The dark side of immigration, exploitation at work, and feeling alone in their new home. ‘The Canadian Dream’ is an 8-part @OMNIpunjabi series following the real experiences of Indian international students in Canada.
Episode 1: It’s a reality many say they were not prepared for. In this OMNI News special investigation, countless Indian international students share the hurdles they faced when they arrived in Canada – claiming their new reality was nothing close to the dreams they were sold.
“I spent everyday in tears when I came to Canada”
In the first of this 8-part series, @LoveenGill shares the challenges many #Indian international students faced when they first came to Canada.
WATCH: pic.twitter.com/zIsw3zbRJ2
— OMNI Punjabi (@OMNIpunjabi) October 26, 2021
Episode 2: A pair of not-for-profit community groups are raising the alarm bells on the need for urgent support systems for international students in Canada, specifically in Ontario’s Peel Region.
“Invited and forgotten”
A pair of not for profit organizations are raising alarm bells on the need for urgent support systems for international students in Canada. pic.twitter.com/7bOUtrmXHU— OMNI Television (@OMNITelevision) October 26, 2021
Episode 3: Indian international student Prem Mehra didn’t think fraud was something that could happen in a country like Canada. Until he – like many other foreign students – fell victim to it while unintentionally applying for an LMIA(Labour Market Impact Assessment)
How do international students living in Canada constantly fall victim to #LMIA fraud? In the third part of OMNI’s ‘The Canadian Dream’ series, Prem Mehra shares how he says, he was #scammed by an acquaintance. #internationalstudents #LabourMarketImpactAssessment pic.twitter.com/0bvwnt18HX
— OMNI Television (@OMNITelevision) October 27, 2021
Episode 4: Most Indian international students come to Canada with a hope that they’d one day get permanent residency. Nicholas Hune Brown, a journalist, conducted a research that focuses on the ‘phenomenon among international students and educational institutions,’ found that Indian students who come to study in Canada are from middle-class Punjabi families. With parents who end up selling their land just so that their child gets to study in a foreign country.
“Private colleges are just money making machines,” said Baldev Mutta (@baldevmutta) CEO, @PCHS4U pic.twitter.com/e6HoQhnuEr
— OMNI Television (@OMNITelevision) October 28, 2021
Episode 5: According to One Voice Canada, many students work illegally in Canada to be able to support themselves and their families back home. Due to which, they end up becoming victims of labour exploitation. And the plight female students from low income families, is much more concerning, as they get exposed to crimes such as sexual abuse.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVwDeo5rtMN/
Episode 6: Canada’s international student population has tripled in the last decade alone, but with countless suicides and disappearances being reported each year, experts are worried about the emotional stress they face upon their arrival. In the sixth part of the exclusive ‘The Canadian Dream’ series, OMNI News Punjabi covers the fatal stories of four international students and their battles with mental illness after moving to Canada.
International students study thousands of miles away from home, and feelings of isolation can be fatal.
Part 6 of @OMNIpunjabi's Canadian Dream series covers the stories of 4 #Indian international students and their fatal battles with mental illness.https://t.co/4O9110ANwX pic.twitter.com/Tl1OxLMpLc
— OMNI Television (@OMNITelevision) November 4, 2021
Episode 7: Videos such as the this have gone viral many times, showcasing immigrant landlords frustrated with Indian international students as their tenants. On the seventh episode of the Canadian Dream series, @loveen_gill speaks to older immigrants on what’s causing some international students to behave this way.
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Episode 8: On the eighth and final part of our exclusive series The Canadian Dream, we spoke to two Canadians immigrants who came to this country as international students over a decade ago. They share their inspirational and uplifting stories of how they established themselves in Canada.
“It’ll be a challenge, but don’t give up.” In the eighth and final part of our exclusive series, ‘The Canadian Dream, we speak with two #immigrants who came to #Canada nearly a decade ago.
MPP @sandhuamarjot1@LoveenGill @SumeetDhami pic.twitter.com/2BTtqLPDqD— OMNI Television (@OMNITelevision) November 8, 2021