He Came to Canada to Study. After Protesting, He Was Ordered to Leave

Gurpreet Singh thought he was fighting for the right to remain in Canada and build a life after completing his studies. Instead, the 29-year-old Indian student says his participation in a peaceful protest led immigration authorities to order him out of the country.

Singh was among thousands of people who protested after Canadian immigration canceled the post-graduation work permits they expected to receive. They had enrolled in courses at Portage College believing the programs qualified them for permits after graduation.

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They did it to sabotage our protest.

On Aug. 12, border officials arrived at the protest after Calgary police requested immigration-status checks on four people. Singh was among those investigated. He and nine other students have since received exclusion orders requiring them to leave Canada and barring their return for a specified period.

“They did it to sabotage our protest,” Singh told the Toronto Star. “They are successful in stopping our protest because all the students are afraid now. Nobody is coming out. Everyone is scared CBSA officers would be out there waiting for them.”

Singh came from India in 2023 on a study permit. He had already earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and later completed an administrative professional certificate program in December 2024. He applied for a post-graduation work permit and waited about 18 months while working at a gas station and then a concrete plant under maintained status.

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They are successful in stopping our protest because all the students are afraid now. Nobody is coming out. Everyone is scared CBSA officers would be out there waiting for them.

His application was rejected in early July, shortly after Canada’s Immigration Department updated its website to clarify that graduates of certain non-credit programs did not qualify. Singh said he had enrolled believing he would be eligible and that his parents spent about $36,000 on his education in Canada.

“I completed my study and they only displayed the non-credit criteria on its website months later,” he said. “It’s just not fair.” Singh stopped working on July 9 after losing authorization. He challenged the refusal in Federal Court and considered enrolling in another program to seek a new study permit, but said the action at the protest left him without time to do so.

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I completed my study and they only displayed the non-credit criteria on its website months later. It’s just not fair.