Tag: Canada

  • What is Canada’s new visa policy for students?

    What is Canada’s new visa policy for students?

    As per official data, last year Canada issued nearly one million study permits, about three times that of a decade ago, and now they are changing their policy.

    In response to a housing shortage aggravated by explosive growth in foreign student numbers, Canada has announced a temporary two-year cap on the intake of international students.

    Last year, the country issued nearly one million study permits, triple the figures from a decade ago, according to government data. The new proposal aims to reduce the intake by almost a third.

    Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, revealed that the Liberal government will implement a two-year cap on student visas, resulting in the issuance of approximately 364,000 visas in 2024.

    The plan also includes limitations on post-graduate work permits for foreign students, potentially encouraging them to return to their home countries.

    Previously viewed as a straightforward path to permanent residency, these permits will now be subject to stricter regulations.

    However, those pursuing master’s or post-doctorate programs will still be eligible for a three-year work permit.

    Additionally, spouses of international students enrolled in undergraduate and college programs will no longer be eligible for permits, Miller stated.

    The acceptance of new study permit applications in 2025 will be reassessed at the end of the current year.

    The government’s decision comes in response to the surge in international students, creating a housing crisis and driving up rents across the country.

    December 2023 saw a 7.7 per cent year-on-year increase in rents nationwide, according to Statscan. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s popularity has been dented mainly due to the affordability crisis, and opposition Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has taken a commanding lead over Trudeau in opinion polls ahead of an election next year.

    Concerns about the quality of education provided by some institutions have also prompted the government to reevaluate its immigration policies.

    The move will not only affect the housing market but will also have economic implications. International students contribute approximately C$22 billion ($16.4 billion) annually to the Canadian economy.

    This decision will likely impact educational institutions that expanded their campuses in anticipation of a continuous influx of students.

    Ontario, the most populous province, has been the primary recipient of international students. Some businesses, including restaurants and the retail sector, have warned of potential labor shortages due to the cap on foreign students.

    Canada’s move will have repercussions for Canadian banks, as international students are required to have Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs) of over C$20,000, covering living expenses.

    Most foreign students, approximately 40%, hail from India, with China coming in second at around 12%, based on official data from 2022.

    In response to these changes, the University of Toronto has expressed its readiness to collaborate with all levels of government to ensure that the allocation of study permits considers institutions like U of T and addresses challenges in the system.

  • Canada to provide remote work visa for freelancers

    Canada to provide remote work visa for freelancers

    The Canadian government intends to give remote work visas for freelancers and digital nomads in 2024, to adapt to the changing nature of the labour market, reports Samaa.

    The program is aimed at drawing international talent by enabling people to live temporarily in the country while working remotely.

    According to the policy, a specific visa will be issued to freelancers, who are working remotely in Canada.

    Digital nomads were previously permitted a maximum of six months of stay on tourist visas in Canada.

    The government is now developing a comprehensive “tech talent strategy” to attract foreign workers in an effort to increase the size of its workforce.
    Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada spokesman Isabelle Dubois emphasized the expected advantages, stating, “We anticipate that some digital nomads will opt to stay in Canada, contributing their skills to employers here.”

    In an attempt to draw in highly qualified IT professionals who thrive in remote work, plans are in motion to establish a framework that would allow entrepreneurs to apply for extended work licenses, which might last up to three years.

    Asserting Canada’s dedication to allowing remote workers, the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Office promised further information in the coming months.

    The number of US citizens who work as digital nomads soared to 17.3 million, moving up by 2 percent in 2023.

    Apply for a Canada visa from Pakistan

    Pakistanis can also apply for a Canada Visit, via a temporary resident visa that allows South Asians to travel for tourism, business meetings, or to visit family members, according to Pakistan Observer.

    For Pakistanis, the Canada Visitor Visa offers multiple entries over 10 years, allowing stays of 180 days per entry. To apply for a visa, applicants must be without criminal or immigration convictions.

    The financial statement should prove the job, own residence, or family, to demonstrate a temporary visit intention. Adequate funds for the stay is also a pre-requisite.

    Required documents include a valid passport, national ID, and possibly additional documents like bank statements. The application process involves the submission of forms, checking the accuracy, and uploading supporting documents, followed by an appointment at the local visa center.

    Visa and biometric fees need to be paid at the center, and tracking information is shared.

  • Canada’s ‘Startup Visa Program’ with no education, experience, job requirement or age limit

    Canada’s ‘Startup Visa Program’ with no education, experience, job requirement or age limit

    Umair Saleemi, journalist for BBC Urdu, shed light on Canada’s ‘Startup Visa Program’ in his latest piece:

    Every year, thousands of people from India and Pakistan migrate to America, Canada and European countries for better opportunities and a brighter future.

