Canada is the latest Mecca of aspiring immigrants in search of loopholes in tightening immigration laws which are keeping them out of more and more western countries. Droves of Sikhs have been arriving in Canada in recent months claiming to be victims of racial, religious and political vendetta in India. Their objective: refugee status, which entitles them to special permits under Canada's libertarian laws.Not only have they become a "pain in the neck" say immigration officials, but they arrive fully briefed about how to go about the task of seeking a refugee status, and ask for asylum as soon as they land. The department has been plagued with more than 1,200 such requests in Vancouver and half this number in Toronto - the two cities which are attracting the maximum number of these people. The average number of those arriving vary between 25 and 30 each day.Under the Canadian law those who come to this country and claim a refugee status, are admitted provisionally, pending the review of their cases by a board in Ottawa. All they have to do is to make a sworn statement before an immigration official. They are also granted work permits while their cases are being probed.The sudden influx of so-called refugee status applicants has created a serious problem for the Canadian Government. In order to deal with such cases expeditiously, four new committees have been set up. But, despite all the fresh efforts, the officials say that it would be several months before they can clear the backlog.: For many of these Indians who succeed in getting the work permits, financially, the entire deal may not after all work out to be so bad. Investigations reveal that many of them have come purposely, knowing that in the end they will have to go back and would not be granted immigration no matter what assertions they make. It has been a clever ploy to work here for as many months as possible and save a sum that they could never have saved in India.Many of these people are skilled workers - carpenters, machinists, masons and electricians. If their friends or relatives were to engage the services of unionized workers, they would have to pay anything between $18 (Rs 135) and $23 (Rs 173) an hour for an eight-hour shift. In the case of these refugee status applicants, the individuals work from 14 to 18 hours daily and receive less than half the amount.The employer therefore saves more than 50 per cent on the hourly wage and the money that he pays goes to none other than his friend or relative.

Satisfied: A few of the people interviewed appear to be quite happy in their newly found jobs. "By the time my case is decided, I would have made something like $8,000 (Rs 60,000) to $10,000 (Rs 75,000).

After paying all my expenses on travel, lawyers and the rest. I would have saved at least half the amount," says one of them. "How could I ever save so much money in India in less than a year?"



In Addition to the stream of people who seek refugee status immediately on arrival, there have been cases of individuals who do so before the expiry of their three-month visa. The Canadian immigration officials also confirm that even if a person is facing an inquiry for being in the country illegally, he or she can apply for a refugee status. While the case is being decided by the review board the inquiry is dropped.



Asked, as to why the refugee status applicants are granted work permits, an immigration official said: "While their cases are being looked into they have to live and eat. In the absence of any social or medical services available to them here, they have to carry on."



For those who are not skilled workers it is easy to take up jobs on the farms. Since a lot of Sikh families in parts of British Columbia own their farms and processing plants, the jobs have been waiting for these individuals.



Illegal Methods: From the Indian point of view the most disturbing feature of this en masse arrival of individuals is that many of them have claimed refugee status on the basis that they are members of the separatist Khalistan movement. These individuals seem to have told the Canadian authorities that they would have to face dire political consequences at the hands of the Indian Government.



In support of their claim that they are part of the Khalistan movement some of them have even produced illegally obtained passports issued by the non-existant Khalistan Government. Says one holder of such a document: "Before I left India I got a Khalistan passport and another one from the Indian Government. I was told that the Indian one was for getting out of the country and the other one would come in handy for securing immigration to Canada. The authorities here, have refused to recognise it." The Khalistan passports have allegedly been printed in the US and smuggled into India.



The Canadian officials say that the applicants are deliberately misusing a process intended solely to assist genuine refugees. According to the chairman of the committee that examines all refugees status requests, the stories told by these people have not qualified anyone for this status and all claims have been rejected.



The Canadian Minister for Immigration, Llyod Axworthy who has been concerned with all that has been going on for the past few months intends to take steps to put a stop to it according to one of his aides. An immigration study, making a general review of regulations, is also examining the Sikh issue.



Disgrace: "It would be much better if the Indian Government takes some action to stop this illegal inflow." says a senior immigration official. Last month, the Indian Government informed the Canadian authorities that the allegation of government persecution made by the Sikhs is untrue - merely a ploy used to facilitate their immigration.



The tragedy of the whole situation is that even some of the legitimate visitors from India, who come to Canada to visit friends or relatives, are currently being viewed very suspiciously by the immigration authorities. They are being subjected to excessive checks and questioning to ascertain their exact motive for coming here involving inordinate delays and unpleasantness.



Unless the Indian Government moves in promptly to put an end to the outflow of these people who are maligning the country abroad the whole episode will continue to be nothing short of a national disgrace.

