Paperwork backlog leaves international students in B.C. in limbo
Global News
Ekam Sandhu believes his work permit application was incorrectly rejected, but he's now stuck waiting months to reapply and can't work in the meantime.
A backlog of paperwork being blamed on the pandemic has thrown the lives of many international students living in British Columbia into limbo.
Among them is Ekam Sandhu, a 20-year-old student from India, who recently graduated with a diploma in tourism from B.C.’s Hanson College.
Like many international students, Sandhu was seeking to secure a work permit and a job, starting the path to permanent residency.
But he told Global News he learned last month that his work permit application was denied, with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) telling him graduates from his school were not eligible.
Sandhu said that doesn’t make sense, as many of his classmates in the same program were approved.
“I was completely shocked. I had no idea why my application was refused, and she stated that your college is not eligible. After studying so hard for 16 months and paying $32,000 in fees, and now I’m not even allowed to work or stay in this country — it seems unfair to me,” he said.
The refusal leaves Sandhu in a difficult spot.
While he is allowed to re-apply, the process takes months, and he no longer has status in Canada — meaning he can’t work and doesn’t have MSP coverage.
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