International students who had their admission offers suddenly revoked by a Canadian college have been offered the chance to enrol at an alternative institution in Toronto.
Ontario-based Northern College previously told 503 students that the courses they had enrolled in at its private partner, Pures College of Technology, were oversubscribed and that they would no longer be eligible to study there, one month before they were due to start.
The College has now announced that affected students may be able to transfer to Toronto institution Centennial College.
In a statement, Northern College said students would be assessed for admission into a similar program to the one they had originally signed up to “with the goal of placing affected students for the upcoming academic year”.
“We are very mindful that this situation has been very stressful”
Some 335 students have expressed interest in studying at Centennial and 250 have completed an application for the assessment process, according to Northern College. The majority of these already have housing secured in Canada.
“We are very mindful that this situation has been very stressful for many Northern College international students,” the College said.
“We are grateful to have partnered with Centennial College to prepare enrolment options for affected students for the 2023/24 academic year.”
Craig Stephenson, president and CEO of Centennial College, said, “When Centennial College learned about the situation at Northern College, we took action to see how we could help them support students who have made plans and sacrifices to attend college in Ontario.
“Centennial is in a position to welcome a number of students who would otherwise have to cancel or delay their plans to start college in Ontario this fall, and we are working closely with [Canadian immigration platform] BorderPass, Northern College and our government partners to facilitate this solution for those who choose to pursue acceptance in an equivalent program and meet the criteria.”
There will be no additional application costs for the affected students.
But one Indian student, who wished to remain anonymous, told The PIE that he is “still hopeless” after submitting an application and receiving an out of office response.
Northern College encouraged students who had not yet done so to contact BorderPass. According to BorderPass, students must respond by August 17 to be guaranteed consideration.
Centennial College confirmed to The PIE News that it would be able to accommodate “all qualified impacted students who wish to pursue acceptance into an equivalent or similar program and meet the admissions criteria”.
“We are currently in the process of receiving and reviewing as swiftly as possible applications from interested students,” a spokesperson from the College said.
BorderPass CEO Sally Daub said, “Recognising the challenges these students have faced, we’re working closely with all stakeholders, including Canada’s dedicated government officials, to facilitate their journey towards studying in Canada.
“Immigration makes a positive contribution to Canada’s social and economic fabric, and we are resolute in our commitment to partnering with Canadian colleges and universities that champion international students.”
Canadian agent and immigration consultant Earl Blaney previously told The PIE, “Northern College and their overseas agent network have been dumping study permit applications at IRCC missions like nobody’s business.”
