Three universities in the Canadian province of Quebec closed abruptly this month. M College in Montreal, CDE College in Sherbrooke and CCSQ College in Longueuil had asked for large tuition fees before closing. College in Montreal, CCSQ College in Longueuil and CDE College in Sherbrooke, all led by Rising Phoenix International Inc, had received millions of dollars as student tuition fees before closing abruptly. The students, who have moved to different places to live with friends or family, claim they have been deceived and have asked the Canadian government to intervene.
Students wishing to explore higher education in Canada are also urged to thoroughly research the credentials and reputation of the school to which they are applying. The three universities, M College in Montreal, CDE College in Sherbrooke and CCSQ College in Longueuil, had more than 700 Indian students, according to a report published in Immigration News Canada. The high commission also warned Indian students planning higher education in Canada to conduct thorough checks of the institution's credentials and position before applying for admission and making any payments to such institutions. The institutions were created by Rising Phoenix International Inc — M College in Montreal, CED College in Sherbrooke and CCSQ College in Longueuil, Quebec.
Indian High Commission Issues Advice for Students Affected by Closure of Three Institutions in Canada. International students from India prefer to study in Canada rather than in the United States due to Ottawa's relaxed immigration policies and the acceptance of Canadians to people of diverse cultures according to Immigration. Students from the above-mentioned universities were reportedly asked to pay outstanding fees (from 9 lakh to 17.7 lakh rupees) in advance, just before the universities closed for winter holidays on 30 November. The High Commission said it has been in close contact with the federal government of Canada, the provincial government of Quebec and Canadian representatives of the Indian community to provide support to affected students and to resolve this issue.
According to information, 1,173 students were studying in person at the three universities in Montreal, while 637 were taking online classes from home in Punjab and elsewhere. The three universities, M College in Montreal, CDE College in Sherbrooke and CCSQ College in Longueuil, shortly after pushing up deadlines for tuition fees and requiring students to pay sizeable amounts all of a sudden, issued a notice to students earlier this month that they would close completely. The three universities, M College in Montreal, CED College in Sherbrooke and CCSQ College in Longueil, had reportedly applied for creditor protection and blamed their financial crisis on the coronavirus disease (Covid-1 pandemic). Solidarity protest in Brampton yesterday to demand justice for the more than 2,000 international students who have been left in crisis since 3 private universities (CCSQ, M College, CDE) %26 a connected recruitment company in Montreal went bankrupt.
The application for creditor protection comes just over a year after Quebec began investigating several private universities, including M College and CDE College, for questionable recruitment practices for students in India. The three universities involved were led by the same recruitment company, Rising Phoenix International (RPI) Inc, according to a report by CBC News from Canada. Speaking to The Tribune, Manjot Singh from Amritsar, who was pursuing a course in network administration, said his parents had raised Rs 17,52-lakh in loan for his university fee. .
