2024 have completed their two-year post-graduate studies. However, after the change of government in Canada, the administration has arbitrarily changed the rules and suspended the students’ work permits. This is blatant fraud.
He said that despite paying huge fees and following all the legal procedures, today our talented children, including a large number of daughters, are forced to protest by setting up tents on the roads amid heavy rain.
The minister also accused the Union Ministry of External Affairs of adopting a lax approach in this matter. He said that the Indian government cannot sit idly by while our children are crying on the streets abroad. This is not just an issue involving a few students, but a question of the nation’s self-respect and the future of our youth. The central government should immediately lodge a strong diplomatic protest with the Canadian government on this highly sensitive issue and ensure the reinstatement of work permits.
The Cabinet Minister stated that families across Punjab, including Pathankot and Gurdaspur, are deeply concerned and angry at the plight of their children. The Punjab government is actively pursuing this matter at its own level and taking every possible step. However, the central government has the authority to conduct international negotiations, so the Modi government should immediately awaken from its slumber and contact the Canadian government to resolve this crisis immediately.