According to a report by City News Toronto, approximately 70,000 foreign students participated in nationwide protests, with demonstrations occurring across provinces including Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia.

In 2021, the work permit for international students under the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) program was abolished, and last year, the federal government also introduced a two-year cap on international student visas.

In 2023, international students accounted for 37 percent of study visa holders in Canada, contributing to existing pressures from the housing crisis, unemployment, and other services. With the cap on student visas, the government expects a 35 percent reduction in the intake of foreign students.

To address this, the Canadian government in June announced that foreign nationals can no longer apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) at the border.

Amid the protests, representatives from the student advocacy group Naujawan Support Network have warned that many graduates could face deportation once their work permits expire at the end of the year.

The situation has worsened with new provincial policies that have introduced a 25% reduction in permanent residency nominations.

“I spent six years taking risks to come to Canada. I studied, worked, paid taxes, and earned enough Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, but the government has taken advantage of us,” Mehakdeep Singh, a former international student facing deportation, told City News Toronto.

Similarly, immigrant workers have staged rallies in recent months throughout Brampton, countering claims that they are to blame for local housing and job crises.

The three countries, in separate travel alerts, cautioned their nationals in Nigeria to avoid getting caught in the confrontation that might occur between the security agencies and protesters, citing past incidences.

The advisories come as apprehensive market leaders in Abuja, Sokoto, Kano, Katsina, Ogun, Osun, Zamfara, Gombe and other parts of the country requested strong security around markets during the rallies.

Also in preparation for the demonstration, the police authorities have recalled all personnel on non-essential duties.

A memo dated July 25, 2024 and signed by CSP Okon Moses directed the withdrawal of riot policemen ahead of the protest.

The message titled, ‘Notification of temporary withdrawal of personnel for national assignment,’ read, ‘’In view of the planned nationwide protest, it becomes imperative to temporarily withdraw some of the personnel attached to you in order to muster sufficient officers to dominate the public space.

“This is part of the proactive necessary measures to enhance the operational capacity/capability of the squadron and your understanding in the above regard is highly solicited.’’

Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, told The PUNCH that the personnel withdrawal was in line with the Inspector-General of Police’s directive.

He added that this was done to bolster the strength of the police, adding that the men would be deployed to fortify banks and other critical national assets.

He said, “The IG ordered the withdrawal of policemen from some beats to augment our strength. Those withdrawn are those on non-essential duties. We’re going to have men to fortify banks and critical assets. That is where we will have our men, we want our men to be back to base.”

The PUNCH reported that the military had cancelled leaves and passes for its personnel.

In the past weeks, the organisers of the protest, under the #EndBadGovernance tag, have intensified the mobilisation of youths and civil society groups to participate in the rallies against the economic hardship in the country and the alleged failure of the Tinubu administration to address the people’s plight.

On assuming office in May 2023, President Bola Tinubu announced an end to fuel subsidy, promising to utilise the savings on infrastructural development, but the policy, compounded by insecurity in farming communities, sparked high transport costs leading to food inflation.

Tinubu also unified the foreign exchange rates to curb currency arbitrage and floated the naira resulting in a slump in the value of the national currency.

However, in the security advisory published on its website on Friday, the US Mission in Abuja advised Americans to avoid getting caught in the rallies.

The advisory counselled them to avoid crowds and demonstrations and monitor local media for updates.

The alert read, “According to media reports, nationwide protests may occur in Nigeria between July 29th and August 5th, 2024. Based on past occurrences, protests may involve roadblocks, checkpoints, traffic congestion and physical confrontations.  No specific times or locations have been identified for potential protests at this time.

“Actions to take: Monitor local media for updates; avoid crowds, avoid demonstrations, be aware of your surroundings, review your personal security plans and keep your cell phone charged in case of emergency; carry proper identification.

“The consular sections of Embassy Abuja and Consulate General Lagos will remain open during regular business hours and consular services will be provided as scheduled.”

Similarly, the UK High Commission said the protests could occur between July 29 and August 10 in Abuja, Lagos and other large cities.

It warned of the likelihood of violence during the rallies, noting that past protests turned violent with little warning

Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan, tasked with addressing ingrained sexism and misconduct in the armed forces, will assume the role of Chief of the Defense Staff on July 18. Carignan, originally a military engineer, has commanded troops in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq, and Syria during her 35-year military career.

“Over the course of her career, her exceptional leadership qualities, commitment to excellence, and dedication to service have been a tremendous asset to our Armed Forces,” Trudeau said in a statement.

