Students eyeing Canada for higher studies in a fix over future, families worried

Ahmedabad resident Nirmal Raval’s 21-year-old son Armaan was set to join an university in Ottawa to study supply chain management. However, the family has now put their plans on hold.

Raval, a lawyer, said, “We had started the process for sending Armaan to Canada for further studies in Ottawa. However, we have put the process on hold in view of the situation. We never know what is the situation there currently.”

A graduate from Ahmedabad, Harsh Patel has received a confirmation letter that he has got admission at an university in Ottawa and has to deposit the course fee of around Rs 12 lakh before October 6.

“My admission for the two-year financial services programme will be cancelled if I do not deposit the fee before October 6,” Harsh said.

His father, Vishnubhai, an employee in a private firm, added: “What if visa service is stopped for Indians after we pay the fee? How will I repay the loan I have taken for his studies? Since we do not have any friends or relatives in Ottawa, we do not have access to any authentic information.”
Hiral Parikh, the mother of a 17-year-old girl from Vadodara, who is about to pursue computer science, said: “I am planning to send my daughter to Canada next year but now there is a feeling of insecurity. I don’t know what to do. I am keeping my options open for other countries.”

“We chose Canada for its policies, like the settlement policy, which is better compared to other countries. It is value for money… But I don’t feel comfortable sending my daughter in such a situation. She is my only daughter, how can I send her to a foreign land amid such uncertainty?” she asked.

The head of a reputed visa consultancy firm in Surat, Vinay Kumar, said, “Fake news is spreading on social media, making students and their parents worried. We are receiving calls from many students and their parents asking whether they can still opt for Canada for higher studies. The students who have flights next month are asking whether they will be able to fly to Canada.”

“Some parents have taken loans from banks and if their children do not go abroad, they would be facing heavy debts. We have even got calls from a couple of banks asking whether they can disburse students’ loans in such a situation.”

“All we can say is that there is nothing to worry. Those students who have already got visas can fly as per their schedule… also no problems would be faced by students who have applied or are applying for student visas. We explained that the Canadian government has not cancelled visas that have already been given to Indian students…,” Vinay said, adding that there has been a 90 per cent increase in the number of students going to Canada for higher studies from Surat and south Gujarat after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Imran Shaikh, a resident of Barrie in Canada and a native Uttar Pradesh, said, “I am a Canadian citizen staying in Barrie since the last two decades. I have a couple of houses, which I give on rent to Indian students studying in colleges in Barrie. I have got inquiries from hundreds of Indian students coming to Barrie next January who want to stay on rent.”

“At present, I have been regularly receiving calls from students and their parents. They
are concerned… I told them that there is nothing to worry, everything is normal. The issue is between the two countries and students will not be affected. For law abiding students, there is nothing to worry in Canada. The current situation between India and Canada will be sorted out in the coming days,” he added.

Software engineer Ayush Patel from Surat, who stays in Scarborough in Toronto district, said the situation is peaceful in Canada. “I have been staying in Canada for the last 10 years… I am getting calls from my worried relatives in India but I told them there is nothing to worry about here. I work in a Canadian company and am treated well. Even when we go out to restaurants with family, the local residents treat us well.”

Sanjay Chawda, an educational consultant based in Vadodara, expressed hope that by January, during the next admission cycle for Canadian universities, both the countries would have sorted their differences.

“Usually in the third week of September, students opting to study in Canada receive their visas for the fall session. A very small number of students apply for colleges in Canada in October and November. The next big intake happens in January, which I feel might get affected… but by then both the countries should have sorted out their differences,” he said.

(With inputs from Parimal Dabhi in Gandhinagar, Ritu Sharma and Rijit Banerjee in Ahmedabad)