New Delhi, Feb. 11 -- Muktsar, Punjab: The first time Dilveer Singh Brar wanted to go to Canada was when he was in the 8th grade. He had attended a wedding with his family, an event that Singh, now 19, finds particularly memorable. After all, it was at this wedding that his older brother got the call telling him that his study visa to Canada had been approved. Singh's mother and father danced with joy-his brother would be the first in their nuclear family to go to Canada.

As the day of his brother's departure inched closer, the family bought new shirts, pants, winter clothes and blankets. That's when I decided, "Main vi baahar jaana hai (I also want to go abroad)," said Singh. "You know, at that age, these little things make you greedy,"...