The Indian Panorama

Tag: Immigrants

  • Immigrants help Canada attain a milestone as its population touches 40 million

    Immigrants help Canada attain a milestone as its population touches 40 million

    By Prabhjot Singh

    New immigrants have contributed in a big way to help Canada achieve yet another milestone as its population touched the 40 million mark on Thursday, June 15. According to data released by  Statistics Canada, the country’s population is currently growing at a record-setting pace. In 2022, the number of Canadians rose by 1,050,110. This marks the first time in Canadian history that its population grew by over 1 million people in a single year, and the highest annual population growth rate (+2.7%) on record since 1957 (+3.3%).

    While that previous record is mostly attributed to the high number of births during the post-war baby boom, international migration accounted for nearly all growth recorded in 2022 (96%).

    If this rate of population growth was to stay constant in the years to come, the Canadian population could double in about 26 years, Statistics Canada said. In 2021, more than 8.3 million people, or almost one quarter (23%) of the population, were or had ever been, landed immigrants or permanent residents in Canada. This was the largest proportion since Confederation, topping the previous 1921 record of 22.3%, and the highest among the G7. This growth is reflected across Canada. In 2022, every single province and territory recorded a growing population, except for the Northwest Territories. Canada’s population clock uses a real-time model based on Statistics Canada’s quarterly demographic estimates. The numbers for Canada and for each province and territory are updated in real-time based on the most recent birth, death and migration data.

    The clock also shows the time it takes for a demographic event (birth, death or migration component) to occur in Canada. However, the clock does not reflect when the events themselves actually occur. Rather, it shows the average pace of Canada’s population renewal in real-time.

    The census of population is conducted every five years. It provides a snapshot of Canada at a specific point in time and also provides counts for small regions and characteristics of the population according to various variables. Statistics Canada complements this data with ongoing population estimates that track demographic shifts between censuses.

    Canada is by far leading the G7 countries for population growth. This was certainly true in 2022 and has been the case for the last two decades. In 2021, more than 8.3 million people, or almost one quarter (23%) of the population, were, or had ever been, a landed immigrant or permanent resident in Canada. This was the largest proportion since Confederation, topping the previous 1921 record of 22.3%, and the highest among the G7.

    Canada’s Indigenous population continues to grow much faster than the national average. It increased by 9.4% from 2016 to 2021, surpassing the growth of the non-Indigenous population over the same period (+5.3%).

    The 2021 Census counted 1.8 million Indigenous people, accounting for 5% of Canada’s total population, up from 4.9% in 2016.

    Statistics Canada has been tracking the growth of Canada’s population since the very first national census, conducted in 1871.

    Canada has known several important waves of immigration. One of the biggest was at the very beginning of the 20th century, which saw many immigrants settling the Prairies. In 1913, Canada welcomed over 400 000 immigrants. A record that was only surpassed in 2021 (and again in 2022).

    The period after the Second World War (1946-1965) also saw very high rates of population growth, mostly because of the baby boom. The average number of children per woman at that time peaked at 3.94 in 1959, compared to 1.4 in 2020.

    The fertility rate started declining after the 1960s. By 1995, immigration overtook natural increase (births minus deaths) as the main source of population growth.

    In 2015, there were more Canadians aged 65 and older than between 0 and 14 for the first time in Canada’s history.

    Canada’s immigration targets have been increasing since 2016, in an effort to address labor shortages and an aging population. In 2020-2021 population growth slowed due to border restrictions put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19. But as recent numbers show, it quickly bounced back.

    (Prabhjot Singh is a senior journalist)

  • Two Indian- Origin agricultural experts named by UN chief to scientific group for 2021 food summit

    Two Indian- Origin agricultural experts named by UN chief to scientific group for 2021 food summit

    UNITED NATIONS  (TIP): Two eminent Indian – origin agricultural experts have been named members of an international scientific group, aimed to offer foremost scientific evidence for sustainable food systems, established by UN chief Antonio Guterres ahead of a global food summit next year.

    Prof. Rattan Lal of Ohio State University and Dr. Uma Lele of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) are among the Scientific Group Members named by Guterres, a statement issued by the UN spokesperson said.

    Lal, a preeminent Indian-American soil scientist, was named last month as the 2020 World Food Prize Laureate for developing and mainstreaming a soil-centric approach to increasing food production that conserves natural resources and mitigates climate change.

    Lal serves as distinguished university professor of Soil Science and founding Director of the Carbon Management & Sequestration Center at The Ohio State University.

    A native of India and citizen of the United States, Lal has in his career of over 50 years and across four continents promoted innovative soil-saving techniques that benefited the livelihoods of more than 500 million smallholder farmers, improved the food and nutritional security of more than two billion people and saved hundreds of millions of hectares of natural tropical ecosystems.

    Lele, the first woman to be awarded a Ph. D. in agricultural economics by Cornell University, was elected President Elect of the International Association of Agricultural Economists in July 2018.

    According to Lele’s profile on her website, she has five decades of experience in research, operations, policy analysis, and evaluation in the World Bank, universities and international organizations.

