Young Punjabis can well be called Udta Punjabis. They wish to spread their wings and take off to foreign lands.
The number of passports issued in Punjab emphasises this yearning eloquently. In 2021, the Regional Passport Office at Chandigarh issued 4,90,578 passports. In 2022, the number of passports issued rose to 7,38,349 and this year till the middle of December a record 8,18,792 passports have been issued.
Every year, at least 1.5 lakh students from Punjab go to Canada, Australia, the UK and other countries.
Of them, nearly 70 per cent go to Canada. UK and Australia are next favoured destinations. Each student pays between Rs 15 and Rs 22 lakh per year to see their dreams come true. An estimated Rs 30,000 crore flows out of Punjab to fund student education, according to sources.
SRK's Dunki and the donkey route
Those with an education try to immigrate legally, while those less educated and more desperate adopt risky means when they face difficulties moving abroad legally. Countless are the stories of those who have paid hefty amounts to human traffickers known as 'donkers' after being promised entry into their preferred destination -- USA, Canada... -- through the 'donkey route'. A few of these people have even died on the way.
Such has the prevalance of this illegal migration through the 'donkey route' been that it is now the subject of a Bollywood movie Dunki. Set to release on December 21, the Rajkumar Hirani helmed movie has Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan playing the role of Hardy, a Punjabi who wants migrate to London along with his four friends. The movie sheds light on illegal immigration -- specifically the 'Donkey Flight', a method used for 'backdoor entry' into the USA, UK and Canada.
For all Punjabis between 20 to 40 years who are aspiring to go abroad from the state, there is both a class divide and a place (rural-urban) divide. The general trend for the educated youth is to emigrate to USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries on a study visa, work permit or after getting permanent residency once they ace the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), a test mandatory in most English-speaking countries.
The less educated youth from rural areas, meanwhile, aim for European countries such as Italy, Portugal, Spain as these places offer a wide array of farming jobs, assuring them a decent living.
All this is not new, though the scale has grown. Immigration from Punjab to the western countries started almost as soon as India gained her independence and picked up further in the 1960s.
Brain drain from Punjab
One-and-a-half lakh to 2 lakh students from the 3.50 lakh students in Punjab who pass out every year from Class XII go abroad, said sources.
Dr Mehal Singh, Principal, Khalsa College, Amritsar said that the educational institutions are under a great deal of financial stress due to the flight of these many students abroad.
He said the students were earlier going to Canada, Australia, US and other countries from Punjab after graduation but trends in the last three years show that they are now going immediately after their schooling, which has a direct impact on the colleges.
An educationist DS Rataul echoed Singh and said that in some colleges in Punjab only 50 per cent of the total seats were filled in the last academic session.
"There is a huge degree of brain drain from Punjab. The students after Class XII do not want to study here because the employment opportunities are not available in this border state where no industry has thrived. In IT also Punjab has lagged behind. So students see no future here," said Rataul
Non-Government Aided Colleges Management Federation Chief Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina who represents 142 colleges in Punjab and Chandigarh said there is a big shortfall in admissions as students are going abroad in large numbers for higher studies. He said the colleges are facing a crisis as seats are vacant and the state government has no clear vision on how to help them.
Chhina said in almost all the 142 colleges the seats are vacant. "On the one hand our best brains are heading abroad and on the other the financial losses (caused by vacant seats and their leaving the shores) are heavy," said Chhina.
In July this year, V Muraleedharan, Union Minister of State for External Affairs, while replying to a query in Lok Sabha stated that around 25 lakh students had moved out of the country for studies in the past five years and out of these 7.5 lakh students went in 2022 -- the maximum in the past five years.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has assured that his government is committed to stop the brain drain by creating new opportunities in the state so that youngsters do not have to go abroad. But he admitted that he needs time.
"While the freedom fighters sacrificed their lives to free the country from foreigners, it was unfortunate that youth, especially from the state, were making all efforts to reach foreign shores due to lack of jobs back home. Give us some time. We will create such conditions that even foreigners come to Punjab to look for jobs," he had said recently.
Paying Rs 40-50 lakh for illegal entry through Donkey routes
To fulfill the 'American or European Dream', desperate youth from Punjab and Haryana choose the donkey routes.
