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Young people from Gujarat and Punjab have always chosen Canada as their destination when seeking chances, but the question now is if this Canadian dream is crumbling. The wealthy regions of Punjab's countryside are full of advertisements for international excursions. Hundreds of billboards offering simple access to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Britain are scattered across its fields. The ads of international takeaway agents cover the walls of the multi-story mansion. On the streets of Bathinda, there are a lot of agents offering to fulfill the overseas dreams of young people who approach them with instantaneous possibilities. For more than a century, there has been a surge in foreign immigration to the state of India in the northwest. It covers everything from the post-independence travel of rural Punjabis to England to the voyage of Sikh soldiers in the British Indian Army to Canada. However, the topic of whether the desire to travel to Canada is gradually fading has emerged recently. A large number of immigrants to Canada are leaving for their own nations. Palkar, 28, is one such individual. After a year in Canada, he left and went back to India in the beginning of 2023. Following the commencement of the Covid-19 outbreak in India, he departed from his small town of Pitho. At that point, obtaining Canadian citizenship was his ultimate objective. His family therefore mortgaged their land to pay for his schooling. But his dream vanished a few months after he moved to Canada. Palkar told the BBC that "everything there is expensive." I had to work fifty hours a week to make ends meet after graduation. The rise in inflation is causing many students to give up on their education," he stated. Palkar currently does her needlework business out of a small room in her vast courtyard typical Punjabi home. Additionally, he is contributing to his farming family's revenue growth. These remote places don't offer many job options. However, these young individuals are getting high off of technology. The majority of Balkar's business is conducted on Instagram. Speaking on this, "Life is enjoyable. Why should I travel there and endure hardships when I can make a good living at home?" Palkar asks the query. Approximately six people who had returned from Canada to Punjab were interviewed by the BBC. Everyone felt the same way. Many Indians who have made the decision to leave Canada and return to India have posted videos on YouTube with a tone that is similar to this one. According to a recent returnee to India, immigration officials' descriptions of life in Canada diverge from the real circumstances faced by immigrants in Toronto and Vancouver. Bathinda is the hometown of Raj Karan Brar. He is an agent who facilitates international travel. Each year, he assists thousands of Punjabis in obtaining student visas and permanent residency. He tells me that his interest in Canada has somewhat faded. According to him, there is less desire, especially among wealthy migrants who intend to go back home. Still, middle-class and lower-middle-class rural households strongly choose to be citizens of Canada. However, the immigration agent said that they are scared because of the films that the young people who are having trouble finding accommodation and work after moving there posted. One projection predicted that in the second half of 2023, the number of Indian applications for study visas in Canada will decline by forty percent. A contributing factor to this is the political strain existing between Canada and India with the purported role of Indian operatives in the murder of Sikh separatist chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Deep cultural elements also contribute to the aspirations of the earlier Indian immigrant generation to fade in Canada. Among them are the irritating limitation on work experience requirements in Canada, population growth, and the tense relationship between India and Canada. Karan Aulak has established a prosperous career and has been a resident in Edmonton for almost 15 years. He left his position as a manager in Canada and is currently living in his homeland of Khan Ki Dhap village in Punjab in a peaceful rural lifestyle. In an interview with the BBC, he expressed his sadness at Canada's decision to legalize cannabis usage in 2018 as well as the country's inclusive education policy for the LGBT community. He claims that a large number of elderly Indian Canadians are getting ready to depart the country. The primary causes of that are cited as being incompatible with the lifestyle of the West, India's superior economic prospects, and its subpar healthcare system. According to Karan Aulak, "A month and a half ago, I opened an online counseling center called 'Back to Motherland' to assist people who wish to return to their country." a minimum of two or three calls each day. The majority of them are Canadian. He stated, "They will want to know how to return to the country and about job opportunities in Punjab. "The trend is "worrying" for a nation that cherishes immigration, according to Daniel Bernhardt of the Canadian Citizenship Institute, an advocacy group for immigrants. Liberal immigration policies have been put in place by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an effort to combat the country's aging population and weak economic growth. In 2021, immigration will be responsible for 75% of Canada's population growth and 90% of the country's increase in the labor force. Every year, $14.7 billion is contributed to Canada's economy by international students. They are mostly Indians. In Canada, one in five newcomers is Indian.In 2022, immigration to Canada came primarily from India. Because of a rise in immigration, Canada now has a low emigration rate. Canada has taken in almost 500,000 new immigrants annually in just the last few years alone. Yet according to Bernhard, "2019 saw a peak in reverse migration rates." This suggests that immigrants are becoming less trusting of Canada," he claims. Although official numbers from Reuters show that between 80,000 and 90,000 immigrants departed Canada in 2021 and 2022, separate figures for individual nations are unavailable about such emigration or departures. They can have relocated to their home nation or somewhere else. Over 42,000 individuals departed Canada during the latter part of 2023. The Canadian Institute for Citizenship's demographic figures show that a relatively small percentage of permanent residents are awarded Canadian citizenship. In 2001, 75% of individuals who met the requirements became citizens of Canada. Two decades later, that percentage dropped to 45 percent. Canada's ambitious immigration policies to accommodate a larger population are the root of the issue. In a recent study, economists from the National Bank of Canada issued a warning, stating that the country is already experiencing a housing crisis and that more population growth will only make matters worse when its health system is already stretched thin. By 2023, immigration will bring Canada's population up by 12 lakh. Expert reports state that the best way to preserve or raise the level of living is to keep the annual migration rate to 5 lakh people. It appears that policymakers have taken this assertion at face value. The Liberal government of Justin Trudeau recently put restrictions on overseas student admittance. The number of student visas will be temporarily lowered by thirty-five percent. Some predict that this big change in policy would worsen the country's image in the midst of an increasing number of people leaving the country.
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