International students from India are protesting in Calgary after being denied post-graduation work permits. They say they spent tens of thousands of dollars on Canadian diplomas believing they would qualify.
While roughly 1,000 former students have been protesting for days outside IRCC offices in Calgary, five to six graduates have escalated the demonstration into a round-the-clock hunger strike, demanding the federal government review their rejected post-graduation work permit (PGWP) applications.
The dispute centres on diploma programs delivered through Portage College and the Canadian Institute of Osteopathic Therapy.
Students say they enrolled when the programs appeared to qualify for PGWPs, paid roughly $32,000 in tuition and completed two years of study, only to later be told their diplomas were considered “non-credit” programs that do not qualify for a work permit.
