A recent study from Punjab Agricultural University found that more men from Punjab are moving abroad on spouse visas than women. In 44 villages from 1990 to 2022, over half of those who moved to Canada and Australia on spouse visas are working as laborers, and only about six percent found jobs in services.
The study also revealed that over 40 percent of migrants on study visas faced challenges with the English proficiency test IELTS, attempting it multiple times. Some even mentioned paying Rs 2 lakh to illegal agents to get a required score of 6 in IELTS, needed for a study visa in Canada.
The study included interviews with 831 migrants from 640 migrant households and 660 non-migrant households.
Punjab Men, Spouse Visa Migration, Employed Laborers, Visa Counseling, Migration Trends