As per a recent study by Pew Research Center, there are over 725,000 Indians living illegally in the US. Many from Punjab adopt risky means when they are left with no choice thus falling into the hands of unscrupulous agents.
A 28-year-old Karan Singh from Siyonti village of Pathankot went missing in the forests of Belarus after he took the 'donkey route'. It was in March this year he spoke to his family and there has been no contact with him since then. He had left for Spain in January in search of a job.
Karan along with others was dropped by the agent in Dubai and from there sent back to Delhi. After this, Karan and his group were sent to Lucknow and from their flown to Russia. They were last traced in the forests of Belarus.
The agent had demanded Rs 14 lakh and assured that Karan will be sent to Spain legally. His family is demanding help from both the union and state government besides action against the agent.
Shamsher Singh Sandhu, managing director of Canadian Migration Lawyers, said that the people from Bhoolath area in Kapurthala district of Punjab and Kurushetra district of Haryana preferred entering USA via donkey routes paying anywhere between Rs 40 to Rs 50 lakh.
The people who illegally go to Europe go via Serbia, Armenia and Bulgaria and the people who prefer going to USA go via Mexico and then Panama. They take about one to two months and some die along the way. Their families have little idea about their whereabouts during this journey. Yet, there are many willing to take the risk.
Sources said that the unauthorized travel agents have set up shop in a big way particularly in rural Punjab. There are also instances of people being sent to war-affected Ukraine and they being taken from there through donkey routes to western Europe and other countries such as Malta, Panama, Mexico, Romania, and Serbia. "These unauthorized travel agents have been flourishing right under the noses of the authorities and there has been nothing done yet," said an agent.
Canada, a second home
For Punjabis looking to go abroad, Canada is the most sought-after destination. This is due to the comparatively easy visa norms and the opportunities the country offers when it comes to settling down permanently. Students go on student visas while others apply for PR (Permanent Resident status).
It was in the early 1990s, during the peak of militancy in Punjab that people, particularly the Sikhs, migrated to Canada. The country is seen by many as a second home for Punjabis.
And the numbers bear this out. As per the 2021 census. the Sikh population in Canada was 7.71 lakh --- 2.1 per cent of the total Canadian population. Of this 2.36 lakh were Canadian citizens who were born there, 4.15 lakh were permanent residents (immigrants) and 1.19 lakh non-permanent residents.
The highest concentration of Punjabis was in British Columbia followed by Manitoba, Alberta, Ontario, Yukon, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. The political influence of the Sikhs in Canada is evident from the fact that as there is 15 Sikh MPs in the Canadian parliament.
But Canada doubling the Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIP) requirement for prospective students to $20,635 from January 1, 2024 is seen as a big blow for wannabe students.
Punjabis make up a considerable portion of annual applicants seeking student visas for Canada and they will now need to arrange for more loans to fund their children if they want to send them to study there.
Rashpal Singh Sosan, an immigration consultant based in Moga, said the cost to send students to Canada will rise by around Rs 6.50 lakh in the immediate aftermath.
As per the immigration agents based in the state it is estimated that approximately 2.26 lakh Indians secured Canadian visas through the International Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), with nearly 1.36 lakh of these being Punjabis.
The rough estimate by the agents is that 3.50 lakh students from the state are enrolled in Canadian education institutions.
Shamsher Singh Sandhu, managing director of Canadian Migration Lawyers, said, "For students who have done their graduation in India and are going for post-graduation in Canada, the chances of earning a permanent residency (PR) are bright. But for students who have cleared their Class XII and then take admissions in diplomas courses in Canada their chances for PR is only one per cent."
"95 per cent of the students who go to Canada from Punjab are Class XII pass-outs. Now with the increase in Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIP), the number of students going to Canada on student visas is expected to come down drastically as parents might not be able to afford the new fee," he adds.
Sandhu goes on. "The other reason is that now students after their studies will only get a one-time work permit. It can be from one to three years and may not to be extended as the number of Indian students in Canada now is very high. Earlier students who are staying in Canada have been getting their work permits extended and thus have been staying is that country on these permits for 8 to 10 years as they are waiting for their PR as they do not get selected due to their low scores in Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)."
Another worry is the escalation in political tensions between India and Canada recently.
