International students were seen protesting in Brampton on a rainy and windy Saturday this past weekend demanding an end to the exploitation of immigrants and students.
The demonstration, led by the Naujawaan Support Network, an advocacy group for youth and international students and workers, took place at Kaneff Park near Shoppers World. Protesters called for fairer treatment in response to recent changes to Canada’s study permit and post-graduation work permits.
They are urging the government to extend the work permits of foreign workers set to expire in 2024 and 2025, advocating for a fair pathway to permanent residency, as per multiple social media posts by the group.
With their motto, “good enough to work, good enough to stay,” the group is advocating for the many international students who they say are being used as a source of cheap labor in Canada.
Laura Walton, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour, was seen joining the protest in solidarity.
“Your fight is our fight…Quite frankly what we see right now is racism. It’s discrimination and there’s no room for racism and discrimination in our province…and in our country,” Walton said during the protest.
A poster widely shared on social media clarifies the protest’s purpose, pointing out that international students are unfairly blamed for the housing and jobs crisis, despite “zero evidence.” The group argues that government policies and corporate practices are the real issues.
“International students are not the cause of crisis, but we are being made into scapegoats,” the statement reads.
By the end of 2023, 1,040,985 international students were accepted to study in Canada, as reported by the Canadian Bureau for International Education.
Statistics Canada reveals a sharp 52.6 per cent decrease in international students arriving in Canada for study purposes in the 2023 session compared to the 2021-22 session, when 2,196,468 international students came to Canada.
Meanwhile, recent data from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) indicated a 1 per cent decline in Canadian housing starts in April compared to March, highlighting the lack of correlation between international students and the country’s housing crisis.
The Naujawaan Support Network is also advocating for better immigration and foreign worker laws, highlighting how current policies allow employers to “exploit immigrants” and foreign workers by paying them less than minimum wage and denying them overtime pay and benefits.
Currently, employers hiring foreign workers are required to pay them according to the terms stated in their employment agreements, which includes compensation for overtime work if specified. However, the catch is that overtime pay is only owed if it is explicitly outlined in the agreement.
In a conversation with Now Toronto, a woman, who requested anonymity due to concerns about jeopardizing her status in Canada, shared her experience. Employed at a small business as a receptionist, she echoes the stories of many international students and foreign workers in similar situations.
“As a newcomer to Canada, I didn’t know much and accepted the first in-office job I found only to realize it’s not all what I thought it’d be,” she said.
Recalling how she ended up in the situation, the woman expressed anxiety about her status in Canada as her one-year post-graduate work permit was nearing expiration. It was during this time that she found an employer who offered her a closed work permit.
“I was hired to work below minimum wage with the promise that I’ll be helped with my work permit and eventually, my permanent residency,” she added.
Under previous study permit laws, international students who studied in Canada for one year received a one-year post-graduate work permit (PGWP), while those who studied for two years received a three-year PGWP.
A PGWP allows temporary work in Canada after graduation but does not guarantee a path to permanent residency. To qualify for permanent residency, students need one year of full-time work experience in Canada, completion of their studies in Canada, and sufficient points in the immigration draw system.
However, a backlog in permanent resident requests along with increasingly high immigration draws has left many PGWP holders in limbo, potentially sending them back to their home countries.
The increasingly difficult pathways to residency have allegedly also allowed employers to exploit foreign workers by charging hefty fees for closed work permits or Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
“Even though there are days when I feel frustrated for being stuck with my employer because this is not the job I want to do and I’m often paid weeks after the normal pay cycle, I still feel lucky to have gotten a sponsored work permit because I have friends who are being asked to pay up to $20,000 to $40,000 for an LMIA,” the woman said.
In a statement shared with Now Toronto by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the ministry emphasized that employers hiring foreign workers under the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program are required to provide “safe and fair working conditions.”
The IRCC not only inspects and determines compliance of these employers but also holds them accountable. Employers found non-compliant with the laws face “administrative monetary penalties (AMPs)” and may be temporarily or permanently barred from hiring temporary foreign workers under these programs, the statement says.
In March of this year, Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault and Immigration Minister Marc Miller were called to testify regarding fraudulent practices involving the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) program, which has been misused to facilitate job-for-sale schemes aimed at bringing in workers from abroad. They were asked to provide insights into measures being taken to combat these abuses.
“The latest changes to the PR system have only pushed people to pay for such ridiculous amounts to stay in the country, and employers as well as immigration consultants are well aware of this – and they are ready to take advantage. It’s a systemic problem,” she added.
The unidentified source who spoke to us is just one of many international students and foreign workers who are often trapped in exploitative job offers, working full-time without receiving minimum wage, benefits, or overtime pay.
IRCC offer a confidential tip line for temporary foreign workers to anonymously report situations of potential wrongdoing without reprisal.
“If criminal activity is suspected, the information is forwarded to law enforcement agencies such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canada Border Services Agency…Agents can help workers and anyone else reporting situations of mistreatment or abuse and inform workers of their rights,” IRCC says.
When asked about why she does not report her employers to the concerned authorities, the woman said, “It’s a vicious loop – you enter innocently but you end up protecting the victimizer because reporting them also means losing your status in Canada.”
