Canada spreads the welcome mat for a new wave of educated, high-profile immigrants, Indian students.
So, turns out, it’s not just Meghan Markle and Prince Harry who look at Canada as the country of choice for their new home. The royal couple have company in thousands of Indians who think Canada trumps all when it comes to settling down abroad.
Disenchanted by the restrictive visa policies in the United States, many Indians are heading northwards to Canada for better life and work prospects.
According to National foundation for American Policy (NFAP) Canada saw a 105% increase in the number of Indians getting permanent residency in the first 11 months of 2019 alone.
The NFAP analysis of Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees data in Canada showed that the number of Indians who became permanent residents in Canada increased from 39,340 in 2016 to 80,685 in 2019.
The astronomical increase seen in the first 11 months of 2019 also means that the full year Canadian statistics will likely show more than 85,000 Indians gaining permanent residency in Canada in 2019, according to the report.
ALSO READ: Ignatius Chithelen: Peeling the layers off the Indian immigrant experience and more (January 31, 2019)
Going by the growing trends according to immigration attorneys there will be a further uptick in the number of high skilled professionals such as doctors, engineers and scientists looking at Canada as their future home.
On what attracts Indians or high skilled professionals to Canada is also the fact that many IT conglomerates are facilitating this easy transition for those stuck in visa backlogs by opening up offices in major cities in Canada.
Dr Ravi Bhat an Indian physician who has been living and working in smaller cities across the American mid west says, “Canada gives smoother immigration transition possibilities along with the same cosmopolitan life as in the big cities across the US, which certainly helps. Besides it has a world class education system which is a boon for those who have families on H-4 (dependent) visas here and fear that their kids may age out leaving them to fend for their student visas.”
What also scores for Indians is that having a higher education degree along with a foreign work experience puts them among the top notch in Canada’s point based immigration system.
Having lived thousands of miles away from India, most who are applying for Canadian PR from the US, are pretty comfortable with the opportunities Canada offers.
Some Indians wary about racism and gun culture in America also feel relieved to look at Canada. Bay Area based Suchita M. says, “I have a daughter who goes to high school next year. I would be lying if I say that the thought of school shootings does not rattle me.”
Encouraged by the new wave of educated, high-profile immigrants as well as Indian students enrolling in Canadian universities, the authorities have also made the immigration process streamlined for legal immigration.
By 2021, Canada is expected to increase its legal immigration to 350,000 a year. The immigration department in Canada has also announced that in 2019–2020, the Department will continue to improve client service tools to process the citizenship application inventory with the goal of maintaining the 12-month processing time commitment, thereby helping eligible candidates to become Canadian citizens.