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More than 250 organisations, including Amnesty International, have urged Canadian authorities to launch an independent investigation into an enforcement action involving Indian students at a protest in Calgary. The groups wrote to Prime Minister Mark Carney and senior federal and provincial officials after border agents checked the immigration status of 20 students during a demonstration on August 12 and deemed about a dozen potentially inadmissible.

The protest at Calgary’s Portage College began on July 24, when around 1,500 international students launched a demonstration and hunger strike over the retroactive rejection and cancellation of their post-graduation work permit applications. The action ended following the August 12 enforcement operation, which rights groups described as an unprecedented use of immigration enforcement at a student protest in recent Canadian history.

In their letter, the organisations called for immediate suspension of exclusion orders and any removal proceedings arising from the August 12 action while the matter is investigated. They also urged the government to establish clear policies preventing immigration enforcement from being triggered by participation in protests, regardless of an individual's immigration status. The groups further called for work permit applications from affected Portage College graduates to be assessed under the rules that were in place when they enrolled.

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The dispute centres on changes to Canada's immigration rules that affected graduates of non-credit college programmes. Hundreds of Indian students were reportedly refused post-graduation work permits after authorities determined that their programmes did not provide a certificate, diploma or degree required under updated eligibility rules. Student representatives have argued that they enrolled after receiving assurances about their eligibility and that the subsequent policy change left graduates uncertain about their ability to remain and work in Canada.

Calgary Police said officers had sought immigration status checks on four people at the protest following complaints and found that two were not compliant with their status. Police also said protesters had established tents and other structures without a permit. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith defended the enforcement approach at the time, stressing that international students are in Canada temporarily and that immigration rules must be followed, while Prime Minister Carney has also previously said people without authorisation to remain should follow the applicable legal process.

Student and migrant rights advocates have strongly criticised the enforcement action. Bikramjit Singh of the PGWP Committee said the incident was intended to intimidate protesters but would not stop migrants from organising and speaking out. Portage graduate Gurparas Singh said he had paid his tuition, completed his programme and graduated believing it qualified for a post-graduation work permit. Immigration lawyer Ravi Jain described the Calgary action as inappropriate, while Amnesty International Canada said it was alarmed by the use of immigration enforcement in connection with the protest.

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