Unemployment hits Nigerian students, others hard in Canada

A severe unemployment crisis affecting at least a million international students in Canada, including Nigerians, has raised concerns about loose immigration policies that have turned Canada into a haven for migrants and insufficient low-income jobs.

According to Voice of America, photos appearing on the Canadian Internet showed crowds waiting in line for a lowly cashier position, while foreign students complained about the unavailability of jobs that would meet their financial needs and responsibilities. to fulfil.

International students are already limited in the Canadian labor market, as they can only work part-time and mainly in low-income jobs. But these jobs have actually become increasingly rare, one student told the outlet.

“The current affordability crisis in Vancouver, along with declining employment, is becoming very stressful,” Dhvani Malik, a 400-level international relations student at the University of British Columbia, told VOA. “International students already pay so much in tuition fees, and rising rent and living costs have only added to the financial pressure.”

According to Statistics Canada, Canada’s unemployment rate for young people in March was a staggering 12.6 percent, a red flag indicating that the North American country may not be able to cope with a rapidly growing population, most of whom were immigrants.

Recognizing the situation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted that the number of temporary immigrants was “something we need to get back under control” during a speech at Dartmouth in Nova Scotia on April 2, according to Global News.

“Whether it’s temporary foreign workers or international students in particular, they have been growing at a pace far beyond what Canada has been able to absorb,” Mr. Trudeau said.

Migrants flocked to Canada after the country opened employment pathways and immigration options for international students after completing their studies.

However, the government seemed unprepared for the rising costs of housing, which were a knock-on effect of its relaxed immigration policy.

Still, reducing the number of international students will not bode well for Canadian institutions that generate part of their revenue from foreigners’ exorbitant tuition fees.

The government may be torn between closing its doors to temporary immigrants or allowing its institutions to continue profiting from international students’ high tuition costs.