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As a first-generation Indian immigrant to Canada, Divya* has observed a recent shift in attitudes towards South Asian immigrants.
Divya crossed the ocean to Canada at just four years old—young enough for English to quickly become her second tongue and for a Canadian accent to adapt effortlessly. This blend of language and lilt often disguises her origins, wrapping her in the safety of assumptions she was born in Canada—a privilege and shield that has, at times, kept xenophobia at bay.
“I think if I did have an accent, I would probably be much more worried, not only about mistreatment, but also about how [racism] would impact my ability to get jobs, like part-time jobs, in Kingston or even at Queen’s,” Divya said in an interview with The Journal.
A key observation for Divya is the rise in anti-immigration rhetoric, often accusing immigrants of “stealing jobs.” With South Asians comprising 16 per cent of Canada’s total immigrant population, the highest percentage of all demographics identified by Statistics Canada, they’ve become the frequent scapegoat for Canada’s unemployment rate, particularly among youth.
“Previously, if an international student got a job to help with their studies, no one would bat an eye. These days, it’s seen as a huge problem,” Divya said.
This, coupled with a worsening public opinion towards immigration, has created an unwelcoming environment for Divya and other South Asian immigrants in Canada.
A public opinion survey conducted by Environics in September 2023 revealed that 44 per cent of Canadians believe immigration levels are too high. This reflects a 17 per cent jump from the year prior—the biggest change in four decades.
As a Queen’s student, Divya has experienced countless microaggressions and even some blatant acts of racism on campus. In her first year chemistry class, her lab partner made an overarchingly negative statement about South Asians without considering how this might affect the visibly South Asian classmate sitting right next to her.
“I don’t think [my lab partner] came from a very diverse area like Toronto or Vancouver, so maybe that’s why she felt comfortable saying that,” Divya said. “Maybe her friends at home say stuff like that.”
Divya didn’t feel comfortable sharing the specific remark made by her lab partner with The Journal, in fear of being identified by other students who witnessed the incident.
Beyond this instance of blatant racism, Divya experiences microaggressions on a regular basis.
This past year, while walking along Gord Downie Pier with her East Asian friend, Divya noticed an elderly person glaring specifically at her—excluding her friend from their gaze—for an extended period of time. The prolonged stare became increasingly unsettling as the stranger drew nearer, approaching the pair on the sidewalk almost threateningly before walking away.
“There could be a lot of factors leading to this behaviour […] I have no idea whether this was truly racism-related,” Divya said. “We laughed about it afterwards, but it’s definitely interesting that people are starting to get more comfortable acting on their thoughts.”
In the same vein, Divya has noticed an influx of overt racism against South Asians on social media. She has witnessed numerous videos of people mistreating South Asian retail workers in Canada, with very little criticism of this mistreatment from social media s.
“These algorithms are designed to capitalize on whatever will keep you online, staring at your phone for as long as possible,” Divya said. “A big part of that is a lot of the content I’m seeing is videos that are explicitly racist against South Asians. I guess there are no real restrictions on what can stay on and what gets removed from social media.”
Toronto’s 6ixbuzztv is an entertainment and lifestyle Instagram , notorious for sharing inflammatory posts that prompt a slew of racist and xenophobic comments.
On Aug. 19, the posted a video of an unidentifiable Brampton resident driving on the sidewalk. Although the driver’s race was unclear, commenters blamed Indian immigrants for this incident, with a top comment reading, “I’m not sure why you guys are surprised. These people come into this country and do whatever the f—k they want without getting into any trouble.”
Comments like this have made countless South Asian individuals worry they’ll face increased discrimination because of their backgrounds.
Divya acknowledges the fear among South Asians of increased discrimination due to their backgrounds but remains hopeful Canadians will come to recognize that racism against South Asians is fundamentally wrong.
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Mariam Mohamed, ArtSci ’26, worries that anti-immigration will continue to rise in Canada, following in the footsteps of the United Kingdom.
For over a month, the U.K. has been plagued by anti-immigration and Islamophobic riots led by far-right groups, according to Mohamed. These riots were sparked by misinformation on social media about the religion and nationality of a man suspected of stabbing eleven children and two adults at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport.
Although the suspect is not an immigrant and his religion has not been publicly disclosed, this stabbing has sparked mass violence towards immigrants and Muslim individuals by far-right U.K. demonstrators.
This violence has made Mohamed, a hijabi student of Gujarati and Hyderabadi descent, wary of simply existing in public as a visible minority.
“I am very careful of taking up too much space in society because I don’t want to draw attention to myself or become a target of any hostility,” Mohamed said in a statement to The Journal.
Despite being born in Canada, Mohamed feels her identity as a Canadian has been challenged by rising anti-immigrant sentiment in Canada.
“I feel like I need to constantly prove that I belong, that I’m contributing positively to the community,” Mohamed said. “It’s a tiring and isolating experience, having to navigate daily life with the fear that something similar to what happened in the U.K. could happen here in Canada.”
Through on-campus advocacy, Mohamed has found a way to improve cultural awareness and tolerance at Queen’s. She’s the co-president of Islamic Relief at Queen’s, a club which aims to raise awareness of humanitarian crises around the world and fundraise for relief efforts.
Mohamed is also the equity, diversity, inclusion, and indigeneity coordinator for the Queen’s Asian Students’ Association, which, among other topics, has reported on the xenophobia and Islamophobia resulting from the U.K. Southport riots.