    Therefore, any changes in immigration and work visa laws or the introduction of any new programs are closely monitored in these countries.

    As Canada has changed the work permit law this month, Canadian authorities extended work permits for 18 months due to increased demand in the labour market during the Covid era, which is being phased out from January next year.

    Since then, Canada has initiated a startup visa program has been hailed by some experts as a golden opportunity.

    The program is mainly for talented foreigners who want to establish their own small businesses or startups in Canada.

    Certain criteria have been set to assess the quality of a startup, including innovation, creation of new jobs for local people and ability to compete globally.

    Who can apply for a Canadian Startup Visa?

    To apply for a Canadian start-up visa, a candidate must have a valid business. It is important that the candidate owns the shares of the business. One must hold 10 per cent or more of the company’s shares and have voting power (at shareholders’ meetings).

    A maximum of five people can apply in this program. It is important that the startup is supported by a Canadian organisation or ‘designated body’ and a letter of support is issued.

    Your business must operate from Canada, have its main activities from Canada and be established in Canada.

    In addition to mastering the English language, knowledge of French can further help your startup succeed in Canada. Canadian visa rules require the applicants to be fluent in speaking, writing and understanding either English or French.

    The startup visa candidate also has to provide evidence to the Canadian government that they have the resources to support themselves and their dependents. Candidates cannot manage this money by borrowing money.

    Immigration expert Julie Desai told BBC Gujarati that a startup visa is quite different from a normal work permit visa. Its aim is only to attract businessmen and entrepreneurs to Canada.

    The most important requirement is that the candidate’s business must be innovative enough to create new jobs in Canada, Desai explains. This visa is not for general business people — such start-up plans are needed that they can compete in the world.

    Under this program, the financial resources required by a family can be determined by the number of its members. If only one person wants to go to Canada under this program, one will need 13757 Canadian dollars. This amount can increase if other family members also want to go along. It will also be important to see if the Canadian authorities revise this amount every year.

    Meanwhile the candidate needs a ‘Letter of Support’ for start-up from a recognized business group in Canada. For this the candidate approaches these organisations and assures them that their startup idea deserves support.

    Candidate has to contract with these institutions for a letter of support as this letter is proof that a Canadian investor, such as a venture capital fund, angel investor group or business incubator, supports the candidate’s idea.

    In addition, accredited organisations also issue Canadian Government ‘Certificates of Commitment’ to candidates. The government then verifies both the letters for the visa application.

    The Canadian government may ask for more information about your startup to review the information.

    The Canadian government may reject the application if the letter of support or other requirements are not met.

    Immigration lawyer Prashant Ajmera asserts that it is very important that the startup plan has the support of Canadian organisations, that the candidate has a detailed business plan, and to have knowledge of the Canadian market.

  • US-led coalition to patrol Red Sea against Houthi attacks

    US-led coalition to patrol Red Sea against Houthi attacks

    The United States on Monday announced a 10-nation coalition to quell Houthi missile and drone attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea, with Britain, France, Bahrain and Italy among countries joining the “multinational security initiative.”

    “Countries that seek to uphold the foundational principle of freedom of navigation must come together to tackle the challenge posed by this non-state actor,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

    Iran-backed Houthi rebels have escalated attacks on tankers, cargo ships and other vessels in the Red Sea, imperiling a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade.

    The security coalition, Austin said, will operate “with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity.”

    It includes the United States, United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, Austin said.

    Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said earlier they had attacked two “Israeli-linked” vessels in the Red Sea in solidarity with Gaza, as more companies halt transit through the troubled but vital waterway.

    The attacks on the Norwegian-owned Swan Atlantic and another ship identified by the Houthis as the MSC Clara are the latest in a flurry of maritime incidents that are disrupting global trade in an attempt to pressure Israel over its war against Hamas militants.

    In a statement, the Yemeni rebels said they had carried out a “military operation against two ships linked to the Zionist entity” using naval drones.

    They vowed to “continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports… from navigating in the Arab and Red Seas” until more food and medicine is allowed into Gaza.

    But the Swan Atlantic’s owner, Norway’s Inventor Chemical Tankers, said in a statement the ship was carrying biofuel feedstock from France to Reunion Island.

    It said the vessel has “no Israeli link” and was managed by a Singaporean firm, adding that the Indian crew were unharmed and the vessel sustained limited damage.

    British oil giant BP became the latest to suspend transit through the Red Sea on Monday, while Taiwan shipping firm Evergreen said it was suspending its Israeli cargo shipments with immediate effect.

