Editorial: Plight of the uninvited

NEW DELHI: The results of a study called International Mobility Trends, conducted by a global consulting firm were recently made public. Per the survey, the number of Indians seeking opportunities abroad declined from 78% in 2020, to 54% in 2023. Despite the desire to work abroad, the survey found 59% of Indian respondents were unwilling to relocate due to a strong emotional attachment to their country, well above the global average of 33%. India’s ranking as a preferred destination has also gone up by 6 points over the last five years. These findings have come at an interesting juncture in the global employment scene.

Every year, 25 lakh Indians migrate overseas, which is the highest annual number of migrants in the world. As expected, India is one of the major contributors to the international workforce, which counts nations like Australia, the US, Canada and the UK among the most desirable to migrate to. The quality of job opportunities is the decisive factor for 65% of migrants. However, this sheen of the West is wearing off on account of the pressure exerted on the economy by the heavy influx of job seekers from developed nations. This week, a report shed light on the pitiable condition of students from India, who landed up in Canada in pursuit of an education and eventual employment.

In March this year, the unemployment rate in Canada breached 6%. While the Canadian Bureau for International Education says there are currently 3 lakh Indian students in the country, several students and new migrants are routinely under-employed i.e. offered work for which they are overqualified - essentially hourly-wage gig employment. As a fallout, scores of students have also turned to drug and alcohol abuse, while battling heightened levels of depression.

Meanwhile, Canada’s temporary policy, which allows international students to work off-campus for more than 20 hours per week while classes were in session, ended in April. On average, over 20,000 international students will lose $5,000 from their pocket annually, which will add to their burden of supporting themselves during education. Across the Atlantic, the scenario echoed in the UK, where the government’s plan to cut legal migration has borne fruit. New figures published by the home office say that the total number of applications for study, health and care, and skilled workers visa which make up the majority of legal migration, fell by a quarter — from 1,84,000 in the first three months of 2023, to 1,39,100 in the same period this year.

The drop is the result of a steep dip in the number of student applications. From the beginning of January, most international students starting courses this year in the UK, were barred from bringing family members to Britain. They have also been restricted from switching to a work visa before the completion of their courses. The UK government has reiterated that it wants to cut net immigration levels, which is currently pegged at 6,72,000 per year. It seems surprising that millions of Indians are still raring to make that overseas leap when developed countries are cooking up newer formulas to keep immigrants out. It’s a damning indictment of the squandered education and employment opportunities that could have been made available to our own citizens, who are compelled to slog it out in a land where they are not even invited.