BC girl

Hello all.


I am desperately look financial help! I have just successfully completed a course at a college in Ontario and about to graduate. Unfortunately for me I have had a string off bad luck since I have been here. Money stolen the night before I arrived by 'friends' helping me to finish packing, could not get a job for nearly year to help me so I won't have money to carry me through and list goes on. Unless I can find $5,000 the college won't give me my diploma or a letter to give to CIC so I can applu6for my posy graduate work permit. I have no family and if I have to go home when my visa runs out in mid July, I will be homeless as those in had discussed staying with if I had to return can no longer house me. I am very distressed and SCARED. I have become apart of my community, I volunteer and have loads of Canadian friends. Does anyone know of any charity or expat group who can help me???

Siouxie

Oh dear, it sounds like you have gone through the mill!

Why does your college require you to pay them $5000 to receive your diploma?

Have you discussed your situation with your friends in Canada or any of the contacts you have made volunteering?

Unfortunately, there is very little financial help available for international students and I'm not sure what to suggest. You could try contacting the colleges financial aid department and see if they are able to offer any advice.

PMM

Hi


1. It is usual if a student owes money to the college/university, they won't release the degree until they are paid.

Aviator

Your friends and or family. If you become homeless there are shelters that can help.

scilly

is this a true story????????????

vikingsail

If this is valid then I suggest a 'blog' forum is not the best place to request assistance. My first call would be to the College you mention and the no doubt multiple resources available there for people in your or similar circumstances.

If its not valid I suggest you may find gainful employment in Nigeria or one of the Stan's, send a sample of your work and away you go.

BC girl

100% TRUE! I don't really have any family who can help or friends. I have told the school I want to stay in Canada and will work and pay them back; they still refused. I have health problems so staying in a shelter is a bit upsetting. In spite of my health I have always worked and got on with living.

BC girl

Nigeria?????

Why would I want to go there???? I have spoken to the school that's why I am here asking for advice. I am trying to stay here not move to Africa!

BC girl

The financial department is more for local students not International. They don't really do much for us.

Snowy560

As PMM says, the college will not allow you to graduate until you pay the fees. So you will have to borrow it or find the money somehow (soon if you want to apply for a PGWP).

BC girl

Do you know of any agency in Canada that will lend to a student that has successfully passed their course and will be given a work permit due to that successful completion?


Thank you.

quiltman

No! All I can suggest is see if the College will allow you to make payments over time. Surely when you started the course you knew the terms and conditions including, I assume, that all fees had to be paid before you could graduate? you say your visa runs out in July so you may have to go home - where is home? The UK?

asking strangers for money always raises a big red flag . I'll go now to avoid saying something I'd regret later!

Vulcanoid

My instinctive reaction is that your best options are probably past tense. You're unlikely to qualify for a loan in Canada on a study permit, you're unlikely to qualify for a loan in Britain as you're in Canada, and you're unlikely to get anything from your school's financial office as a non-Canadian. This is why CIC demand proof you can pay at least a year of everything upfront at the study permit application stage.

You don't say how long your course was, but with the reference to wanting a PGWP and not working for the first year, that implies a multi-year course. That means you've had time to prepare for this, after knowing you'd had some financial mishaps. Educational institutions typically won't let you graduate if you have as little as library fines outstanding, so a $5k tuition bill unpaid would never have let you get your diploma, or qualify for the PGWP.

Since you can't now plan better in the past, you probably need to see if your friends can help, or give up and go home. If you were wondering, no, the UK consulate won't pay for your flight, even if you're broke.

BristolUK

Credit card still current from when working in the UK?

plasticcanuck

So a recognized college/university in Canada will allow a foreign student to study without being paid upfront? I'm very sceptical that this would happen. The original post appears to me as a scam attempt.