Carignan’s appointment comes at a critical time when Canada faces pressure from allies to increase its defence spending. The armed forces are currently struggling to meet recruitment goals and have been slow to replace outdated equipment. Last November, the head of the navy warned that the service was in “a critical state” and might not be able to carry out its basic duties in 2024.

Trudeau, who has championed gender equality since taking office in late 2015, previously appointed Brenda Lucki as the first female head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 2018. Additionally, the last two governors-general, the official representatives of the British monarchy, have been women appointed by Trudeau.

Women currently make up 16 percent of the Canadian military, according to government data.

Carignan grew up in the mining town of Asbestos, Quebec, as the daughter of a policeman and a teacher. She joined the military in 1986, three years before Canada allowed women in combat roles. Training as a combat engineer—a role that involves clearing bombs and erecting and destroying battlefield structures—she quickly rose through the ranks, challenging preconceptions about women in combat.

Carignan became the first woman to lead a Canadian combat unit, deploying to Afghanistan where she narrowly avoided a suicide bomber and an improvised explosive device that damaged a vehicle in her convoy. She has also served in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Syria, led NATO’s training mission in Iraq from 2019 to 2020, and commanded the 2nd Canadian Division, the military’s largest regiment with more than 10,000 troops.

The minister stated this in an interview on CTV’s Question Period.

Miller emphasized the need for discussions with provincial governments to address the “disconcerting” volume of international students, stating that the system had become “out of control.”

The move comes after Canada raised the “cost-of-living financial requirement for study permit applicants,” impacting international students, from $10,000 to $20,000 starting January 1, 2024.

Miller acknowledged the criticism faced by the Canadian government for the surge in both permanent and temporary residents amid a housing shortage.

Internal documents obtained by The Canadian Press revealed warnings from public servants two years ago that ambitious immigration targets could jeopardize housing affordability.

The government aims to bring in 485,000 immigrants in 2024, with targets of 500,000 in 2025 and 2026.

Miller indicated that a potential cap on international students would be explored in the first and second quarters of the year to address housing demand.

He emphasized the need for federal-level discussions before delving into specifics at the provincial level and considering the impact on academic institutions profiting from increased international student enrollments.

While housing is a concern, Miller highlighted that a cap on international students wouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all solution and that workforce demographics, particularly reducing the average age, must also be considered.

The federal government is actively considering a cap on international students, with discussions ongoing around negotiating tables with provincial counterparts and taking into account the financial needs of academic institutions.

The law passed by the parliament on Friday provides a new toughening immigration policy that makes it more difficult for migrants to bring family members to France and delays their access to welfare benefits.

It also banned detaining minors in detention centres while leaders of a third of French regions said they would not comply with certain measures in the law.

A controversial provision discriminates between citizens and migrants, even those living in the country legally, in determining eligibility for benefits.

This new immigration policy means that just like the United Kingdom which imposed a no-dependant restriction on international students in May, Nigerian students are expected to look elsewhere for their Japa plans.

The UK government’s decision came in response to the alarming surge in net migration, which has reached a staggering one million individuals.  A situation that meant Conservative MPs had to call on the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, to address urgently and regain control over immigration figures.

Already, Nigerian students, who have been among the largest contributors to the UK’s international student community, have started to look at other alternatives in the Europe zone with France considered. But with this new development, their options are shrinking.

The other route – skilled worker visa,  seen as a better option to the UK, has experienced some reshuffling as well.

Earlier in December, new Home Secretary, James Cleverly, unveiled a set of new rules that raised the minimum salary requirement for obtaining a skilled worker visa from £26,000 to £38,700.

The figure itself is more than the existing median average salary of a full-time worker in Britain.

He exempted health and social care workers but said they would be prevented from bringing family dependents.

Also, overseas care workers will no longer be allowed to bring dependents (partners and children), while migrants have to pay a 66 percent NHS surcharge increase.

According to Cleverly, all of these were done to ensure immigrants “bring dependents whom they can support financially”

Apart from France and the UK, the government of Canada in December announced that starting from January 2024, international students must show a new proof of funds,  ₦16,050,000.0000 ($20,000).

The new cost is more than double the current requirement of $10,000, an amount brought in during the early 2000s that has not been adjusted since.

For 2024, a single applicant will need to show they have $20,635, representing 75% of LICO, in addition to their first year of tuition and travel costs.

The government however announced the extension of the waiver on the 20-hour per week work cap for international students until April 30, 2024.

This extension applies only to students already present in Canada and those who submitted a study permit application as of December 7th, 2023.