    Frontline, one of the world’s largest tanker companies, also said it was rerouting ships and would “only allow new business” that could be routed via South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.

    That route is far longer and uses more fuel.

    The Red Sea attacks have forced insurance companies to significantly increase premiums on ships, making it uneconomical for some to transit through the Suez Canal.

    Italian-Swiss giant Mediterranean Shipping Company, France’s CMA CGM, Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, Belgium’s Euronav and Denmark’s A.P Moller-Maersk — the latter accounting for 15 percent of global container freight — have all stopped using the Red Sea until further notice.

    The attacks have become “a maritime security crisis” with “commercial and economic implications in the region and beyond,” Torbjorn Soltvedt of analysis firm Verisk Maplecroft told AFP.

    Monday’s attack took place as the Pentagon chief visited Israel after a stop in Bahrain, home base of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

    “In the Red Sea, we’re leading a multinational maritime taskforce to uphold the bedrock principle of freedom of navigation. Iran’s support for Houthi attacks on commercial vessels must stop,” Austin said at a news conference.

    On Saturday, a US destroyer shot down 14 drones in the Red Sea launched from rebel-controlled areas of Yemen, the US military said.
    Britain said one of its destroyers had also brought down a suspected attack drone in the area.

    Rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam said neutral Oman had launched mediation efforts to safeguard shipping using the waterway.

    “Under the sponsorship of our brothers in the Sultanate of Oman, communication and discussion continue with a number of international parties regarding operations in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.

    The Gaza war broke out when its rulers Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, killing around 1,140 people and kidnapping some 250, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

    Gaza’s health ministry says Israel’s military response has killed more than 19,450 people, mostly women and children.

  • Indian man charged in plot to kill Sikh separatist on US soil

    Indian man charged in plot to kill Sikh separatist on US soil

    Washington (AFP) – An Indian national has been charged with plotting to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader on US soil, the Justice Department said on Wednesday, alleging an Indian government official was also involved in the planning.

    The Justice Department unsealed murder-for-hire charges against Nikhil Gupta, 52, “in connection with his participation in a foiled plot to assassinate a US citizen” of Indian origin in New York City, it said in a statement.

    The man allegedly targeted in the killing “is a vocal critic of the Indian government and leads a US-based organization that advocates for the secession of Punjab,” a northern Indian state with a large population of Sikhs.

    An Indian government official, directing the plan from India, worked with Gupta and others based around the world, the US government said.

    Gupta, who lives in India, was arrested by authorities in the Czech Republic under US extradition orders.

    The news comes after the White House said last week it was treating an alleged plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on American soil with “utmost seriousness,” and had raised the issue with the Indian government.

    The Financial Times reported that same day that US authorities had thwarted a conspiracy to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US and Canadian citizen.

    After Wednesday’s news broke, Pannun said in a statement that “the attempt on my life on American soil is the blatant case of India’s transnational terrorism which has become a challenge to America’s sovereignty and threat to freedom of speech and democracy.”

    The Justice Department, which did not identify the target of the alleged assassination attempt on Wednesday, said that Gupta was recruited into the effort in May 2023.

    Canada and India had a major diplomatic row after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September linked New Delhi to the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, also a Sikh separatist, in June.

    New Delhi called the Canadian allegations “absurd.”

    But Trudeau said Wednesday that “the news coming out of the United States further underscores what we’ve been talking about from the very beginning, which is that India needs to take this seriously.”

    “The Indian government needs to work with us to ensure that we’re getting to the bottom of this,” he said.

    Pannun said that “first by assassinating Nijjar in Canada and then attempting to assassinate me on US soil, India under [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi has extended to the foreign soils its policy of violently crushing the Sikhs movement for right to self-determination.”

    The US Justice Department said that after Nijjar’s killing, Gupta told undercover US officials that there was “now no need to wait” on killing the New York City target.

    An Indian government spokesman on Wednesday said that the United States has “shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others.”

    “We had also indicated that India takes such inputs seriously since they impinge on our national security interests,” the statement said, adding that a “high-level Enquiry Committee” was established on November 18 “to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter.”

  • The fallen kings of crypto

    The fallen kings of crypto

    Binance boss Changpeng Zhao has become the most powerful cryptocurrency figure to fall in a two-year period chaotic even by the standards of the notoriously volatile industry. 

    Zhao stepped down as CEO of Binance — the largest crypto exchange in the world — after he and the company pleaded guilty on Tuesday to sweeping US money laundering violations and agreed to fines of more than $4 billion.

