Calgary Indian Students Fight for Work Rights as Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan Draws Thousands
Calgary's South Asian community navigated a week of contrasting headlines. Tens of thousands turned out for the city's annual Nagar Kirtan procession to mark Vaisakhi, while Indian international students found themselves at the centre of an escalating immigration dispute, with Canadian border officers raiding a protest site and an investigative report exposing links between a Calgary private college and a Punjabi recruitment firm with a disputed legal history.
Alberta College Directors Tied to Punjabi Recruitment Firm
An investigation by Juno News has revealed that the Canadian Institute of Osteopathic Therapy (CIOT), a private college operating in Calgary, has two directors connected to Pyramid eServices, a Punjabi firm that actively marketed the college's programs in India and helped recruit hundreds of Indian students to enrol in Calgary. The programs were delivered under the Portage College brand, with Portage College maintaining academic oversight and credentials while CIOT delivered instruction in the city. The post-graduation outcomes for many of those students have since become the subject of a federal dispute: a significant number of graduates have had their previously approved Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) cancelled by the Canadian federal government, leaving them unable to legally work in Canada despite having completed their studies. Adding to the concern, Juno News reports that Pyramid eServices director Bhavnoor Singh Bedi was arrested during a 2013 police investigation in Punjab into alleged student immigration fraud and was named in a separate case against the company in 2017. Following publication of the report, lawyers representing Bedi and CIOT issued a notice disputing key elements. Counsel states that Bedi was discharged before trial in the 2013 matter and that the remaining accused were subsequently acquitted, while the 2017 matter was closed with no finding of wrongdoing. Counsel also asserts that Pyramid eServices was a separate recruitment agency with no role in academic delivery, and that Canada's immigration authority, not CIOT or Pyramid eServices, determines Post-Graduation Work Permit outcomes. Juno News noted it was unable to independently verify the court records cited. [1]
Border Officers Raid Indian Students' Protest Site in Calgary
Canadian border officers raided a protest site set up by Indian international students in Calgary, an action reported by The New Indian Express in August 2026. The students at the centre of the protest were graduates who had completed academic programs in Canada but found themselves unable to remain legally employed in the country despite finishing their studies. Their central demand was access to the work opportunities that many had understood would follow from completing accredited programs, but which a significant number had not received or had subsequently lost access to. The graduates described finding it extremely difficult to maintain legal employment status in Canada, with some having their work authorisation cancelled or rendered invalid in circumstances they characterised as unjust. The protest represented one of several public demonstrations by Indian students in Calgary who have been caught in a broader dispute over post-study work authorisations, a situation that has drawn increasing scrutiny from Indian media and diaspora advocacy groups concerned about the treatment of South Asian students in Canada. The decision by Canada Border Services Agency officers to raid the protest site was viewed by participants as a significant escalation of pressure against students who maintained they were exercising a lawful right to demonstrate for fair treatment and employment access under Canadian immigration rules. [4]
🪔 Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan Procession Fills Calgary Streets
Calgary's Sikh community held its annual Nagar Kirtan procession to celebrate the festival of Vaisakhi, with tens of thousands of Sikhs taking part in the colourful march. The Nagar Kirtan is staged every year in Calgary as a public expression of Sikh faith and heritage, drawing participants from across the city and surrounding region into a communal procession that winds through the city's streets. The procession is held specifically to promote the core values of the Sikh religion: community, selfless service and unity. These principles, which sit at the heart of Sikhism, are expressed through the shared act of marching together regardless of social background, reinforcing the bonds of solidarity that define Sikh communal life. CityNews Calgary's coverage, filed by journalist Amar Shah, documented the scale and vibrancy of the celebration, which stands as one of the most prominent annual expressions of South Asian cultural and religious life in the city. The Nagar Kirtan procession continues to serve as a focal point for Calgary's Punjabi Sikh community and provides an opportunity for the broader city population to witness and engage with Sikh traditions, making Vaisakhi one of Calgary's most visible diaspora cultural events each year. [3]
Sources: [1] Juno News · [4] The New Indian Express · [3] CityNews Calgary