Hundreds of students ejected from N.S. immigration fast track after province abruptly changes rules
CBC
The future of hundreds of foreign student workers in Nova Scotia is unclear as the province abruptly changed the rules for a fast-track program to permanent residency in Canada.
"I don't know what to feel ... I'm just scared right now. I'm frustrated, angry. Everything is like, mixed feelings," said Rahul Kumar, a student from northern India, who has worked for the past year at a Pizza Pizza restaurant in Dartmouth.
Kumar studied marketing in Ontario before moving to Nova Scotia to take part in the Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry (NSEEE) program.
The program invites foreign students to work designated jobs after graduation. In return, they can apply for permanent residency after 12 months, instead of the usual two years.
However, on June 8, when Kumar was two days from achieving his 12-month milestone, the Nova Scotia government posted a notice on its immigration website.
"As of June 9, 2022, the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration (LSI) has made a change that applies to candidates on post-graduation work permits," the notice said. "Only graduates from Nova Scotia are now eligible."
"I had just two days left for my experience," Kumar said. "They just said it's effective immediately."
For out-of-province students with completed work experience, the province accepted NSEEE applications until midnight on June 8.
Nova Scotia's express entry program has seen explosive growth in the past three years.
The NSEEE attracted 605 foreign students in 2019, more than half of whom had studied in Nova Scotia.
But by 2021, the pattern had changed. Out of 1,453 foreign students workers, only 434 studied in Nova Scotia. The rest, more than 1,000 workers, had graduated in other provinces.
A provincial spokesperson said the greatest recruitment growth was from students educated in Ontario. The largest employer was the food service sector.
Ray Kanani moved to Nova Scotia from Saskatchewan in 2020, buying three Pita Pit restaurants around Halifax and two more in P.E.I.
Kanani employs between five and eight people at each restaurant, and all but a handful are foreign students.
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