M College in Montreal, CDE College in Sherbrooke, and CCSQ College in Longueuil have all been declared bankrupt in February 2022. These colleges collected millions of dollars in tuition fees from these students before closing. They were run by the same recruiting firm, Rising Phoenix International (RPI) Inc.
1. Budget-Friendly - While other colleges were charging nearly CAD 16,000 to 20,000, the colleges in Montreal were accepting admissions with an economical fee structure that ranges from CAD 10,000 to 13,000.
2. Fewer bands requirement - Colleges in Montreal were giving immediate admission to students with a band requirement of 5-5.5 bands in one or two modules. Due to this, many students were able to apply to study in Canada.
3. Post Graduate Work Permit - Not all Private colleges in Toronto and Vancouver provides post-graduate work permit to their students. But, in Montreal, this option was available to all the students of all the colleges.
Due to the above reasons, many students were applying to study in Montreal. The colleges were accepting a large number of applications and thus, increased their infrastructure to accommodate more students. Meanwhile, the Canadian government conducted an audit and refused to accept applications for Montreal. Many colleges were unable to cope with expenses and ultimately declared themselves bankrupt.
After the audit, the Canadian visa refusal rate was very high for Montreal Colleges. Earlier, many applications were delayed and later on denied.
M College in Montreal, CDE College in Sherbrooke, and CCSQ College in Longueuil are the colleges that have been declared bankrupt. Around 2,000 Indian students were studying in these colleges. In India, over 700 students were enrolled in online programs. Students who were studying remotely are still waiting for their money to get refunded.
A case has been filed in Quebec Court in the same regard. According to Court, to be eligible for a refund, students will have to reapply to the same three colleges. If after reapplying, their student visas are refused again for whatever reason, they will not get the fee refund.
This will help students in their future.