Niagara chef school shut, Indian student chefs asked to return to India for getting tuition refunds

Ontario, Canada, 2nd March: Province has shut down Niagara chef school following raids by Canada ministry and border patrol.

Students of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Culinary School in Ontario had alleged they were being used as cheap labor in the school. 

The school was closed by the provincial government nearly two weeks ago after several allegations of illegal operations of the school. The school was also involved in issuing bogus certificates to students for the courses which they never studied. 

As of now, nearly 50 Indians on student visa to Canada are still uncertain of their fate. They even don’t know whether they will get back their tuition fees or not. All these Indians on Canadian student visa had arrived in Canada as part of a co-op agreement between Niagara-on-the-Lake Culinary School, Ontario, Canada and two colleges in Mumbai (India). 

The school is operated jointly by Geoffrey Bray-Cotton and Janice Bartley, his wife, who is an authorized immigration consultant in Canada and also the registrar of the culinary school in Ontario, Canada. She also teaches some courses in this private career college. 

Meanwhile, a student chef on Canada student visa studying in the culinary school in Ontario has been given warning by his school in India.

The authorities of the ITM Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai, cautioned Sanjeev Mishra that he was likely to face ‘repatriation’ (process of returning the person back to his native place). 

Also, the authorities asked to serve up contact information to all other Indian students. Mishra is among 11 students who have filed complaints against the college. While six students also lodged formal complaints regarding their Canadian visa, Canada work permit, and passport issues to the Canada Border Services Agency, the remaining 5 have lodged complaints with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities in Canada. 

Since, Mishra, one of 50 students enrolled in the private culinary college in Ontario, felt totally confused about the responses so far relating to the tuition fee refund, so he consulted his college in Mumbai for appropriate guidance. 

And the answer for his problems came in the form of a warning issued by chairman and founder of ITM group of management schools in Mumbai, India, Dr. P.V. Ramana. Ramana cautioned Mishra of possible cancellation of his Canada student visa and his repatriation to India.

Also, Ramana asked Mishra to cancel his entry visa and come back to India if he wants refund of his tuition fees. 

He had quit his International Chef Diploma Program at the Niagara school earlier this year.