Ranjit Kaur is carefully following her English teacher in the classroom. Her eyes are glued to the white board where he breaks down a sentence into nouns, pronouns, adjectives and explains tenses.
There are half a dozen female students in the classroom – all aspiring to emigrate.
It is one of several English coaching centres in Jalandhar in India’s northern state of Punjab, where women are taking English language lessons for a mandatory test required to migrate to an English-speaking country, such as the US, the UK or Canada.
“I am preparing to go and study abroad but I am not good at English. This coaching is helping me to hone my skills. I am improving my grammar,” Ms Kaur told The National.
Ms Kaur is among tens of thousands of youngsters in the state who dream of moving abroad in search of greener pastures.
Punjab is one of the most prosperous states in the country. An agrarian belt, it is the breadbasket of the country and provides rice and wheat for the entire nation.
Most of the population is educated and live in good conditions.
But every family, whether rich or poor, from rural or urban areas, has at least one member who lives abroad or aspires to do so.
Every year, thousands of people from the state move to countries such as the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada but also to other European countries and to the Middle East, including the UAE, in search of financial prosperity and better living standards.
“It is like a woman’s love for gold. Like gold never stops luring a woman, foreign destinations have the same effect on Punjabis,” Arvindar Pal Singh, who runs an immigration consultancy and travel agency in Jalandhar city in Punjab, told The National.
Greener pastures
Indians have the highest diaspora population in the world, with 18 million living abroad, the UN says. More people continue to leave the country in search of new opportunities.
This year, by June more than 87,000 Indians had given up their citizenship after obtaining foreign nationalities – India's laws prohibit dual citizenship.
More than 470,000 people from the state left the country for work and more than 260,000 people to study between 2016 and 2021, the foreign ministry said.
Moving abroad is a status symbol for many families in the state. It is common to see houses flying flags of the UK, Australia or Canada, a sign that a family member lives abroad.
Being a Non-Resident Indian is often equated with better financial prospects.
“I don’t feel we have good opportunities here or good salaries. I want to experience new things, and study in advanced universities. My brother is in Canada. He makes more money and has a better life. I want to experience that life,” Ms Kaur said.
The wave of emigration began in the late 1960s when people from rural and agricultural families moved abroad in search of work.
They would often come back to take one or two relatives with them.
Reasons for wanting to live abroad vary for families and range from seeking better opportunities to escaping the drug menace.
The north Indian state of 30 million people on the border with Pakistan has for decades been plagued by drug abuse.
“For parents, it is the best investment to send their young children abroad for higher studies, but also to keep them away from drugs,” Mr Singh said.
Consecutive governments have struggled to address the issue and have made promises to eradicate it but there are as many as 700,000 drug users in the state, according to official records.
The state is divided into rural and urban classes with rural families working mainly in farming, something the younger generations are often not interested in pursuing, Mr Singh said.
For the urban class, the source of income is either business or jobs. However, competition and limited opportunities mean unemployment is rife.
Punjab’s unemployment rate was 8.2 per cent in February this year, higher than the average national unemployment rate of 7.5 per cent, said the Centre for Monitoring of Indian Economy, a think tank.
“There is disguised unemployment. Most families have farms here and all members are engaged in it, but not every person is really working. There is enough time in hand and the state has a problem with drugs,” Mr Singh said.
The lack of work opportunities has pushed young Indians to persue employment opportunities overseas.
Some families prefer English-speaking destinations such as Canada, which offers about 300,000 visas to Indians every year, mostly students of whom 60 per cent are from the state.
Students are from science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine backgrounds.
Others apply for entry-level and midlevel positions in retail, business services, and manufacturing sectors while some choose Italy, Portugal, or Spain where they can work on farms as labourers.
“They go for studies but with a mindset of settling there, for prosperity, for a better lifestyle. Here social security is missing from our society. There, they find financial independence, earn money, and help their families back home,” Mr Singh said.
Coaching and consultancy
Moving to a new country is not an easy process. It requires money and preparation, such as passing mandatory English language tests, and a lot of paperwork.
The demand has led to growing opportunities for businesses such as consultancy firms that have increased across Punjab.
In cities like Jalandhar, consultancy firms fill entire streets with flags of the UK, US, and Canada. They help people like Ms Kaur to secure places in universities, take them through the visa process, and even uncover job opportunities.
The service costs about 100,000 rupees ($1,200).
“They have to go through certain coaching because they have to prove they have enough knowledge of English for the desired course. They require a certain level of scoring for good universities. We provide them English classes and facilitate them with enrolment to university or for jobs,” Amarjeet Singh, managing director, Broadway, told The National.
Akhil Katyal, who teaches English at Broadway, is also an aspiring emigrant. He has applied for jobs in Canada.
“Most of my friends are living abroad. They make better money, have less stress and live happily. They inspire me. I feel that life is better abroad because there are more opportunities to grow and respect for work,” he said.
WHY%20AAYAN%20IS%20'PERFECT%20EXAMPLE'
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Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Her most famous song
Aghadan Alqak (Would I Ever Find You Again)?
Would I ever find you again
You, the heaven of my love, my yearning and madness;
You, the kiss to my soul, my cheer and
sadness?
Would your lights ever break the night of my eyes again?
Would I ever find you again?
This world is volume and you're the notion,
This world is night and you're the lifetime,
This world is eyes and you're the vision,
This world is sky and you're the moon time,
Have mercy on the heart that belongs to you.
Lyrics: Al Hadi Adam; Composer: Mohammed Abdel Wahab
MANDOOB
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Ali%20Kalthami%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Mohammed%20Dokhei%2C%20Sarah%20Taibah%2C%20Hajar%20Alshammari%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Wonder
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20EPD%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20Switch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWafeq%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJanuary%202019%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadim%20Alameddine%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Esoftware%20as%20a%20service%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERaed%20Ventures%20and%20Wamda%2C%20among%20others%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
