Canada Border Services Agency Raids Calgary Protest Over Post-Graduation Work Permit and Pre-Removal Risk

Canada Border Services Agency officers moved into a Calgary protest site on Wednesday and checked the immigration status of some participants at an ongoing demonstration near Saddletowne. The visit landed in the middle of a student camp already under strain.

The protest has drawn more than 1,000 international graduates, many from Punjab, after students said their post-graduation work permit applications were rejected once they finished non-credit programs they believed would qualify them. Their complaint is narrow, but it has spread far.

Students at the site said 10 to 12 people were taken for a pre-removal risk assessment, while others had their immigration documents checked. The protest had been going for nearly 10 days by Wednesday, and it included a chain hunger strike. Five to six students were taking turns around the clock. The camp stayed busy.

Luke Reimer, a spokesperson for the agency, said it has an obligation to remove people under "enforceable removal orders" for the "protection and safety of Canada and the Canadian public." He also said, "Study permit holders need to meet a number of conditions. if they cannot provide evidence of compliance. they could be reported as inadmissible."

Karine Martel, another agency spokesperson, said the agency is "prepared to adapt to any events or activities that might impact its operations" and that officers have limited discretion to delay removal only in "exceptional cases" involving credible risk. The posture was firm.

Students say the permits vanished after enrollment

The dispute centers on programs offered by Portage College in partnership with private institutions such as the Canadian Institute of Osteopathic Therapy in Calgary and Campbell College in Edmonton. About 480 people are tied to those disputed programs. Many enrolled in 2023 and 2024.

Students say they paid roughly C$32,000, or about ₹20 lakh, for two-year courses they thought would lead to work eligibility. Jaime Davies said, "Portage College has no involvement in the review, assessment, or determination of individual immigration applications." The numbers were painful.

Jaskirat Kaur kept the protest’s demand tight. "Nobody is asking for permanent residency. We're asking for the opportunity to get Canadian experience through the work permit," she said. Protesters, backed by Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant Dimple Verma, say a June 24, 2026, IRCC update clarified that non-credit programs do not qualify and that the rule appeared without proper notice or a grandfathering clause.

Ottawa said the rule had already been there

Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said on July 28, 2026, "It has always been the case that non-credit are not entitled to these PGWP, so we've not changed any eligibility for that." Alberta Premier Danielle Smith followed on July 29, 2026, saying, "A student visa is a temporary document to study in Canada. That was always understood. if you come here as an international student and your visa expires, and you don't have permanent residency, you need to go home".

Prime Minister Mark Carney said on July 31, 2026, "If people are here and don't have authorization to stay… there's a process that would be followed." That backdrop gave the protest a sharper edge.

Investigations have also linked Portage College to Pyramid eServices, an Indian recruitment company whose director was reportedly arrested for immigration fraud. The trail did not end at the campus.