Mumbai student recalls harrowing experience of unsuccessful admission to foreign university
Idreamt of studying abroad, completing my Masters and coming back to India with a sense of pride. It’s a unique circumstance where a girl from our family wants to pursue education overseas, while also being supported wholeheartedly by the members. But things didn’t go as planned.
The reports about the closure of three Canadian institutions in Quebec have been covered by different news organisations in the country. Students from Punjab and Haryana, who comprised the majority of the individuals who took admission to these universities, protested not only in different cities in Canada but also in the state of Punjab. I am one of the thousands of students affected by the closure, the only difference is that I am from Mumbai.
While students in Punjab and Haryana are supporting each other in getting refunds or visa approvals, I have not been able to find anyone willing to push our cause as there aren’t any students, except for me, who have applied from Mumbai to any of the three Canadian institutions.
It all started with a call from a local consultancy that offered me to enroll in a good Canadian college named M College of Canada in Quebec. Accommodation, a free laptop, and a free airport pick up interested me as a girl who wants to remain safe in a foreign country. In February 2020, I paid around 8,50,000 INR to the college so that I can make the trip to Canada by May 2020 and pursue Project Management in Graphic Communications.
The lockdown across the globe due to the Covid pandemic made me skeptical of my trip to Canada as I was unsure when I would be able to travel. This prompted me to ask for a refund from the consultancy which refuted my worries and asked me to apply for a visa.
Months went by and there was no word on the status of my visa application until I came to know that a few colleges were banned in Quebec over some financial issues. I was put in the “Other” category along with more than 500 students who are not eligible to get their refunds due to denial of visa. The news came as a shock to me as I had already spent so much money on my tuition and visa fees.
It was a mentally harrowing experience for me, unlike students in Punjab and Haryana I had no one to share my troubles with.
It’s been more than two years since I first took admission in M College. Not a day goes by when I don’t think about the amount of money and time I have had to waste over the incident. While some students in Canada and Punjab are either able to enroll themselves in the colleges under new management or get their refunds from consultancies, I have been running pillar to post, nervous and scared about my future.
I am currently working in a corporate firm to pay my bills and become an earning member of the family, but sleepless nights and distressed parents, only make matters worse. My calls to the consultancy have also been ignored or denied to the point where they have completely absolved themselves of any responsibilities.
I wish there was a magic wand that could resolve all my issues in an instant as I still wish to learn and prosper, and put this incident behind me. If only it was that easier.