The decision by Canada’s Northern College (Scarborough campus) to cancel admissions of international students, just a month before the September session for 2023 was to start, has hit at least 300 students from India hard. “Many of these students, most of whom are from Punjab, have invested in their initial admission deposits, air tickets and accommodation and prepared for their journey to Canada. These students have done nothing illegal and have applied to the university and got accepted. They have not worked with dubious agents or falsified documents; but are facing this tough situation for no fault of theirs,” Matthew McLellan, CEO, Halp Technologies, told the Times of India.
The Canada-based study abroad platform has extended its support to the Indian students who have been adversely affected by the sudden admissions cancellation at Northern College and has announced that it will provide financial and legal assistance to all the affected students.
“The main cause of this problem was that the college was unable to predict the high rate of approval of study permit visas by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for Indian students this year and had to cancel admissions citing an overwhelming influx of applications,” McLellan said. He added that universities and colleges usually reckoned that students would apply to at least two or three universities and many may not finally show up despite having been accepted for admission. “The visa approval rates have been higher this year for Indian students. The Canadian government has a pro-immigration stand with many international students working in Canada after they finish their studies and applying for permanent residence. This year, the approval rate for study permits for Indians is around 80-85% which is the reason for the college not being able to honour the acceptance of 500 students having issued more offer letters than available seats,” he said.
To ensure that these students do not lose an academic year and their trust in Canada’s higher education institutions, Halp Technologies will provide the Indian students with an aid of Canadian $800 in cash to alleviate their initial arrival expenses and legal help from Canada-based immigration lawyers for creating, reviewing and submitting their study permit applications to IRCC. The impacted students are also being offered free access to personalised guidance from Halp’s admissions coaches on its digital platform.
“We are offering the package, the value of which is around $2000, to help any students who are frustrated, worried or nervous and not just those impacted by the revocation of their admission offers. While the study permits are specific to colleges and universities; there are some institutions which have offered the students seats in the same programme that they were planning to join at Northern. In these cases, we will help them to connect with immigration lawyers who can, on a case to case basis, help with updating the study permits and moving to the new colleges without having to change their travel plans,” said McLellan. He added that despite the negative impact that this incident has had, overall Canada remained one of the best destinations for Indian students. “This is one mistake by one college and just a bump on the road; but for Indian students, Canada still offers the best return on investment,” he said. McLellan added that all Canadian universities and colleges should revisit their admission planning and processes for the 2024 international students intake to avoid a situation like this again.
“As a socially sensible organisation, we understand the profound impact that the admission cancellation has had on the aspirations, dreams and financial stability of the affected students and their families. We see this as an opportunity to contribute to a social cause, extend a helping hand to fellow global citizens and uphold the enduring bonds that unite India and Canada in spheres such as education, science & technology and the cherished relations between our people. And therefore, we are offering our best to help these students entirely free of charge,” he said.
The Indian students’ pathway to Canada
(Source HALP Tech)
Over 203,000 Indian students call Canada their home and the Indian diaspora is among the most flourishing communities in Canada
A larger number of Indian students go to Canada for post-graduation programmes in specific areas that match the gaps in the Canadian job market such as MBA, IT, business and med-tech
Almost 90% students enrolled in such courses have an easy pathway into the job market for the post-graduation work permit programme which is usually for 2-3 years and file for permanent residence during this period
Getting paid in Canadian dollars for internships during summer as well as jobs during PGWP helps to reduce the cost of education for Indian students.
Cost of education – annual breakdowns (in CAD)
Living Costs – $12,000 average
Undergraduate tuition – $20,000
Post-Grad – $16,000
Additional expenses (textbooks, misc. university fees, insurance) – $2,000
(These are conservative estimates and they change)
The Canada-based study abroad platform has extended its support to the Indian students who have been adversely affected by the sudden admissions cancellation at Northern College and has announced that it will provide financial and legal assistance to all the affected students.
“The main cause of this problem was that the college was unable to predict the high rate of approval of study permit visas by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for Indian students this year and had to cancel admissions citing an overwhelming influx of applications,” McLellan said. He added that universities and colleges usually reckoned that students would apply to at least two or three universities and many may not finally show up despite having been accepted for admission. “The visa approval rates have been higher this year for Indian students. The Canadian government has a pro-immigration stand with many international students working in Canada after they finish their studies and applying for permanent residence. This year, the approval rate for study permits for Indians is around 80-85% which is the reason for the college not being able to honour the acceptance of 500 students having issued more offer letters than available seats,” he said.
To ensure that these students do not lose an academic year and their trust in Canada’s higher education institutions, Halp Technologies will provide the Indian students with an aid of Canadian $800 in cash to alleviate their initial arrival expenses and legal help from Canada-based immigration lawyers for creating, reviewing and submitting their study permit applications to IRCC. The impacted students are also being offered free access to personalised guidance from Halp’s admissions coaches on its digital platform.
“We are offering the package, the value of which is around $2000, to help any students who are frustrated, worried or nervous and not just those impacted by the revocation of their admission offers. While the study permits are specific to colleges and universities; there are some institutions which have offered the students seats in the same programme that they were planning to join at Northern. In these cases, we will help them to connect with immigration lawyers who can, on a case to case basis, help with updating the study permits and moving to the new colleges without having to change their travel plans,” said McLellan. He added that despite the negative impact that this incident has had, overall Canada remained one of the best destinations for Indian students. “This is one mistake by one college and just a bump on the road; but for Indian students, Canada still offers the best return on investment,” he said. McLellan added that all Canadian universities and colleges should revisit their admission planning and processes for the 2024 international students intake to avoid a situation like this again.
“As a socially sensible organisation, we understand the profound impact that the admission cancellation has had on the aspirations, dreams and financial stability of the affected students and their families. We see this as an opportunity to contribute to a social cause, extend a helping hand to fellow global citizens and uphold the enduring bonds that unite India and Canada in spheres such as education, science & technology and the cherished relations between our people. And therefore, we are offering our best to help these students entirely free of charge,” he said.
The Indian students’ pathway to Canada
(Source HALP Tech)
Over 203,000 Indian students call Canada their home and the Indian diaspora is among the most flourishing communities in Canada
A larger number of Indian students go to Canada for post-graduation programmes in specific areas that match the gaps in the Canadian job market such as MBA, IT, business and med-tech
Almost 90% students enrolled in such courses have an easy pathway into the job market for the post-graduation work permit programme which is usually for 2-3 years and file for permanent residence during this period
Getting paid in Canadian dollars for internships during summer as well as jobs during PGWP helps to reduce the cost of education for Indian students.
Cost of education – annual breakdowns (in CAD)
Living Costs – $12,000 average
Undergraduate tuition – $20,000
Post-Grad – $16,000
Additional expenses (textbooks, misc. university fees, insurance) – $2,000
(These are conservative estimates and they change)