Beware of agents regarding Canada's PR scheme: KBS Sidhu

Former Punjab Special Chief Secretary and Shiromani Punjab Forum Convener KBS Sidhu has cautioned families in Punjab that no new application portal has opened yet following the Canadian government's announcement to regularize two lakh temporary residents. He appealed to people not to give money by trusting the claims of any agents.

Former IAS officer KBS Sidhu stated that Canada's federal budget presented on November 5 proposes granting permanent residency to two lakh temporary residents by the end of 2027, in addition to the annual target of 380,000. Following this announcement, several agents have become active and are making misleading claims in the name of Canadian lawyers.

He clarified that this scheme has been divided into two parts, comprising approximately one lakh seats each. The first part is for workers, which will primarily be dealt with through provincial nominations and applications under existing selective federal programs. The second part is on humanitarian grounds, which includes pending cases from Hong Kong and Ukraine, as well as spouses and children of citizens living in Canada.

According to KBS Sidhu, Canada's immigration department has described this move as a process to clear pending files of the existing system, rather than an open invitation for new applications. No rules regarding the eligibility, language requirements, and list of occupations for this scheme have been issued, and its funding is also set to begin in 2027-28.

He appealed to Punjab's NRI Affairs Department to issue necessary FAQs in English and Punjabi in coordination with the Canadian High Commission to clear people's misconceptions. He said Punjab has already suffered losses due to fake admission letters and now needs to avoid false promises of PR.

Key developments

• Canada budget proposes regularizing two lakh temporary residents
• Former Chief Secretary KBS Sidhu warns against paying agents
• No application portal or form issued yet under the new scheme
• Move described as clearing old pending files rather than new applications