An organizer involved in Alberta protests over international students’ post-graduation work permit troubles says he is now looking at opening a college of his own in Canada.
The organizer posted an Instagram story this week asking followers to connect him with anyone involved with a Canadian college.
“Please contact me,” he wrote, saying “we” are thinking about opening a college and need “some help or data.”
“We can also do partnership with him/her,” the post continued, according to a translation.
International students have been protesting in Alberta after their applications for post-graduation work permits were refused. The students argued they enrolled believing their studies would qualify them for the permits and have demanded Ottawa reconsider their cases.
Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab has rejected claims that Ottawa changed the eligibility rules, saying non-credit programs were never eligible for post-graduation work permits.
The protests have so far failed to secure the permits students sought. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told Juno News in July that former students whose visas have expired and who do not have permanent residency “need to go home.”
The dispute escalated earlier this month when Canada Border Services Agency officers attended the Calgary protest. The border agency later told Juno that 20 people had their immigration status checked and 12 were identified as potentially inadmissible to Canada.
Juno News did not receive a response when we reached out to the organizer to ask for clarification on his stated interest in starting a private college.
The organizer did not specify where the proposed college would be located, what programs it would offer or whether it would cater to international students.
He has been among those involved in protests by international students in Alberta who say they came to Canada expecting their studies would make them eligible for post-graduation work permits, only to encounter refusals.
In a July social media post about the dispute, the organizer highlighted that students received refusals from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and accused their college of refusing to help.
His Instagram posts do not say whether the plans for a new college have gained any traction, nor do they establish any kind of financing or regulatory approval.
Open whatever you want in YOUR OWN country!!!