After paying CAD$32,000 in tuition for 2 years, Indian students in Canada were told they were not eligible for a post-graduation work permit
Thousands of students, mostly Indians, enrolled in business management diploma courses offered by Portage College and the Canadian Institute of Osteopathic Medicine in Calgary are left in limbo because they did not obtain post-graduation work permits in Canada.The graduates claimed that Canada Immigration and Immigration changed regulations to make non-credit programs ineligible for work permits. But they applied for work permits before the rules changed. Meanwhile, IRCC says no rules have changed. Some students from the same institution received work permits.“My dad has been saving money for me my whole life,” Jaspinder Kaur told CTV News. “After completing two years of study, I thought I would be able to work and gain some Canadian experience.”Mukulana said the rejected students were now struggling financially and mentally after losing the ability to work. “This is a betrayal of thousands of international students; this is not just an administrative crisis, it is a human crisis,” Rana said.The school had no comment as the development shifted responsibility to the college.Laura-Anne Goulding, an immigration lawyer at Shory Law in Calgary, said her office has been contacted by dozens of affected students and that her office alone is processing 200 students.
What is a Canadian Post-Graduation Work Permit?
A Post-Graduation Work Permit is an open work permit issued by the Canadian government that allows eligible international students to work in Canada after completing qualifying courses at a designated learning institution. Two factors are critical: the eligibility program and the institution. This work permit provides international students with Canadian work experience and, although it is not renewable, it provides a path to permanent residence in Canada.
Major social media debate over protest video
When Canadian media reported on Friday’s student protests, social media users pointed out that there were only Punjabi students and no international students. Some users supported the government’s denial of their work permits, saying students should leave at the end of their studies and that a two-year diploma should not guarantee a work permit and residency. Some have highlighted the fraud committed by the university, which secured all the funds for promised work permits at the end of their courses, all the while knowing they were ineligible for the work permits.