The measure was first introduced on November 15, 2022, and was set to last until December 31, 2023. It allows students to work more than the usual 20 hours per week while class is in session.

Dangiwa shared this information during a meeting with the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and some Management Staff in Abuja.

In a statement from the Protocol Unit of NiDCOM on Wednesday, the Minister stated, “The overall goal is to ensure that as our brothers and sisters sojourn abroad, they also have a decent shelter over here in Nigeria to call their home”.

Arch. Dangiwa also affirmed the commitment of the Federal Housing Authority to the tripartite mandate of the Diaspora City Project in collaboration with NIDCOM, FHA, and FCT, situated at Maitama 2 on over 675 hectares of land.

Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa commended the Minister for his dedication and participation, particularly in the launch of the Diaspora Mortgage Scheme during the Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit.

She expressed the enthusiasm of Nigerians in the Diaspora for both the Diaspora mortgage scheme and the upcoming Diaspora smart city in Kabusa, Maitama, FCT.

With approximately 20 million Nigerians in the Diaspora remitting an average of over $24 billion annually, the initiative aims to provide a tangible avenue for them to invest in housing back home while contributing to the Nigerian economy.

The statement, released on Thursday, specified that the new financial requirement will be implemented starting January 1, 2024.

“Starting January 1, 2024, the cost-of-living financial requirement for study permit applicants will be raised so that international students are financially prepared for life in Canada.

For 2024, a single applicant will need to show they have $20,635, representing 75% of LICO, in addition to their first year of tuition and travel costs.

“This change will apply to new study permit applications received on or after January 1, 2024,” the statement reads in part.

For close to two decades, study permit applicants for international students have remained at $10,000.

This review, which takes effect from January 1, “will help prevent student vulnerability and exploitation,” the statement added.

Researchers warn government data is vastly underestimating the number of homeless across the country, as the social ill spreads from major cities to small towns.

In Quebec, one in two homeless people can be found in rural parts of the eastern province, instead of mainly in Montreal as had been the case in the past, according to a new report published in September.

Danny Brodeur-Cote has lived for months in a makeshift camp in woodlands near a cemetery in Granby, a town of 70,000 inhabitants 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of Montreal, after being evicted in June from an apartment he rented with his girlfriend.

I work five days a week,” the janitor with dishevelled brown hair told AFP, pushing a shopping cart to the campsite.

At age 39, this is the first time in his life that he has found himself living on the streets. “What little housing there is is much too expensive,” he said.

A few blocks away, a park has been transformed into a makeshift encampment for men and women of all ages, some of them employed like Brodeur-Cote.

Nearly one in four homeless people found themselves on the street after being evicted from housing, according to the Quebec government report.

“In Granby alone, we need at least 1,000 affordable housing units,” says Karine Lussier, director of a local anti-poverty organization.

Between 2018 and 2022, the number of homeless people in Quebec increased by 44 per cent, their numbers swelling to 10,000 last year. Indigenous people, who represent five per cent of the Canadian population, are particularly over-represented in the streets, especially the Inuit, said Lussier.

“Visible homelessness did not exist three years ago in Granby,” mayor Julie Bourdon told AFP, admitting that “rents are very high now compared to two years ago.”

The city, rather than dismantling the camps and relocating the occupants, decided to opt for maintaining what it calls “places of tolerance.”

The situation, says France Belisle, mayor of Gatineau — a city of nearly 300,000 inhabitants across a river from the capital Ottawa — could only be the tip of the iceberg because these are “the figures compiled a year ago.”

With the rising cost of living and galloping inflation this year, she fears that the picture is much worse than recent statistics reveal.

People “are no longer able to make ends meet,” she says.

These government employees, who work at more than 20 departments including the Canada Revenue Agency, have been without a contract since 2021. They voted overwhelmingly last week to strike.

Union officials say the two sides are far apart on wages, job security and remote work.

“These workers -– like all workers –- deserve fair wages and decent working conditions. Despite some progress at the bargaining table, our members are frustrated that while negotiations drag on, they continue to fall behind,” Chris Aylward, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), told a news conference.

“We’ve already been at the table for nearly two years, and these workers can’t wait any longer. That’s why we’re setting a clock on this round of bargaining,” he said.

If PSAC workers strike, Canadians have been told to expect delays in the processing of income tax returns, immigration and asylum requests, passport applications and foreign worker permits.

Consular services and new requests for veterans benefits would also be affected.

Holders and four-time champions the United States will face the Netherlands while Megan Rapinoe’s United States will also meet debutants Vietnam and a play-off winner at the finals in Australia and New Zealand.