A recent announcement by Canada's immigration minister, Marc Miller, has thrown a wrench into several well-laid plans to move to the country.
Last week, Pallavi Sharma, a sprightly young woman in her early 20s, found her dreams of studying abroad shattered. Pallavi, who successfully cleared her IELTS with a score of 6.5 bands in September last year, had been eagerly planning to pursue an undergraduate program in a Canadian university.
Her engagement last month added another layer to her journey, as her fiancé was set to sponsor her student visa. However, a recent announcement by Canada’s immigration minister, Marc Miller, has thrown a wrench into her well-laid plans.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Pallavi expressed her disappointment, saying, “After completing class 12, I pursued a diploma in computer applications and cleared IELTS with 6.5 bands. Due to financial constraints, my family explored the option of a spouse visa, where the boy wanted to go abroad. Everything was arranged, and I even got engaged. But the new regulations state that spouses of students in undergraduate programs cannot obtain an open work permit. Without financial support from
my fiancé’s family, there is no way I can pursue my dreams. My family doesn’t have the means to pay my fees.”
Pallavi’s story echoes the concerns of others in the state facing similar challenges. Gurpreet Singh Plaha, a resident of Dholewal area in Ludhiana, had plans to send his spouse to Canada in the May intake. However, in the absence of an open work permit, his aspirations have now been dashed. Plaha, who is single, says he was in the process of tying the knot with an ‘IELTS-pass’ girl.
Of late, such ‘IELTS weddings’ had become a new route to Canada in Punjab. A study titled “A study on overseas migration from Rural Punjab: Trends, Causes, and Consequences,” by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) from 1990 to 2022 revealed that 9.51% of Punjabis migrated abroad on a spouse visa. Notably, over 50% of these migrants were males. The gender-wise distribution showed that males (53.16%) outnumbered females (46.89%). This shift was attributed to a new trend of ‘contract marriage’ initiated by men with women obtaining high IELTS bands for study visas who would later sponsor their husbands on spousal open work visas.
It is commonplace for families to place matrimonial advertisements seeking IELTS-passed girls, with the groom’s family covering the wedding expenses, sending the girl to Canada, and bearing the financial burden—often exceeding 25 lakhs. Jagseer Singh Jhumba from Jhumba village in Bathinda highlighted this trend, stating, “It was a gateway to enter Canada.”
Amrit Saini, who lives near the bus stand in Ludhiana, shared, “My parents were in talks with a family whose daughter had cleared IELTS for a diploma course starting in May intake. The new rules from Canada have put a spanner in my plans now.”
The new regulations specify that spouses of students enrolled in undergraduate programs will not be eligible for an open work permit. This permit will only be applicable to spouses in master’s, doctoral, law, or medicine courses.
The ramifications are far-reaching, for immigration agencies as well. Nitin Chawla from Kapri Education and Immigration Services Inc. in Ludhiana noted, “This will significantly impact not only local immigration consultants but also students whose dreams hinge on flying to Canada. Many immigration consultants’ offices had a substantial portion, around 80%, of files related to spouse visas. Now, with the end of open work permits for spouses of undergraduate students, survival will be challenging for
numerous immigration and IELTS institutes.”
The practice of using immigration consultants as informal marriage bureaus is not uncommon, with consultants facilitating alliances between boys and IELTS-passed girls. However, a consultant from Moga revealed, “In many cases, girls used to ditch the groom, and in numerous instances, couples would divorce after obtaining permanent residency in Canada.”
Nitin Chawla from Kapri Education and Immigration Services Inc. commented on the current scenario, stating, “For the past two months, consultants have seen a significant downturn in business. The federal government’s allocation of students to provinces, followed by provinces assigning quotas to universities and colleges, means no files can be processed until March 31, 2024, leading to automatic rejections.”
Vinay Hari, a prominent immigration and career consultant in Punjab, asserted that the new rules would put an end to the practice of sending boys to Canada based on IELTS-passed girls. He mentioned, “Spouses can only obtain an open work permit if the partner is enrolled in master’s or doctoral courses. This move by the Trudeau government is aimed at winning the confidence of local voters, especially with elections approaching.”
Hari urged students to reconsider their motives for going to Canada, emphasizing the importance of contributing to Punjab’s economy. He noted, “The market for master’s or professional courses is relatively small in Punjab. This correction was necessary, and many planning marriages with IELTS-passed girls will now pause their plans.”
Devpriya Tyagi, MD of Rightway Airlink Immigration Consultants, clarified that the new rule doesn’t affect students already in Canada on study visas, but it will impact those enrolling from September 1, 2024. Tyagi mentioned, “The IELTS institutes and immigration consultants are adopting a wait-and-watch strategy. The announcements aim to filter the type of students reaching Canada.”
The trend of groom’s families paying for the IELTS exam of the girl, often from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, is widely known. Unfortunately, incidents of suicides and police complaints have been reported when girls refused to call grooms after reaching Canada or when couples divorced after obtaining permanent residency.
While students in masters or doctoral courses can still call their spouses with open work permits, the numbers are expected to be minimal from Punjab. Devpriya added, “Students must study in public colleges or universities to secure work permits. Those in public-private campuses will no longer be eligible for work permits.”
Nitin Chawla concluded, “The Trudeau government’s previous relaxations are being rolled back, reflecting on their collapsing system. In response to the announcements, an immigration consultant in Ludhiana has promptly put one branch of his IELTS institution up for sale, signaling the immediate impact on businesses.”
Chawla emphasized a shift in the trend, urging boys to take charge of their education, pass IELTS, and pursue bachelor’s courses independently. “The era of significant demand for IELTS-passed girls is over, at least in the near future,” he declared.