Resolve Canadian college fee refund issue of students: Ludhiana West MLA Gurpreet Gogi to IDP

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 25

Gurpreet Gogi, MLA from Ludhiana West, has asked the officials of the IDP company to resolve the issue of hundreds of students whose fees has not been refunded by Canadian colleges after their study visa refusal.

Gogi along with a number of such students and IDP officials from Punjab conducted a meeting at Circuit House here on Monday.

During the meeting, students said they had deposited study fees in three different Canadian colleges, which were suggested by the IDP. These colleges were later shut down. But, their fees had not been refunded by these colleges even after passing of a long time after the rejection of their study visa, they said.

The IDP officials said, “Our company has come to an arrangement with a Canadian institution in Alberta where students can get admission and the IDP has secured this opportunity for students which ensures they will not pay tuition fees for the first year.” “Additionally, they will be eligible for a significant discount on their second year’s tuition fees. In the scenario wherein a student does not get the offer for admission from the institution in Alberta or his/her visa application gets rejected, the IDP will provide interim financial assistance to all such students,” they added.

The IDP has also offered that it will cover the cost of any applicable admission fee and any visa reapplication fees for impacted students who were placed by the IDP’s counsellors. Moreover, the IDP will waive the IELTS test fees if the IELTS validity has lapsed.

But, a number of students in the meeting said they wanted that their fees should be refunded at the earliest as they don’t want to reapply for study visa now. Gogi said the students had deposited fees in those Canadian Colleges which were recommended by IDP. The MLA asked the IDP officials to take the matter seriously and take steps to resolve it. He also asked the officials to make lists of students — one list of those who want to reapply for admission and another list of those students who want their fees to be refunded.

A student, Diksha from Kaithal in Haryana, said, “My parents had taken a loan from a bank and fee of Rs 9 lakh was deposited in a Canadian college that was suggested by the IDP. The firm counsellor had told me that if I apply to that college, it would provide laptop, accommodation and other facilities. I applied for admission to that college in 2019. My visa was refused but my fee has not been refunded to date. Now, I don’t want to go abroad. Thus, my fee should be refunded. We are already under debt.”

Sukhwinder Kaur from Nawanshahr said, “I had applied for admission in 2020 but my fee was not refunded after visa refusal. My parents had borrowed the money to deposit the fee. We are passing through a tough time. I want my fee should be refunded at the earliest.”

Another student said, “If any student wants to reapply for admission as per the IDP’s offer, we have no objection. But, those who don’t want to reapply for study visa, their full fees should be refunded.”

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