    Here are three of the highest-profile crypto executives who have fallen foul of the law since last year:

    Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao

    Born in China in 1977, Zhao moved with his family to Canada in the 1980s and later got a degree in computer science from McGill University, according to his profile in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

    Zhao Changpeng, chief executive officer of Binance, speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange keeps getting bigger. Binance.com is adding “a couple of million” registered users every week, with 240,000 people signing up in just an hour on Wednesday, said Zhao. Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg

    He founded Binance in 2017 in Shanghai, and led the company’s explosive growth into the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange.

    An outspoken celebrity in the crypto world with 8.7 million followers on X, Zhao became the richest known figure in the nascent industry. His net worth peaked at around $65 billion in 2022, according to a Forbes index.

    With the prestige and wealth came increased scrutiny of Binance’s operations, as prominent crypto firms around the world began to buckle under a wave of criminal investigations.

    The United States accused Zhao and Binance of multiple violations, including knowingly allowing transactions to militant groups such as the Islamic State and in barred jurisdictions such as North Korea and Iran.

    On Tuesday, they pleaded guilty. The firm has agreed to total penalties of nearly $4.4 billion, while he will pay $50 million, according to court documents.

    Zhao resigned as CEO of Binance and while he will reportedly retain his shares in the company, he has been banned from any involvement in its business. He is expected to face sentencing later.

    Forbes listed his net worth as $10.2 billion as of Wednesday.

    Sam Bankman-Fried

    If Zhao was the richest and most powerful person in crypto, Sam Bankman-Fried was easily the most famous.

    Born to Stanford University professors, Bankman-Fried graduated from MIT with a degree in physics.

    In 2019, he founded FTX, which skyrocketed to become the world’s second-largest crypto exchange.

    Along the way, Bankman-Fried built up his image as the unofficial ambassador for the cryptocurrency industry, with high-profile appearances in the media and even the US Congress.

    At one point in 2022, he had a net worth of $24 billion, according to Forbes.

    But he had been walking a dangerous path — his team used customers’ money for everything from buying posh real estate to covering risky moves by affiliate Alameda Research.

    It all came crashing down when these moves were revealed in the media in November 2022. Within hours, rival CZ Zhao said Binance would sell all the FTX tokens it held.

    It sparked a stunning collapse of FTX and Bankman-Fried’s empire, his fame turning to notoriety.

    Arrested in the Bahamas in January, he was found guilty this month of what US prosecutors described as “one of the biggest financial frauds in American history”. He faces up to 110 years in prison.

    During his trial, the 31-year-old admitted to making “mistakes” but denied trying to defraud anyone.

    Do Kwon

    South Korean entrepreneur Do Kwon co-founded Terraform Labs in 2018, developing the cryptocurrencies TerraUSD and Luna.

    Do Kwon, co-founder and chief executive officer of Terraform Labs, poses in the company’s office in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Kwon is counting on the oldest cryptocurrency as a backstop for his stablecoin, which some critics liken to a ginormous Ponzi scheme. Photographer: Woohae Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images

    The Stanford grad successfully marketed them as the next big thing in crypto, attracting billions in investments and global hype.

    Media reports in South Korea described him as a “genius”.

    But in May last year, the value of these currencies — marketed as “stablecoins” — plummeted, wiping out around $40 billion in investments and sending a shock wave through the rest of the industry.

    It led to more than $500 billion in further losses on global crypto markets, industry data suggested.

    Experts said Do Kwon — whose full name is Kwon Do-kyung — had marketed a glorified Ponzi scheme.

    Brash and outspoken on social media, Do Kwon left South Korea before the collapse and spent months on the run.

    He was arrested in Montenegro this year after being caught trying to catch a flight using fake Costa Rican travel documents.

    He faces multiple criminal charges in the United States and South Korea.

  • Canada’s Trudeau tells Israel to end ‘killing of women, of children, of babies’

    Canada’s Trudeau tells Israel to end ‘killing of women, of children, of babies’

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called for Israel to “stop killing of women, of children, of babies” in the besieged Gaza Strip. However, he did not mention the word ceasefire.

    Trudeau has received flak for his silence on civilian deaths at the hands of Israeli forces. In a video that emerged from a public meeting at Vancouver, Trudeau can be seen surrounded by protestors chanting, “Ceasefire Now”.

    In other videos, it can be seen that people were calling him out for his lack of conscience as protestors were shouting about him “having blood on his hand”

    In a conference in the western province of British Columbia Prime Minister Trudeau said, “The world is witnessing this killing of women, of children, of babies. This has to stop.” He further made his tone harder and said, “I urge the government of Israel to exercise maximum restraint, The world is watching, on TV, on social media – we’re hearing the testimonies of doctors, family members, survivors, kids who have lost their parents.”

