“Path to P.R. Destroyed” – Foreign Workers Protest P.E.I Policy

On May 13, foreign workers in PEI are planning a protest. This is because the province has changed its immigration policy to cut the number of permanent residents allowed by 25 percent.

Now the government will concentrate on bringing in people to do healthcare, childcare, and construction work. This is because according to the provincial government, the healthcare and housing systems in present-day PEI are heavily overstrained due to too many new immigrants.

The new regulations are liable to affect many Indians studying in PEI as international students. Foreign workers in retail or service work may get no extension on their work permits even as they switch jobs to healthcare, childcare and construction. Even if they do shift to one of those three sectors, in fact, they won’t gain anything from it unless they already have skill and experience within it.

On Friday of last week already the capital Charlottetown saw someone protest against these changes. A student group called MYSO will support the foreign workers standing there in protest come 13th of next month outside the Provincial Immigration Office.

The protestors are asking that retail and service workers still qualify for permanent residence. They want all foreign workers’ work permits extended. And they want it to become easier to get enough points to apply for permanent residence.

PEI has a small population and many times it needs international students and foreign workers. These people crowd in, hoping to after a certain period of stay become residents of the province. However the new changes have shocked many who were thinking of applying soon for landed immigrant status.

All in all, foreign workers and foreign students are very troubled when they consider these policy changes–it means that life is going to be really tough in future if there without some kind of way to stay long-term here.