Punjab students left in the lurch as Canada seals borders

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 17

Travel restrictions, imposed by the Canadian Government on non-citizens in the wake of Covid outbreak, have dashed the foreign dream of many students.

Having deposited several lakhs of rupees as fee in Canadian colleges and universities, parents are now unsure of their wards’ future.

Most of them said they had no idea as to when the Canadian Government would allow entry to their wards or whether the universities would extend the session or accommodate students in the next batch.

Ludhiana-based Neeraj Gautam said: “My son had taken admission in BBA in a Canadian university, where his session is due to start on April 6. We have already spent Rs25 lakh on his first-year fee and GIC funds. After flight cancellation, yesterday, we got a mail from the university, asking us whether he would be able to attend a counselling session on April 1. We sought extension of the session, but the university is yet to respond. We don’t know if he will be able to go there anytime soon. Also, a direct flight to Canada will cost us almost double the price.”

Jalandhar-based Umesh Dada, whose one son is in Vancouver on a student visa and another is set to leave, said the situation was dicey at the moment.

“My elder son has been asked to work from home. When we asked him if he planned to return, he said going back to Canada would be a problem in that case.”

About the younger one, he said, “We really do not know if we will be able to send him to SFU in Vancouver, where we have applied for September session.”

Alok Makkar, whose daughter is doing BBA in a college at Toronto since 2017, too is worried.

“My daughter is in a piquant situation. Though she is to appear for her final examination online in August, her student visa is set to expire on March 31. She has already applied for renewal, which she has not got so far. So, we are in a dilemma and unsure of her future.”