The true post(news Web)”Even in my dreams, I see everyday confusions, sometimes worries abou the electricity bill, sometimes debt tension, sometimes worries about my job, sometimes worries about the house installments, all of these have now become a part of my life.”
This statement is from Canadian citizen Ramandeep Singh, who describes the current situation of Canadian immigrants.
Although this story is about Ramandeep Singh from Faridkot, Punjab, the story of many immigrants from India and Pakistan living in Canada is not much different.
Ramandeep Singh arrived in Canada from India about 10 years ago and is now a Canadian citizen. Before coming to Canada, Ramandeep Singh was an ad hoc lecturer in Punjab.
Ramandeep Singh says, “Canada is another name for struggle, but I can’t say that Canada is a bad country. Canada is the best and I like it a lot, but after Covid, the situation here has completely changed.”
The Nadine Youssef in Toronto writes that Canadians are set to vote on Monday in an election that is being seen as one of the most meaningful in years as the country looks to its future amid a trade war with the United States.
The election is centered around issues like housing shortages, unemployment, and inflation. Some experts say the main reason for this is Canada’s relatively relaxed immigration policy in the past few years, which has led to rapid population growth.
When and how did things change
amandeep Singh works in the construction sector, which is considered a good business with good income.
Ramandeep Singh works in the construction sector, which is considered a good business with good income.
He shares his personal experience about the current situation: “It has become difficult to live here these days. Job opportunities are decreasing. Inflation is rising and house payments are also increasing. For these reasons, immigrants living in Canada are worried.”
Ramandeep says: “My wife and I worked hard day and night. First we bought a house and life started going smoothly. After a few years, we felt we should sell our old house and buy a bigger one, and we bought a bigger house for double the price.”
But they say that suddenly the housing market started to decline after Covid, and that’s where the problems started to arise for them, which are still ongoing.
He said that house prices are decreasing day by day. But the loan installment is continuously increasing and he does not understand what to do now. In addition, other expenses in Canada have also increased significantly.
Ramandeep Singh said: ‘After ten years of experience, it seems like the decision to come to Canada was not the right one. Life is kind of on hold.
“It has become difficult to live in Canada and we have exhausted our options to return. We sold everything we had there (in India) and came here.”
“This country is very beautiful and there are opportunities for development for everyone without discrimination, but due to the current situation, it has become very difficult to live here,” says Ramandeep.
These conditions in Canada are causing mental stress for immigrants, which is also affecting their health.
According to him, the situation is even more difficult for new immigrants.
Housing crisis
New immigrants to Canada are currently facing even more serious challenges. They are forced to live with problems such as inflation, lack of affordable housing, and lack of jobs.
The housing crisis is the biggest challenge, especially for new immigrants.
Like Ramandeep, Mitul Desai from Gujarat also settled in Canada with his family a few years ago.
Desai currently lives in Brampton, Ontario and works in a cafe.
Mr Desai says: ‘Earlier everything was fine here but now the biggest problem here is housing. Those who have houses are worried about paying their installments and new people are not able to buy houses. The biggest problem for them in this election is housing and taxes.’
According to Desai: “The influx of international students to Canada has driven a record increase in the rental market here. Even basement rents, which were once 300 Canadian dollars, have risen to 1,500 to 2,000 dollars.”
People invested in new homes, considering rent as a permanent part of their income, but now due to the lack of international students, houses are lying vacant and landlords are worried about paying the installments.
Previously, the Justin Trudeau government made major changes to Canada’s student visa program during 2023-2024, which has led to a significant decrease in student arrivals to Canada compared to before.
This has had a direct impact on the rental market here, and now both housing and work have become a source of concern for people.
Expectations of international students
For the past few years, Canada has been a favorite destination for students from many other countries, including India.
Students from many other Indian states, including Punjab, Gujarat, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, have arrived in Canada under the Canadian Student Program.
Most of them are Punjabis and Gujaratis who migrated to this country with the hope of a better future.
Navjot Salaria is one of them. He arrived in Canada as an international student in 2022. Navjot hails from Gurdaspur district of Punjab. Navjot is currently on a work permit, which expires in August this year, and his biggest worry right now is the permit.
Navjot Salaria said, “I have a job, but I am worried about getting Canadian PR (permanent resident) and nothing is happening in this regard at the moment.”
The Canadian government has recently made major changes to its PR laws, which are beginning to affect the future of international students living here.