    The statement has gained him the ire of Israel’s Netanyahu who addressed Trudeau in a post on X, “It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust, the forces of civilization must back Israel in defeating Hamas barbarism.”

    While Trudeau has maintained that Israel has the right to defend itself, Trudeau’s statement is seen as a major shift in the country’s stance, even though a complacent one. “The price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians,” Trudeau said on Tuesday. “All wars have rules. All innocent life has equal worth. Israeli and Palestinian.”

    Last week, Trudeau called for a significant humanitarian pause in the conflict to allow for the release of all hostages and the delivery of enough aid to address civilian needs in Gaza.

    After France’s Macron, he has become the second leader from the West to call out Israel as a major shift of stance.

  • Right wing Indian leader says there was love triangle involving Trudeau and Nijjar

    Right wing Indian leader says there was love triangle involving Trudeau and Nijjar

    In a surprising twist amidst the ongoing diplomatic standoff between India and Canada, Tejinder Pall Singh Bagga, the national secretary of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), has made a sensational claim regarding the late Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Bagga asserts that Nijjar was gay and suggests a personal connection between him and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

    The assertion by Bagga comes at a critical juncture in the strained relations between the two nations. The dispute erupted when Trudeau accused the Indian government of being involved in Nijjar’s killing, prompting a swift response from India.

    Meanwhile, the US has urged India to cooperate fully with the Canadian investigations, as was reiterated following the meeting between Minister of External Affairs of India S. Jaishankar and counterpart Antony Blinken.

    Canadian MP from Surrey, Sukhminder aka Sukh Singh Dhaliwal, has meanwhile rubbished allegations of him being close to Pakistani intelligence organisation ISI, saying that as a member of the Parliament, he would not be close to any member of a foreign spy agency.

    Some Indian right wingers have suggested that ISI was behind Nijjar’s killing, but Canada has maintained that the “foreign agent” involved in the killing was from an “Indian agency”.

    Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed outside a Surrey gurudwara on June 18 by unidentified gunmen. India had, in 2020, designated him as a terrorist. Nijjar was involved in networking, financing, and training the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) module, India alleges.

  • Man arrested for growing marijuana at home in DHA

    Man arrested for growing marijuana at home in DHA

    A man has been arrested for growing and selling marijuana at a rented home in Defence Housing Authority, Karachi.

    Express Tribune reported on the snap check case.

    The suspect is a Canadian-Pakistani, identified as Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan. The man had created a controlled environment using air-conditioners to adjust temperature and moisture as required for the growth of the plant. He would then sell it.

    Credits: The Express Tribune
    Credits: The Express Tribune

    According to Excise and Taxation and Narcotics Control Department Secretary Atifur Rehman, the value of the seized cannabis plants is worth about Rs 15 million.

    He said that excise officials caught Sarfaraz during snap checking on Sunday. They recovered liquor and cannabis from his car and detained him for interrogation.

    Credits: The Express Tribune

    E&T team then raided his house where they discovered an indoor nursery of cannabis plants.

    Apart from air-conditioners, oxygen cylinders and concentrators were also used alongside LED lights for light control.

    Seed, fertilisers, and soil had been imported.

    Credits: The Express Tribune

    Excise secretary claims that the chances are that cannabis factories are functioning in other parts of the city as well.

    Sarfaraz has been produced before a magistrate to acquire a seven-day physical remand for interrogation.

  • At least six men involved in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder

    At least six men involved in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder

    Latest CCTV evidence reveals that at least six suspects came to kill Hardeep Singh in two cars.

    The Washington Post has reviewed the video and gathered accounts of witnesses that suggest that it was a “larger and more organized operation than has previously been reported”.

    According to Washington Post, Nijjar’s gray pickup truck was by strewn bullets. While Bhupinderjit Singh, first person to visit the site, described the scene: “It was blood and shattered glass everywhere,”

    The community members state that investigators told them that the assailants fired about 50 bullets out of which 34 hit Nijjar.

    On the other hand, the Sikh community protested outside the Indian High Commission in Canada against the killing of Hardeep Singh, raising slogans against Modi. Canada’s defence minister says there are credible intelligence reports pointing towards Indian interference, and it will not back down.

    Nijjar’s murder

    Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh leader, was shot outside a Sikh temple on 18 June in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. As per the police’ evaluation, it was a “targeted” attack.

    The world reacted after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement citing suspicion towards India in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder case.

    “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,”, said Trudeau.

    On the other hand, in a tit-for-tat move, India ordered a senior Canadian diplomat to leave the country, keeping in view the “growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities”.

    India’s foreign ministry has rejected all allegations, deeming them as “absurd”.