A growing predicament is unfolding for Ghanaian doctoral candidates pursuing higher education in the United Kingdom, with a significant number facing the stark reality of deportation due to their government's failure to disburse essential tuition fees and living allowances. Concurrently, across the Atlantic, Canada is grappling with the consequences of a deliberate policy shift aimed at curbing the influx of temporary residents, a move that has demonstrably impacted its population figures. These contrasting scenarios highlight the intricate interplay between national fiscal policies, international educational aspirations, and the broader economic implications of immigration.
The plight of over one hundred Ghanaian PhD students in the UK has reached a critical juncture. These scholars, whose academic pursuits were ostensibly funded by their home government, now find themselves in a precarious position. The newly inaugurated administration of Ghanaian President John Mahama has inherited substantial outstanding debts to British academic institutions, estimated to be in the region of £32 million. This financial burden has necessitated a moratorium on new scholarship awards and, more critically, has led to the non-payment of existing financial commitments to students already undertaking their studies. The repercussions are dire: some students have already been expelled from their programmes by UK universities, such as University College London and the University of Nottingham, following the withdrawal of their registrations due to outstanding fees. This has, in turn, triggered action from the UK Home Office, resulting in deportations for some individuals.
The situation has created immense hardship for the affected cohort. Reports indicate that many are facing eviction from their accommodations or are resorting to desperate measures, including taking on debt and utilising food banks, to sustain themselves while attempting to complete their doctorates. Prince Komla Bansah, who presides over the group representing these Ghanaian students, articulated the severity of their predicament, stating, "For most of these students, I don’t know how they survive. Some of them may be working part-time but it’s very hard to do that while studying for a PhD. From what I can gather from our meetings with the students, a lot of them are in debt and getting loans from back home." The Ghanaian scholarship secretariat has initiated a fact-finding mission to the UK, with its registrar visiting in April, as the government undertakes an audit of scholarships disbursed under the previous administration. While instalment plans were initially negotiated with some UK universities, these arrangements have reportedly been rescinded in certain instances, exacerbating the urgency of the crisis.
Meanwhile, Canada is actively recalibrating its immigration policies, signalling a departure from its long-standing reliance on robust immigration for economic expansion. In the third quarter of 2023, the nation experienced a notable population contraction, declining by 0.2%. This downturn is directly attributable to a more stringent approach towards non-permanent residents, whose proportion in the overall population has diminished from 7.3% to 6.8% within the same period. Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne candidly acknowledged that Canada had "exceeded our capacity to welcome" and provide adequate services to immigrants in recent years, underscoring the rationale behind this policy pivot. The federal government has outlined ambitious targets to reduce the number of international student permits, aiming to halve new arrivals from a projected 305,900 in 2025 to 155,000 in 2026, and further to 150,000 annually for 2027 and 2028. This strategic adjustment is designed to bring the proportion of non-permanent residents to 5% of the total population by the close of 2027. Notwithstanding these reductions, Canada concurrently plans to maintain or even increase the number of permanent residents admitted, with projections indicating 395,000 in 2025, 380,000 in 2026, and 365,000 in 2027, thereby seeking to balance population growth with service provision and infrastructure capacity.