Many international students’ work permits have expired, putting their dream of settling in Canada on hold. One such student is Simarpreet Singh from Tarn Taran, Punjab.
“After my work permit expired, I can no longer work in Canada and it has become difficult for me to manage my expenses,” said Simarpreet Singh.
He added, “Now my eyes are on the elections and whichever party comes to power here will decide our future.”
Sonal Gupta, a Gujarati national, also came to Canada as an international student. She is also waiting for her PR. According to Sonal, the situation in Canada has changed a lot compared to before.
Sonal Gupta says, “Canadian citizens consider international students responsible for the current situation in the country, but this is not the case at all. Students come here after spending millions of rupees and it is the government’s responsibility to provide facilities to the local people.”
How are international students viewing the Canadian elections? In response, Sonal says that whether things improve or not, she is just living her days hoping that something good will happen.
The BBC team in the Greater Toronto Area visited the neighbourhood around Sheridan College in Brampton.
The first manifestation of the struggle of some international students living in Canada was Sheridan College, which was once home to a large number of Indian, and especially Punjabi, students but is no longer so.
Housing shortage statistics in Canada
Canada is currently facing a housing crisis. Canadian government data shows that the country has a shortage of nearly 400,000 homes.
According to a 2021 report by Canada’s Scotiabank, Canada has the lowest unemployment rate per 1,000 residents compared to other G-7 countries.
The data clearly shows that the pace of housing construction relative to the population has slowed since 2016. In 2016, there were 427 homes being built for every 1,000 Canadians, which has decreased to 424 by 2020.
“Housing has not been built here at the same rate as Canada’s population has grown, which is having a direct impact on housing prices,” said Minkel Batra, a Brampton real estate market expert.
“Owning a home in Canada has become a dream now, and house prices have increased by 15 to 20 percent in the last few months,” says Minkel.
This has also had a profound impact on the rental market, with house rents falling compared to before, causing people who bought houses with the hope of investing to be unable to pay their installments.
Number of refugees
A 2024 report from Canada’s Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship shows that the target for obtaining PR has increased by 41% compared to 2019.
The quota for people coming to Canada on a non-permanent basis, that is, to study or work, has also increased. Along with this, the number of people seeking political asylum in Canada has increased by 126%.
If we look at the Canadian government’s data, according to it, 682,889 study permits were issued in 2023. And then in 2023, 25,605 international students were provided with Canadian PR after completing their education, which is 30% more than in 2022.
In 2023, 471,808 immigrants arrived in Canada, a 7.8% increase over 2022, but in view of the election, the Canadian government has recently made major changes to immigration and student permit policies, which has now reduced the figures.
Inflation, immigration and tariff issues in the elections
Canada is voting in a general election on April 28. Immigration and housing are among the most important issues in this election. In addition to housing, rising inflation, declining jobs, and the impact of tariffs imposed by the United States are also important issues.
The Liberal Party has been in power in Canada since 2015, and therefore, given the current situation, the main opposition political parties here, the Conservatives, NDP, Green Party, and Bloc Québécois, are targeting the Liberal Party on this issue.
In particular, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilieu and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh are seeking clarification from current Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on this issue.
Liberal Party leader and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also believes that “there is a housing crisis in the country and if he comes to power, he will build half a million new homes.”
Justin Trudeau is believed to have lost his position as Prime Minister due to Canada’s deteriorating economic condition and lax immigration policies.
Incumbent MP for Mississauga-Malton, Aquino Gheir, agrees. He says: “Life has become harder for people living here in the past few years for a number of reasons, particularly housing and rising inflation. But his party will spare no effort to make Canada a better place.”
Advocate Harminder Singh Dhillon has been living in Canada for the past 30 years and is a social activist.
He believes that “the housing crisis in Canada is huge, especially since home prices have doubled from 2018 to 2022, making housing a prominent issue in the 2025 federal election.”
Some students of Indian origin told BBC Punjabi that many businesses have been affected by the US tariffs, which are leading to job cuts.
This is becoming an even bigger crisis for young people who are already struggling with unemployment.
A large number of Punjabi international students work in the trucking sector, as Punjabis dominate this business.
However, the US tariffs are now having the biggest impact on the trucking business, causing international students who were in the trucking business to have their working hours drastically reduced, which has reduced income and exacerbated the effects of inflation.