Mumbai: Happiness of Indian migrants is on the decline across the US, Canada, the UK and the Arab Gulf region as these countries continue to take a tough line on immigration policies and procedures.
Indian migrants are expected to face huge challenges in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Malaysia and Singapore. These countries will be closing doors to Indian migrants soon, putting an end to the so-called comfortable migration. Time is ripe for Indian migrants to hunt for opportunities elsewhere. Complex immigration policies, and frequent job losses will force thousands of Indians to return home empty-handed this year,” a Houston-based international immigration consultant told The Free Press Journal on Wednesday.
“As far as the renewal and new work permits are concerned, several massive layoffs are underway in the US, Canada, the UK, and the Gulf to employ their citizens.
“The US H-1B visa is expected to undergo further modifications soon, and the criteria for permanent residency applications in Canada have already been tightened, and many Indian students are trapped without valid documents.
“Further, many unscrupulous agents continue to explore new ways to exploit loopholes in the law to smuggle unskilled people from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Africa to western countries. This has resulted in an increase in the number of illegal migrants, and many still think of entering the US, Canada, and the UK illegally due to lack of human trafficking awareness among lawmakers, educators and individuals. Enforcement visits by the US Immigration and Customs and the UK Home Office’s team have been in full swing for the last two weeks. Many employers have been fined and questioned for employing illegal migrants on daily (cash) wages,” he said.
“Today, President Trump’s immigration policies are throwing a wrench in the American dream of thousands of Indian migrants as the new rule denies automatic US citizenship to children born to temporary foreign workers. Removal of birthright citizenship (regardless of parents’ immigration status) is a disaster, and we find it inhumane, and a blow to the so-called mantra of American freedom,” said M Sivanandan, an economic researcher who visits the US frequently.
Professionals, students graduated from universities, and small and medium businesses are the worst hit. Though the US has announced a gold card visa last month (eyeing wealthy migrants), sources say, there are no strong indications of Indians taking the $5 million route. The ‘why Indian’ approach of employers now makes skilled and unskilled Indians eye Japan, Poland, Portugal, and small European countries, including Norway, Malta, and Finland.
“The recent deportation of undocumented Indians from the US had raised many eyebrows. Though the exact number of Indians living illegally in the US is not yet clear, it is estimated that over two lakh must be undocumented. Latest data shows, this year, India received nearly 400 undocumented citizens from the US.
“Changing procedures due to fragmentation, misinformation and disinformation, job losses, geopolitical tensions, frequent changes in visa rules, and lack of clarity in government policies are the main reasons that cause migrants to become illegal. Extreme levels of nationalism across the world is equally threatening the global labour market,” says human rights expert Dr Lawrence W Fernandez.
At present, the number of Indian students doing higher studies in the US is around three lakhs. Indian students contribute nearly $8 billion annually to the US economy, and about 4.4 million Indian Americans reside in the US. Today, persons of Indian origin (3.1 million) constitute the third largest Asian ethnic group in the US, and the Indian diaspora has been a catalyst in cementing closer ties between the two countries,” official sources said.
The Indian workforce in the Gulf has been drastically falling since 2015 except in the UAE and Bahrain. More than 26 lakh Indians live in Saudi Arabia, over five lakh Indians work in Oman, eight lakhs in Qatar, nearly 10 lakhs in Kuwait, 35 lakhs in the UAE and over 3.2 lakhs in Bahrain. Expatriates have been experiencing the challenges of Saudization, Omanisation and Kuwait’s cut in its foreign workforce for more than a decade. Qatari employers are also on a nationalization drive.
“This policy will have repercussions far into the future. Bringing economic benefits to all citizens should be a priority of these countries, but inhuman treatment of migrants is illegal, and we must work together, and worsening an already big crisis is illegal,” Dr N Walton, a migrant rights researcher, told The Free Press Journal.
“We lived in the US for more than 20 years, and now, our children are living there. They dream big about their American dream, and troubles such as job losses and visa issues come unexpectedly. Today, it’s a huge challenge for us to live in India as we have been treated as second-hand citizens in our country,” US returnees Ravilal Kant and Thomas Mathew told The Free Press Journal.
