When Sahil Gagvani came to Canada in 2022 for his second year at Carleton University, he was excited to start a new journey in a country with a strong global reputation.
But the racism and hostility he soon faced because of his ethnicity made him quickly realize being an Indian international student is tougher than he anticipated.
“The first time someone told me to go back to my country before giving me a chance to show them who I am opened my eyes to the reality that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows,” Gagvani said.
Gagvani is one of thousands of international students from India who have seen the hate directed at them increase sharply in the last decade. In a 2024 Race Relations in Canada Survey by the Environics Institute, four in 10 South Asian Canadians reported discrimination “regularly or from time to time due to their ethnicity or race”.
More Canadians now believe the country accepts too many immigrants, another 2024 Environics Institute survey found, despite the fact almost 70 per cent of surveyed Canadians said immigrants have a positive impact on the economy. International students, in particular, supported more than 350,000 jobs by contributing around $37 billion to Canada’s economy, around 1.2 per cent of that year’s GDP, according to Statistics Canada.
As Canada gives out fewer student visas, universities and colleges experience deep deficits because international students often pay three to four times a Canadian’s tuition.
Gagvani says the government is hurting the very people who keep the schools and the services they provide up and running.
“We work hard, we attend accredited institutions, and yet we are still being treated like we are purposely trying to bring this country down,” Gagvani said.
Other Indian immigrants in Ottawa who have experienced similar discrimination to Gagvani are reconsidering their stay completely.
Our people have been here for a long time, going all the way back to the early 19th century and we’ve always faced such bigotry. That has never stopped us before.
Bala Brahmanandam Madaparthi, founder of The Great India Festival
Akash Datchina said he immigrated to Canada in search of better opportunities. Recent conversations with people close to him have him wondering if he made the right decision.
“I love Canada, I really do, and the things I’ve been able to do so far were only possible because of the great resources of this country,” Datchina said. “However, facing racism as consistently as I do is extremely disheartening. I’ve been told I’m a waste of space, I shouldn’t be here, amongst other things that were just horrible.”
Much like Gagvani, Datchina said Canadians haven’t given him a fair shot despite the fact he has the credentials to compete.
“I worked for multiple years in India’s tech sector as well completing a bachelor’s degree, yet some people think I’m here for government hand outs and free services which isn’t true. Every time I have a confrontation with someone like this, I’m always afraid it’ll escalate physically and I will be hurt.”
These concerns come against the backdrop of rising violent and hate-related crimes against South Asians more generally. Hate crimes against South Asians rose 35 per cent between 2022 and 2023, the “third sharp increase in four years, “according to Statistics Canada.
This discrimination is being fuelled by racist rhetoric in Canada’s politics, said Queen’s University associate professor Reena Kukreja in a Conversation article. She wrote that politicians have been “scapegoating migrants for societal crises” including the country’s unemployment and housing issues, and using unfounded white supremacist talking points such as “the Great Replacement Theory to stir up racial hate against migrants.”
Despite it all, some Indian Canadians remain optimistic. Bala Brahmanandam Madaparthi, executive director and founder of The Great India Festival in Ottawa. He calls the event the largest Indian festival in Canada and believes the negativity is just a phase.
“Our people have been here for a long time going all the way back to the early 19th century and we’ve always faced such bigotry,” Madaparthi said. “That has never stopped us before.”
Madaparthi is an elder in Ottawa’s Indian community. Over the past 35 years, he has seen ups and downs for all communities. He believes today’s anti-immigrant sentiment is no different.
“Depending on what’s happening in the world, a certain group of people become the scapegoat and what’s happening right now towards Indians is no different. We are hardworking so we won’t let this stop us from achieving our goals.”
While some have made the decision to go home, others such as Gagvani believe in the same values as Madaparthi. Gagvani said he isn’t letting the negativity truly get to him.
“I was able to complete my bachelor’s in computer science and now am working full-time in Ottawa,” Gagvani said. “Looking back at it, the ups as well as the downs made me grow and prepared me for navigating life in this country post-graduation.”
