Gurpreet Singh thought he was fighting for the right to stay in Canada and build a life after completing his studies.
asserted
he → think → studies
Instead, the 29-year-old Indian student says his participation in a peaceful protest ended with Canadian immigration authorities ordering him to leave the country.
asserted
authorities → say → country
Toronto Star reported that Singh was one of the thousands of protesters who took to the streets after their postgraduate work permit was canceled by Canadian immigration.
asserted
permit → report → immigration
They all enroled in their courses offered by Portage College, knowing that their course was eligible for a post-completion permit.
asserted
course → enrol → permit
Singh did not expect the protest to attract the attention of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
asserted
protest → expect → Agency
But on August 12, border officials arrived at the demonstration after Calgary police requested immigration-status checks on four people.
asserted
police → arrive → people
Singh was among those investigated.
asserted
Singh → investigate → those
He and nine other students have since been issued exclusion orders requiring them to leave Canada and preventing them from returning for a specified period.
asserted
He → issue → period
“They did it to sabotage our protest,” Singh said to Toronto Star.
asserted
Singh → do → Star
“They are successful in stopping our protest because all the students are afraid now.
asserted
students → stop → protest
Nobody is coming out.
asserted
Nobody → come → ?
Everyone is scared CBSA officers would be out there waiting for them.”
asserted
officers → scar → them
Singh graduated in 2024, was already working as he was waiting for permit
Singh arrived in Canada from India in 2023 on a study permit.
asserted
Singh → graduate → permit
He already had a bachelor's degree in English literature from India and initially studied organizational management through a college partnership program in Ontario before moving to Calgary.
asserted
He → have → Calgary
In December 2024, he graduated from CIOT's administrative professional certificate program and applied for a post-graduation work permit.
asserted
he → graduate → permit
Then came the refusal.
asserted
refusal → come → ?
Singh had waited about 18 months for a decision while working at a gas station and later at a concrete plant under maintained status.
asserted
Singh → wait → status
His application was rejected in early July, shortly after Canada's Immigration Department updated its website to clarify that graduates of certain “non-credit” programs were not eligible for post-graduation work permits.
asserted
graduates → reject → permits
Singh said that it came as a shock because he had enrolled with the understanding that he would be eligible for a work permit after graduating.
“I completed my study and they only displayed the non-credit criteria on its website months later,” he said.
asserted
he → say → website
“It’s just not fair.”
asserted
It → ’ → ?
His parents spent about $36,000 on his education in Canada, he said.
asserted
he → spend → Canada
Singh stopped working immediately after losing his authorization on July 9.
asserted
Singh → stop → July
He subsequently challenged the refusal in Federal Court and was considering ways to maintain his legal status during a 90-day period available to restore his temporary status.
asserted
He → challenge → status
Then came the CBSA action at the protest.
asserted
action → come → protest
‘I didn’t have time’
asserted
I → have → time
Singh says he had been weighing whether to enrol in another program and apply for a new study permit, as some other students had done.
“I didn’t have time to do that and now I can’t do anything and must leave Canada,” he said.
asserted
he → say → Canada
He is now required to report to CBSA every two weeks and confirm his departure.
asserted
He → require → departure
Having spent his savings on legal fees, Singh says he is relying on community support and crowdfunding.
asserted
he → spend → support
The CBSA says its officers were responding to information supplied by Calgary police.
asserted
officers → say → police
Twenty people at the protest had their immigration status checked; 12 were identified as “possibly inadmissible” and asked to attend follow-up interviews.
uncertain
12 → have → interviews
Advocates say 10 students were ultimately issued exclusion orders.
asserted
students → say → orders
“Inland investigations are an important tool to identify those who should not be in the country and are critical to ensuring compliance with the law,” the CBSA said.
asserted
CBSA → identify → law
“Foreign nationals admitted into Canada are not able to work or study unless authorized and are expected to depart Canada at the end of their authorized period of stay.”
asserted
nationals → admit → stay
The agency also said it recognizes that “the freedom of peaceful assembly is a Charter-protected right.”
asserted
freedom → say → assembly
A protest becomes an immigration case
The incident has nevertheless triggered a wider debate over whether immigration enforcement was appropriate at a peaceful demonstration.
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enforcement → become → demonstration
More than 250 civil-liberties, human-rights, labour, migrant and community organizations have endorsed an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and senior federal and provincial officials calling for an independent investigation and the withdrawal of the exclusion orders.
asserted
organizations → endorse → orders
“Freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental Charter-protected rights,” the letter said.
asserted
letter → protect → expression
“They do not belong only to Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
asserted
They → belong → citizens
Migrants must be able to speak out, organize and protest without those activities becoming a pathway to immigration enforcement.”
asserted
activities → speak → enforcement
Syed Hussan of the Migrant Rights Network, which has supported the students, called the August 12 operation “incredibly dangerous.”
asserted
which → support → operation
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
