The Nigerian-Canadian Association of New Brunswick has raised an alarm over the hurdles faced by international students, particularly from Nigeria, seeking admission to colleges in the Maritimes, Canada.
President Adebayo Ogunleye raised concerns over the apparent discrepancies in treatment between students from select parts of Africa and those from other countries during the admission process.
Ogunleye highlighted the plight of Nigerian students who had initially received approval from the New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) but later had their applications revoked due to delays in visa processing, preventing them from meeting the stipulated enrollment deadlines.
The delayed visa approvals by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada resulted in students missing NBCC’s enrollment deadline, leading to the unfortunate revocation of their applications.
Ogunleye noted that students were notified that the college had reached its enrollment capacity, further contributing to the rejection of their applications.
His words: “NBCC gave an initial deadline of December,” the Saint John resident said in an interview with Global News on Monday.
“They wouldn’t be able to wait for the students anymore, and their applications had been revoked.”
According to Ogunleye, many of the students had been waiting for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to return visa applications.
He said students were told the college had met its cap, thus revoking some applications.
Responding to the concerns, NBCC President Mary Butler elucidated the comprehensive considerations in setting enrollment targets for various countries.
She cited program availability, visa processing timelines, and diversity. Butler acknowledged the college’s ongoing review of enrollment strategies to ensure responsible and sustainable practices.
Additionally, Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) said ir experienced an overwhelming rise in Nigerian applicants, prompting the institution to cap admissions from the region due to the notable influx over recent years.
Jill Provoe, NSCC’s academic and equity vice-president, acknowledged the challenge of managing a large influx of Nigerian applicants without active international recruitment efforts.
She highlighted the exponential rise in applications from Nigeria and the subsequent need to process a considerable volume while maintaining quality and fairness in the admission process.