    Guterres, in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Rome-based Agencies, will convene the Food Systems Summit in 2021, as a critical contribution to the Decade of Action to deliver the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    The summit aims to raise global awareness to understand the food systems challenges that nations must solve, build a global conversation on the way in which nations produce, process, and consume food, and galvanize global actions and commitments to change food systems to provide safe, nutritious food for all within the planetary boundaries.

    As noted by the Secretary-General in the recent policy brief on the Impact of COVID-19 on food security and nutrition, investment both during and after the coronavirus crisis can accelerate movement toward food systems that are more inclusive and resilient to future pandemics and that offer better protections for all, the UN statement said.

    With a view to facilitate this process and its success, Guterres formed a number of support structures. A multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee will provide strategic guidance and feedback on the Summit’s overall development and implementation.

    An independent Scientific Group will bring to bear the foremost scientific evidence, and help expand the base of shared knowledge about experiences, approaches, and tools for driving sustainable food systems.

    UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed will Chair the Advisory Committee, which will comprise Member State representatives as well as senior officials of relevant UN agencies, other international organizations, and individual experts across different sectors, including farmers, indigenous peoples, civil society, researchers, academics, young people, and business leaders.

    The Scientific Group will be Chaired by Dr. Joachim von Braun of Bonn University Germany.

     

  • Visa, OCI card suspension prevents several Indians in US from flying back home

    Visa, OCI card suspension prevents several Indians in US from flying back home

    NEW YORK (TIP): Several Indians in the US, either on the H-1B work visa or Green Card having children who are American citizens by birth, are being prevented from travelling to India aboard the special repatriation flights being run by Air India amidst the coronavirus-linked global travel restrictions.

    According to the regulations issued by the Indian government last month and updated last week, visas of foreign nationals and OCI cards, that provide visa-free travel privileges to the people of Indian-origin, have been suspended as part of the new international travel restrictions.

    For some of the Indian citizens like the Pandey couple in New Jersey (name and place changed at request), it’s a double whammy. Having lost their H-1B job, they have to go back to India within the stipulated 60 days as required by law. The couple has two kids aged one and six, who are American citizens.

    In the wee hours of Monday, they had to return from Newark airport as Air India refused to give their kids a ticket to fly to India along with them, despite them having a valid Indian visa. The young mother and father are Indian citizens.

    They said that the officials from Air India and (Indian) Consulate (in New York) were very cooperative.

    But they could not do anything as their hands were tied by the latest regulation issued by the Indian government, a shocked Ratna Pandey told PTI.

    “I would like to urge the Indian government to reconsider their decision on humanitarian basis,” said the Indian national who has lost her job but could not leave the US within the stipulated 60 days to avoid any future visa complications.

    She now plans to make an appeal to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to extend their stay.

    Last month, H-1B visa holders, mostly Indians, launched a White House petition urging US President Donald Trump to extend their permissible stay from 60 to 180 days after job loss. However, there has been no decision from the White House so far.

    While there is no official statistics of how many Indian H-1B visa holders have lost their jobs, it is believed to be substantial.

    The US, due to the coronavirus pandemic, is experiencing an unprecedented unemployment rate and more than 33 million Americans have lost their jobs in the last two months. Given this massive job loss, Indians, who have lost their jobs, are unlikely to get one and thus many would have no other option but to travel back home.

    In the case of single mother Mamta (name changed), the situation is graver as her son is just three-month old. Only she was given the ticket and the infant was not allowed to fly along with her because he carried an American passport.

    “I would like to request the Indian government to let us fly back home. I don’t want to stay in the US any longer,” she told PTI hours after being prevented from boarding her hometown Ahmedabad-bound flight from Newark on Sunday.

    “I am alone here. I don’t have a relative here. It’s a difficult situation,” she said.

    “Vande Bharat Mission is a humanitarian mission. But this is certainly inhuman,” said Rakesh Gupta (name changed) from Washington DC.

    An H-1B professional, Gupta has lost his job and needs to return to India within the stipulated 60 days. He and his wife, Geeta (name changed) being Indian citizens, received the confirmation of their seats in the flight but have been told that their two-year-old daughter cannot travel with them as she carried an OCI card.

    “I don’t believe this,” he said.

    Unlike the Pandey couple and Mamta, who had made the payment of USD 1,361 per ticket for their flight back home, Rakesh has not made the payment. Air India has said that the money would be refunded.

    All three Indian citizens requested the Indian government to help them travel back home by making necessary changes in the current regulations.

    As per a recent government notification, all existing Indian visa holders, and visa-free travel facility, granted to OCI card holders who are not in India, have been suspended till restrictions on international air travel remains.

    New York-based community leader Prem Bhandari said the May 5 travel advisory had created multiple painful issues for the OCI card holders in the US and also to Indian citizens who are either on Green Card or H-1B visas and want to travel back home, but cannot leave their kids who are Americans by birth.

    “We would like to express our disappointment with the discrimination between OCIs and citizens in respect of entering India at this critical stage when many OCIs have lawfully built their homes, families and businesses in India,” Bhandari said in a letter to Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Monday.

    (Source: PTI)