Foreign students to be affected by Canada visa delays

Canada, 5th May: The recent announcement by Canadian government to close a number of Canada visa offices will have a direct effect on the international students aspiring to come and study in Canada.

This has been revealed by some schools in Canada.

Visa closure catches nations off guard--Last week, Canada government had announced its decision to shutter its visa offices in Bangladesh, Germany, Malaysia, Japan and Iran.

Several foreign diplomats say such a decision by Canadian government without any prior notice needs to be revisited. It is really a surprise and will be a troubling issue, admits Hayati Binti Ismail, a Malaysian High Commissioner.

The government of Canada must have given some prior notice of its intention to do so. The federal government announced to shut down its five visa offices on April 30, 2012 all of a sudden. The step is aimed to reduce spending to the tune of $5.2 billion in the period of next three years.

Such a drastic move will have serious repercussions on the business and travel relations of Canada between various nations. Moreover, it will also make things difficult for foreign students in such nations wanting to pursue studies in Canada.

Effect on foreign students wanting to study in Canada--Applicants from the nations where Canada government decided to close its visa offices will face a chaotic situation. Those who had lodged Canada student visa applications for processing at such Canada embassies will be left wondering about the next possible step.

The matter is of serious concern for such international students since their applications for Canada student visas will now get processed from other nations, feels president of the Canadian Association of Public Schools International, Brent Poole.

The changes are going to increase waiting times for getting their Canada student visas or Canada working holiday visas, adds Poole.

This will compel many foreign students to seek alternative options by choosing to study in other nations, he states.

Since, several other nations including the UK and Australia have less waiting periods as compared to nearly 13 weeks for getting Canada study visa, so, Canada’s loss in this case will be other nations’ gain, Poole affirms.