Visa delays leaving international students in limbo for fall semester

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OTTAWA — Worldwide college students going through visa delays due to Canadian immigration backlogs are not sure in the event that they’ll make it in time for the autumn semester as Ottawa works out whether or not it will possibly prioritize purposes for September.

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College students, universities, immigration consultants and even the Excessive Fee of India have raised issues about delayed visas placing many college students’ research in danger.

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Federal knowledge reveals that as of the tip of July, 34 per cent of pending worldwide scholar visa purposes had been taking longer to course of than authorities requirements dictate.

“I’ve seen an enormous delay proper now,” mentioned Humera Khan, a Montreal-based worldwide scholar recruiter who’s CEO of Logic Educational Companies.

Khan mentioned she’s by no means seen so many college students ready for visas solely weeks earlier than college is about to start out.

If the federal government doesn’t course of their visas in time, these college students will doubtless should defer their research for as much as a 12 months, she mentioned. “It’s a number of uncertainty, there may be a number of emotion concerned.”

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Some have already paid tuition, including vital monetary stress to the troublesome process of transferring to a brand new nation and beginning college, she mentioned.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser mentioned the division began making an attempt a couple of month in the past to determine whether or not it might prioritize college students whose research had been on account of begin in September.

“Attempting to determine whether or not it’s going to doubtlessly jeopardize the effectivity of the general effort is one thing that we’re nonetheless determining,” Fraser mentioned in an interview Wednesday.

“We try to get as many individuals right here for his or her begin date as potential.”

Fraser mentioned the Immigration Division is processing extra research permits than ever earlier than, and the delays are being pushed by the large improve in demand.

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To date this 12 months Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has processed greater than 360,000 research visas, a 17 per cent improve over the identical interval in 2021.

The Excessive Fee of India in Ottawa mentioned in a press release it was speaking to Canadian universities about what might be carried out to accommodate the big variety of Indian worldwide college students who’re nonetheless ready for visas.

The excessive fee mentioned universities have additionally approached the immigration ministry with their issues.

Some establishments will present a distant possibility for college kids unable to achieve Canada at first of the time period as a result of they haven’t but acquired a visa.

The excessive fee has requested the federal government to fast-track visas for Indian college students

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NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan mentioned there doesn’t seem to by any rhyme or purpose relating to why some purposes have been processed on time and others haven’t.

She has heard from college students who’re feeling extremely harassed about whether or not they’re going to be transferring the world over to check in Canada in a number of weeks.

“September is simply across the nook as the varsity 12 months is gonna begin, they usually don’t know what’s happening with their software,” Kwan mentioned in an interview.

The truth that so many college students are prone to discover out on the final second reveals the division doesn’t acknowledge the real-life experiences individuals are going by means of, she mentioned. “They’ve to seek out dwelling quarters, for instance, get housing in place, get accustomed to how one can get to and from college.”

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Every little thing from course choice to orientation is jeopardized, she added, and the delays trigger uncertainty for establishments as properly.

A latest report by the Home of Commons immigration committee reveals processing occasions for scholar visas have grown considerably since on the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Authorities requirements dictate the applying ought to take solely about two months to course of, however between December 2020 and November 2021 the typical wait time was 82 days.

Fraser mentioned he’s not involved about tarnishing Canada’s repute as a vacation spot of selection for worldwide college students as a result of Canada is having its greatest 12 months ever when it comes to accepting a file variety of college students.

“However the person tales that you just hear are those that keep on with individuals. Folks keep in mind how they’re made to really feel once they don’t get their permission to return to Canada in time to start out their program,” he acknowledged.

The federal government is working with colleges to develop contingencies for individuals who don’t get the paperwork on time, together with on-line courses, he mentioned.

“We don’t wish to lose out on expertise. We wish to make it simpler to return to Canada and we wish to fulfill this demand that we’re seeing, which this 12 months is way past what we’ve seen earlier than.”

Fraser mentioned he expects processing occasions for worldwide scholar visas to return to authorities requirements by the tip of the 12 months.