Acceptance revoked for many international students after NBCC deadline change

Adebayo Ogunleye's phone has been ringing off the hook almost daily for three months.

As president of the Nigerian-Canadian Association of New Brunswick, he's getting messages from concerned Nigerian international students applying to the New Brunswick Community College.

A deadline change for international students to submit immigration documents to NBCC — after they were already accepted — led to the college cancelling their admission.

Additionally, the college has stopped accepting applications from students from Nigeria and Ghana for the 2024-2025 school year.

"Definitely the trust is broken," said Ogunleye, whose list of impacted students has reached about 40.

"This affects students in terms of their career, it has also affected them psychologically because the career is hanging [on] the opportunity for them to forward their education," Ogunleye said.

International students applying to start at NBCC in January were initially given a deadline of Dec. 8 to submit proof of a study permit, the government visa allowing them into the country.

But by September, NBCC had changed this deadline to Nov. 17. Delays at the federal level to issue study permits meant the students did not receive their study permits by the new date.

A screenshot of the NBCC website, showing the new Nov. 17 deadline, says: "Any documents received after this time will be considered late, resulting in the cancellation of your application and admission."

On Nov. 20, just days after the moved-up deadline passed, the college sent emails to the students who could not submit their study permits in time.

Their acceptance had been cancelled.

"The decision is final," the email said.

But any possibility to re-apply or defer to the following semester, fall 2024, was also off the table, because of the cap on admitting any more Nigerian students.

CBC News received a letter signed by 21 Nigerian students applying to NBCC, who had all been affected by the deadline change, but none were comfortable giving an interview.

"They are in a very vulnerable position because of the fear of retribution, and that's why you find out so many are not willing to come up and speak," said Ogunyele.

The students' letter said the deadline change happened "out of nowhere," and they had applied to the government for study permits with the Dec. 8 deadline in mind, not Nov. 17.

"Circumstances beyond our influence on our study permit applications have impeded our academic pursuits, disrupted our plans and caused undue mental stress," the letter said.

Ogunleye said his association reached out to NBCC for answers but did not hear back. 

In Canada, international students who have already been accepted at a university or college and have received a study permit from the government cannot simply change schools.

They must restart the school application process and, once approved, reapply to the government for a whole new study permit.

He believes the decision will make Nigerians think twice before applying to NBCC and that it's had a "ripple effect" on the Nigerian community in the province.

"I am sending out an appeal to the management of NBCC to try and reconsider their stand and consider the fact that so many students would lose their opportunity to go after their dreams." 

No new applicants

On NBCC's website, there is notice on the screen for applicants from Nigeria and Ghana.

"If you have been redirected to this page, this indicates that we have reached our strategic enrolment target for your country," the website says.

"Regrettably, this means we are no longer able to accept new applications from your 'Country of Citizenship' for the fall 2024 term."

CBC News requested an interview with NBCC president Mary Butler on two separate days. A spokesperson for the college said she was unavailable for an interview both times, but sent email statements attributed to Butler.

In the statements, Butler said the deadline change was because of "significant international growth during our Fall intake." She said the change was communicated to international students "more than eight weeks prior," on Sept. 13 and again on Sept. 22.

Processing times for study permits are currently listed as 10 weeks on the federal government website. 

As for the cap on students from the two countries, Butler said NBCC has 2,168 international students this year, and roughly a third are from the two countries: 622 students from Nigeria and 87 from Ghana.

She cited "strategic enrolment targets" for why the college was capping admission from these two countries.

Butler said that NBCC considers many factors, such as program availability, visa processing times and approval rates, under-represented regions, and diversity when it comes up with these targets.

Nigeria and Ghana were the only two countries to meet or exceed their target numbers, Butler said in the email.

8 programs cancelled

The students' struggle comes after NBCC cancelled eight programs, leaving international students in limbo.

Other universities in the province approach the issue of international enrolment numbers in different ways.

The University of New Brunswick does not impose any enrolment caps, and Crandall University in Moncton has "balanced application targets" for students by region.

Mount Allison University in Sackville has admissions goals for different regions, but does not impose a strict enrolment cap by country.

The Université de Moncton said it had stopped accepting any international students for this winter because of an "excessive" number of applications.

St. Thomas University in Fredericton said it was too small to have this policy.

'Thriving' Nigerian community a draw

In explaining why the number of Nigerian students is so high at NBCC, Ogunleye said many students hear about the college online, from family members "or as a result of the thriving Nigerian community in New Brunswick."

He said since coming to the province in 2018, he's seen the Nigerian population double from 2,000 to about 4,000, by his estimate. He said UNB, Crandall and Université de Moncton also have sizeable Nigerian student populations.

Ogunleye said the Nigerian community, which includes many entrepreneurs and doctors, has made positive contributions to the province. 

"That alone has given us a boost and increased the attraction for other Nigerians — and even well beyond Nigerians — for wanting to come to New Brunswick," he said.

Study permit delays

In an email, Erin Kerbel, a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said international applicants are encouraged to apply for study permits "as soon as possible" after being accepted to a school to avoid delays.

"With unprecedented interest in Canada from applicants all over the world, IRCC continues to set the bar higher for immigration processing," Kerbel said, adding that action is being taken to reduce backlogs and hire more staff to process applications.

The statement also said the department does not have jurisdiction over how universities and colleges manage student acceptance and deadlines.

"In Canada, the responsibility for public policy related to education resides with the provinces," Kerbel said.

However, Paul Bradley, a spokesperson for the New Brunswick Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, said "the provincial government does not play a role in post-secondary admissions or in the issuance of study permits."

Bradley said international students coming to schools here face high competition, "and foreign nationals can face many challenges before arriving in New Brunswick."

The statement said that NBCC has made the department "aware of these challenges."

"While the department shares a close relationship, NBCC manages its own admissions process," Bradley said.