Stop the Deportations of
Migrant Students!
Migrant Students in Action to Defend Their Rights
November 24, 2020. Rally at the Constituency
Office of Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration
Migrant students and their supporters delivered
petitions containing over 16,000 signatures to the Toronto constituency
office of the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marco
Mendicino on November 24. This was the latest of several actions that
students have organized to raise public awareness of their situation
and to put
forward their demands for changes to the immigration rules.
 The requirement
that migrant students have to meet in order to be granted permanent
residence status in Canada come under the Department of Immigration's
Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP). A migrant student who has
studied in Canada must work, after graduation, for 12 to 24 months in a
managerial or skilled professional
position. Thousands of students who have work permits have lost
suitable jobs due to the pandemic and not been able to find work that
meets these conditions. To make ends meet many are working in
non-skilled jobs or in part-time positions and none of this work counts
towards the 12 to 24 month requirement. Work permits are non-renewable
and it is estimated that thousands will face deportation in the near
future because they have been unable to fulfill the requirements.
The petition that was delivered calls for
immediate changes to the rules, including making work permits renewable
and counting all work, not just work in managerial and professional
positions.
Several students spoke at the action on November
24, as well as a spokesperson for the union representing 17,000
unionized faculty at Ontario post-secondary institutions who expressed
their full support for the demands of the students for renewal of work
permits, for counting all work, and for an end to the deportations.
Migrant Students United, issued this appeal on their Facebook page: "Time has been stolen from us, and the consequences
of inaction will be devastating. Minister Mendicino: Make work permits
renewable. Value all work for permanent residency. Ensure full and
permanent status for all. Don't punish migrant workers for the
pandemic." They
are asking for assistance to achieve their demands and that people
"Call Minister Mendicino at 416-781-5583 or 613-992-6361 and demand
that he make work permits renewable and ensure #StatusForAll."
 
This article was published in
Number 80 - November 26, 2020
Article Link:
Stop the Deportations of
Migrant Students!: Migrant Students in Action to Defend Their Rights
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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