Video of Indian students' queue for waiter job in Canada goes viral

Canada is a popular ‘study abroad’ destination for millions of Indian students who wish to pursue higher studies outside India and potentially settle there. But does this translate to better job prospects? While this remains a topic of debate, a recent incident in Brampton, where thousands of students were seen lining up for a waiter’s job at a newly opened restaurant, has garnered significant attention.

A video of the students, mostly Indians, waiting in a long queue outside the ‘Tandoori Flame’ restaurant has gone viral. Garnering over 19 lakh views on X, the video has raised significant apprehension among those contemplating studying or working in Canada.

An analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), a public policy research centre has shown that Indians immigrating to Canada rose from 32,828 to 139,715, in 2013-2023, a 326% increase.

`3,000 aspirants for waiter's job coming every day'

Indeep Kaur, guest executive manager at Tandoori Flame, said they were expecting 3,000 candidates each day, for the interview that was to be conducted for two days.

One of the Indian students waiting in a queue, Agamvir Singh was pessimistic about the scope of jobs in Canada. He said the restaurant had “put up the application on the internet” and “said  that an interview would be conducted.” However, no interview had taken place.

"I don't believe there is scope for jobs here, it's really tough," added Agamvir Singh.

At the same time, another student, Vashvi, added that the situation in Canada, was so bad to the extent, that “everyone was looking for a job”. "Many of my friends don’t have a job right now, and they have been here for 2-3 years,” said Vashvi.

Canada, a land of broken dreams?

Netizens stormed the comment section on X with opinions. While many defended the students, suggesting that working part-time in a restaurant is common for many international students, others called the issue ‘alarming’.

“Alarming, if true. Canada is facing massive unemployment. Didn't see this number of youths lined up for a job at new restaurants even in India,” one user commented on X.

 Meanwhile, another user questioned if 'Trudeau's Canada' was a “land of opportunity or broken dreams”.

(By arrangement with livemint.com)