Around 500 international students received an email from the Northern College in Ontario informing them that their admission has been revoked.

Toronto (Canada): A college in Canada has revoked admission letters of some students ahead of the start of the school year, leaving at least 500 international students, including Indians, in a limbo. As per a media report on Thursday, the Northern College in Ontario has rescinded the acceptance letters of at least 500 international students, including Indians.

Some of the students had already arrived in Canada when they were informed their offers had been withdrawn, CBC News reported. According to the report, over 500 international students recently received an email from the college informing them that their admission for the coming school year has been revoked.

One of the students, Ashley from Punjab, India, had already booked her flight from Punjab to Toronto and also paid her registration fees. However, over a week ago, Ashley received an email from the Northern College in Ontario, informing her that she was no longer accepted at the school.

“It was very heartbreaking for me. It had a huge impact on my lifestyle,” Ashley said, according to the report.

Ashley, who doesn’t have a last name, received her acceptance letter in February to study healthcare administration at Scarborough’s Pures College of Technology, which is an affiliate of Northern College. She had already applied for a student visa, quit her job in healthcare and booked a one-way ticket to Toronto, news agency PTI reported.

However, following the heartbreaking news, Ashley now remains in India and looks for a solution to her situation. “It was not a normal process for us as international students who have used all the savings that we have had,” Ashley said.

Pures College said it was “ready, willing and able to accept all international students who received letters of admission,” but that its affiliate, Northern College, decided against doing so. As a private college in partnership with a public college, Pures said it doesn’t have the authority to make final decisions on the admissions process.

Northern College says the problem was caused by Canada approving more visas for international students than expected.

Students will be refunded or transferred to different schools, the college said. But some could still be on the hook for cancelled flights and accommodation.

This isn’t the first time international students have been left in limbo by a Toronto school. Last May, hundreds of students said their enrollment was unilaterally suspended by Alpha College of Business and Technology, an affiliate of St. Lawrence College in Ontario.

Meanwhile, Jaspreet Singh, president of the International Sikh Student Association and a member of the World Sikh Organisation, says these situations are indicative of a bigger problem.

“The system is exploiting students,” he said, adding that situations like these aren’t uncommon in Canada.

“The same thing is happening every year…every semester,” CBS News quoted Singh as saying.

An international student is granted permission to study in Canada based on their acceptance to a designated learning institution. International students must present their acceptance letter upon arrival to clear immigration and receive a permit to stay in the country to complete their education.

(With PTI inputs)

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