Unfortunately, despite the efforts of Mohamed and other student advocates at Queen’s, these forms of discrimination don’t seem to be diminishing in Kingston.
“Due to my intersectional identity, it’s hard to differentiate between the Islamophobia I experience on campus and the racism,” Mohamed said. “I have faced microaggressions ranging from people trying to guess my race at work, a man on the bus saying I was really pretty for an Indian girl, and the dozens of times my name has been mispronounced even as I consistently introduce myself the way my name is supposed to be pronounced.”
During the winter semester, Mohamed experienced heightened Islamophobia as she was involved in student organizing for Palestine. This, along with the racism she has experienced in Kingston, has made it difficult for her to feel safe on campus.
“I’m constantly on guard against prejudice that could stem from either my religious or racial identity, or both,” Mohamed said.
Prejudice in the workforce is another concern of Mohamed’s. Pursuing a t honours degree in Global Development Studies and Film Studies, Mohamed is considering a career in film. She worries her visible racial identity will hold her back in the industry.
“I have applied to a lot of film related jobs, and I can say, from experience, that I am less likely to be hired because of my identity,” Mohamed said. “If I choose to make film my career, it will be ten times harder for me because of my race.”
Like many forms of media, film has historically underrepresented and misrepresented individuals of South Asian descent.
Many of the harmful stereotypes about South Asians perpetuate in popular mainstream via T.V. shows and movies, such as The Big Bang Theory and The Simpsons. Stereotypes that South Asians are unclean, socially awkward, creepy, or dishonest have been further legitimized by the portrayal of South Asians in film, thereby resulting in more discrimination towards South Asians in broader society.
“I worry that my background could limit my opportunities or pigeonhole me into certain roles or narratives,” Mohamed said.
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Racial bias seems to be more of a concern in certain career fields than others.
Saif Andani, HealthSci ’27, is a second-generation immigrant from Pakistan. He plans to pursue a career in medicine but does not believe his background will hold him back academically or professionally.
“I believe the path to enter this field is more defined by personal skills and tangible experiences as opposed to factors such as ethnicity,” Andani said in a statement to The Journal.
While he recognizes the increasingly widespread notion that South Asian immigrants are “stealing” jobs from Canadians, Andani doesn’t believe this will impact his chances of being accepted into medical school. He is, however, concerned that this may hinder his ability to partake in some extracurricular opportunities.
“While there are race-conscious issions policies, I don’t believe they would affect my career to a significant extent,” Andani said. “On the other hand, rising discrimination against South Asian individuals can lead to potential biases when applying for learning opportunities such as internships and research positions.”
Having been born in Canada, Andani doesn’t feel profoundly impacted by the rise in anti-immigration sentiment in Canada. However, as a person of colour, he has at times worried about being discriminated against at Queen’s.
In his senior year of high school in Mississauga, Andani found himself surrounded by a diverse student body, yet many of his classmates were hesitant to commit to Queen’s due to concerns of discrimination. Andani, too, was worried about studying in a predominantly white school community. However, he ultimately chose Queen’s because of its unique Health Sciences program and the opportunity to study abroad for a year at Bader College.
Despite Andani’s perspective, he was one of a mere three students from his high school who chose Queen’s for university.
To cope with the major change in community that this shift presented, Andani decided to immerse himself in his South Asian culture.
“While I wasn’t as connected [with his culture] previously, I would say I’ve become more connected with my South Asian background in recent years and have found a deeper appreciation for it,” Andani said.
In his first year away from home, Andani has had the opportunity to rewatch some classic Bollywood movies with friends of both South Asian and non-South Asian heritage.
“[It’s been] like a reminder of home.”
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Harshitha Chinnakonda, HealthSci ‘27, is a queer Tamil student who has found a sense of belonging through embracing her culture and connecting with her community.
Like many South Asian students at Queen’s, Chinnakonda initially felt out of place as a visible minority on campus. None of the other students on her floor in residence looked like her, and the minimal diversity was jarring considering her upbringing in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Being a queer woman who presents somewhat masculine, Chinnakonda felt even more worried about being pushed to the margins at Queen’s, fearing a fate of loneliness and ostracization during her time as an undergraduate student.
“With me being brown and also having short hair, which is not the norm, I felt even more isolated in a sense,” Chinnakonda said in an interview with The Journal.
“I was a little bit scared of the lack of representation we have here [at Queen’s], but I think I’ve made it work based on the groups and people that I’ve found,” Chinnakonda said.
Chinnakonda is part of a Kuthu dance team with other South Indian women at Queen’s which has given her a space to practice a traditional Tamil dance form and speak her mother tongue with her teammates, making her feel more at home.
“We all get to come together, dance, and share our culture, and it’s super fun,” Chinnakonda said. “It’s definitely made me feel a lot better.”
Chinnakonda is also involved in the Queen’s Tamil Students’ Association (QTSA) and the Queen’s South Asian Association (QSAA), where she spends most of her free time.
“After finding the QTSA and QSAA groups and the Kuthu dance team, I definitely feel a lot more welcome,” Chinnakonda said. “I feel like I belong more, but I think [achieving] that sense of complete belonging is just going to take a little more time.”
Rising anti-immigration sentiment has made it difficult for first and second-generation immigrants of South Asian descent to feel welcome at Queen’s. By embracing their cultures and pioneering advocacy initiatives, South Asian students have carved out a space for themselves on campus.
*Name changed due to safety concerns.
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