canada valle - Invidious

Recent reports by the Auditor General in Ontario and Statistics Canada exposed what current and former international students like us have been speaking up about for years: high tuition fees and costs are forcing us to work in difficult, dangerous jobs with low pay, while unfair permit and immigration rules put us in conditions of exploitation. We spoke to CBC about this issue here.

Yesterday, PM Trudeau released his mandate letter outlining immigration priorities for the new Immigration Minister, including possible changes to the Express Entry system to allow more people to apply. We must remember that it is only because migrants spoke up that the government recognizes that change is needed. It is only through uniting to be louder and stronger that we will be able to force the government to keep its promises. Click here and send a message to PM Trudeau right now to demand fairness for all of us.

On the weekend of December 4th and 5th, migrants and undocumented people, including migrant student workers like you, organized and joined actions in 12 cities across Canada to deliver a clear message: The Crisis is Now. Our Lives are a Priority. We Deserve Status for All.

Coast to coast, current and former international students are getting loud and refuse to stop!
In Toronto, migrant student workers joined rallies at three MP offices.
In British Columbia and Newfoundland & Labrador, Migrant Students United chapters organized their own actions at the offices of MP Terry Beech and MP Seamus O'Regan.
Watch & share the video of actions across the country on Instagram!
Unite against wage theft!
In Brampton, migrant student workers have been organizing around wage theft by taking action against employers who exploit us. A Toronto Star report found that over 4,800 truck drivers filed complaints to the federal government against their employers for unpaid wages and abuse at work - and yet nothing has been done. That's not fair.

If you or somebody you know was mistreated at work while truck driving, we want to hear from you. We are collecting stories so that we can push the government to improve laws.

Add your story and share widely with your networks!
MigrantWorkersAlliance.org/TruckingSurvey

Satinder Grewal, a member of the Naujawan Support Network (NSN), is bravely raising her voice about the abuse she faced at work as a migrant student worker. Like so many of us, she worked at a restaurant during the pandemic. Her former employer, Chat Hut, only paid her $100 / day for 12 hour shifts and promised to support her PR application. Now, Chat Hut owes her more than $18,000 in unpaid wages and is refusing to pay.

Two weeks ago at a rally organized by NSN, Satinder made it clear: “I’m not giving up on my wages, nobody else should. Tell your friends we need to unite, so that we can fight and show these employers that we’re not alone.” Listen to her powerful speech here.

In an interview with CBC, Satinder said, "I'm standing, not for myself. I'm standing for every international student who comes here facing this problem. We students are together."

She’s right. We are in this struggle together, and we must stand together. Through the crisis, migrants like us remain on the frontlines - in long-term care, delivery and warehouse work, farm work and food processing, cleaning and construction - and continue to be denied equal protections and rights because of our immigration status.