Students who aspire to study in Canada are worried as local agents are trying to extract more money out of them for student visas, claiming the “tougher” process amid the tension between India and Canada. Meanwhile, several top immigration agencies have currently put student applications on hold till the standoff eases, suggesting the United Kingdom and Australia as other options.
As of now, there is no change in visa rules for Indian students applying to Canada. However, student bodies claim that they are receiving calls from parents who are being asked to pay more by local agents as Canada student visas might get “tougher”.
“Students back in Canada are affected more by the increasing inflation, high grocery, and rent prices than the current diplomatic conditions. There is calm and safety here as usual, however, we do receive worried calls from parents and students back home in India,” said Varun, an Indian-origin resident of Canada and committee member of the Montreal Youth Student Organisation (MYSO).
He highlighted that many small-scale immigration agents in India might be able to ask for more money from parents stating the current situation as a hurdle. “We have received calls from parents who are being misguided. The existing nexus of ‘agents’ and ‘subagents’ in India could milk this situation and could ask for more money from parents to ‘ease out visa hurdles’. Authorities need to keep an eye on such scammers,” he said.
Leverage Edu, a leading immigration consultancy, is one of the firms to have stopped accepting new applications for Canada until there is more clarity on the diplomatic situation. Akshay Chaturvedi, founder and CEO of Leverage Edu, has set up a dedicated helpline to ease out concerns of parents and students about the ongoing issues between India and Canada. The company claims to have received over 600 calls at the helpline within 100 hours of launching it.
Chaturvedi, however, still believes that the initial panic is settling down. “Things are changing very quickly. While there was panic at first, things have gradually settled down. Students studying in Canada are relaxed, however, those who have already applied for visas and paid their fees for upcoming intake are worried if it will be the right time to visit Canada. Some universities have asked students to defer their visas for fall intake by when the tension is expected to be resolved.”
Chaturvedi speculated that the visa processing time could be longer for Indian students, as a result of India banning visas of Canadian citizens. He also suggested standardized regulations for outbound students to ensure the safety of those abroad as well as to curb the misinformation and providing of fraudulent documents.
CANADIAN COLLEGES EXTEND SUPPORT TO INDIANS ON CAMPUS
Responding to the changing diplomatic scenario, many colleges based in Canada have extended support to Indian students on their campuses. Colleges have ensured safety and calm to students and have offered existing helpline numbers.
Some of the emails shared by students with News18 are below:
These emails have helped students ease their worries and tensions. Many students told News18 on condition of anonymity that they had concerns about the situation affecting their post-study rights, however, no such statement has been shared by officials.
Officials from the University of Toronto also told News18 that there is calm in Canada and there is no on-ground tension. They also said that there is no need to be anxious and it’s too immature to predict fall intake numbers. They, however, did not rule out personal worries of people having Indian ties.
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