Red Deer College officials are scrambling to help incoming international students affected when federal visa officers walked off the job at 15 foreign offices.
The move announced on Monday was the latest salvo in a labour dispute between the union representing foreign diplomats and the federal government. Offices in Beijing, Mexico City and New Delhi, London, Paris, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai, among others were affected.
“This has been something we have been watching for a while,” said college president Joel Ward.
Sixty-six international students were expected to start studies in Red Deer this fall and a number of others here are continuing their studies.
Ward said the college’s women’s basketball coach is already helping two players from the Congo, who are stuck in Los Angeles trying to get their paperwork completed.
“It’s really a challenge because they can’t get their visas processed right now because of the work action.”
Another student who wants to play for the men’s basketball team is among the dozens of others whose Red Deer plans are up in the air and may have to rethink their school of choice.
“We’re concerned that if they can’t get in (to Canada) they will choose to go elsewhere like the United States or Britain.
“I know that every one of my colleagues across the country is dealing with this issue in one form or another.”
Ward said the college’s registry staff are going through each international student’s application to determine the status of their study permits and whether they can start school in the fall.
The college has also taken its concerns to local MP Earl Dreeshen’s office, and Ward said MPs across Canada are undoubtedly taking the same calls from post-secondary institutions.
Foreign students contribute an estimated $8 billion annually to the Canadian economy, and the tourism industry says it could lose $280 million because of the job action.
“We’re hopeful that the federal government will intervene and try to get things moving again. But we only have another month before classes start,” said Ward.
“We’re a little worried for those international students, so we will continue to do our best.”
The Association of Community College’s, on whose board Ward sits, is also lobbying on behalf of its members and international students. At some big city Canadian colleges thousands of international students are affected, he said.
At Olds College, staff are also watching closely to see if 25 incoming international students will be affected, said Denise Ayres,
“In the next coming weeks we’ll probably know a little bit more,” said Ayres, the college’s co-ordinator of international engagement.
Canadian colleges and other post-secondary institutions want to be the destinations of choice for international students and application process problems do not help, she said.
At Lacombe, Canadian University College’s admissions officer was on holidays and not available to comment.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com