Then there is inflation. "The lack of jobs for students at a time when the rents are at an all-time high has made it a complex situation for most of the students who were going to British Columbia and Ontario. The Canadian authorities are also putting up petty objections on applications for permanent residence now. Students, tourists and work permit holders are being questioned at airports by the authorities and airline staff in India and Canada. Refusals have increased in all categories," Sandhu says.
Another immigration consultant said that this decision was anticipated the actual impact of these changes will be felt by September 2024.
"The Canadian government may limit intake of international students in universities situated in Greater Toronto, Vancouver, Surrey, Brampton and Ontario,’’ he said, adding that the government facing backlash from locals due to the housing crisis there could be a reason.
What students and parents are saying
Gurpreet Singh of Ferozepur, who was planning to go to Canada after completing his Class XII next year, has decided to drop the plan.
"Due to the increase in Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIP) it is not possible for my family to fund it. Besides, after doing a diploma there is hardly any chance to get a PR. So, I decided not to go to Canada.’’
Amandeep Singh of Kapurthala, whose daughter aspires to study engineering in Canada, said he will now have to borrow more. "It is definitely an additional burden on the pocket of every parent whose children want to go to Canada for higher studies," he said.
Unauthorised agents mushrooming
The demand to go abroad is however very much alive and unauthorised agents are looking to capitalise.
As per the data with the Punjab government, there are more than 7,200 travel agents across the state. But Kuljit Singh Hayer, president of the Punjab Travel Agents Association, says, "We have only 110 members and all of them are recognized IATA and non-IATA members."
Hayer says he has no idea how many unregistered agents are operation across the state. "The reasons for migration is unemployment. There are job opportunities in the private sector in Punjab but the pay scales are very low. Then there is the agrarian crisis and drug menace. No wonder people prefer going abroad."
"The trend started from Doaba region of the state and then spread to Magha region and has now touched the Malwa region too. In the last few years, there been an around 30 per cent increase in travel agencies due to the rise in demand for student visas and work visas for youth preferring to go to Canada, USA, UK, Australia and others countries. A few years ago, only the children of rich or higher middle-class families from the state migrated abroad. Now, the trend is that children of middle class and even lower middle-class are moving abroad for better living," he added.
IELTS centres all around
There are around 1,000 International English Language Testing System (IELTS) training centers across the state and their total GST contribution is estimated to be around Rs 1,000 crore, said sources.
The state government is now cracking the whip on IELTS centres that have not applied for registration and do not pay GST, even after charging the same from the students and aspirants. Meanwhile, many IELT centers have been sealed by the authorities across the state for not having the mandatory documents to run these institutions.
The Gurudwara Udta Punjabis flock to
The youth from the state who want to move abroad at any cost go to Gurdwara Shaheedan Baba Nihal Singh at Talhan in Jalandhar and pray that their wish to go overseas is granted. Toy aeroplanes bearing the names of international airlines and which cost between Rs 150 and Rs 500 depending on the size are offered by these devotees at this gurdwara.
Earlier, many devotees also used to take their passports along with them before applying for visas but when some of the passports were damaged, this practice was banned.
What drives them
The main motive for the youth to go abroad is to earn big money. They see that the people who have gone abroad many years ago from their villages now own big houses and these houses are popularly known by the name of the countries in which they live 'England wale di kothi' (house of person who lives in England) and 'America wale di kothi' (house of the person who lives in US)
Honeymoon brides
Cases of 'honeymoon brides' have been rising. "Thousands of brides have been deserted by their husbands in Punjab. In many cases, the NRIs who come here to marry are already married. They just come for the dowry so that they can start a business there. In some instances, NRIs have just stayed with their wife for three days and flown back never to return. Some come back after a few months, stay for a few days and go back but never take their wife abroad," said a lady who was duped by her husband few years ago on condition of anonymity.
UK tightens immigration laws too
Recently, the United Kingdom announced that they are cutting down on the number of migrants arriving legally by raising the minimum salary they must earn in a skilled job by a third to tackle record net migration figures.
The British government will raise the minimum salary threshold for foreign skilled workers to 38,700 pounds from its current level of 26,200 pounds, though health and social workers will be exempt.
Australia to tighten visa rules
Australia also announced that it would tighten visa rules for international students and low-skilled workers that could halve its migrant intake over the next two years.
Under the new policy, international students will need to secure higher ratings in English tests and there will be more scrutiny on a student's second visa application if they wish to prolong their stay.