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Alberta Premier: international students must leave when visa expires
Alberta Premier: international students must leave when visa expires
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said international students who cannot obtain permanent residency before their study visa expires must leave Canada. Speaking about protests by Indian students from Portage College whose post-graduation…
The Story in Brief
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said international students who cannot obtain permanent residency before their study visa expires must leave Canada. Speaking about protests by Indian students from Portage College whose post-graduation work permit applications were denied, Smith said the college may have overstated the pathway to permanent residency. She called for a return to a rule-based immigration system and stressed that student visas are temporary documents intended for education, not immigration.
Smith also said Alberta's colleges were built primarily for provincial students. Portage College has said it is seeking clarification on the permit denials but that decisions rest with federal immigration authorities. The controversy highlights growing tensions in Canada over the rapid rise of temporary residents and misleading promises by some institutions.
The Indian Opinion
The Alberta premier's bluntness is rare, but the real culprits are the agents and colleges that sold students a dream of permanent residency without guarantees. Many Indians pay lakhs in fees and tuition for courses that may not even qualify for work permits. The governing party in Ottawa and Alberta both point fingers, but students are left stranded. A concrete test: will Alberta audit Portage College's claims and punish mis-selling, or leave students to fight alone?
Sources (2): hindustantimes.com, livemint.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
