After over a year of mostly virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Canadian colleges and universities are preparing to open their doors for in-person classes this fall.
Some international students say they are overcoming huge hurdles to get back to campus amid travel restrictions tied to the pandemic. They say online learning was a necessary solution in the interim but fell short of what they expected from a university experience in Canada.
CBC News spoke with four international students whose journeys to pursue post-secondary education in Canada have been anything but ordinary.
Noime Florece, 28
Bernardo Florece III, middle, and Noime Florece, right, travelled to Canada this summer before Noime begins her studies at Humber College. After they settle in, they hope their son, Paul, left, will be able to join them in Canada. (Submitted by Noime and Bernardo Florece)
Noime Florece and her husband, Bernardo Florece III, 31, arrived at the airport in Manila, Philippines, on July 7 to travel to Canada, only to be told at the check-in desk that they weren’t allowed to travel because her classes were more than four weeks away from starting.
Noime plans to study tourism at Humber College in Toronto and her classes only begin in September.
There is no specific rule on how early an international student can arrive before classes start, said a spokesperson from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
But a Canada Border Services Agency officer could view a student arriving far in advance of the start of their program as a non-essential traveller, the spokesperson said, referring to the IRCC’s response to a question on Twitter on the issue.
1/3 Hi. You should travel to Canada to give yourself enough time to complete your 14-day quarantine before you need to be in class. A border services officer might think you are travelling for tourism or entertainment purposes if you travel to Canada far
“If there’s any advice that we could give, people should regularly check the flight requirements,” said Bernardo.
“It’s quite tough for us because we spent a lot of time and effort.”
Noime and Bernardo received a 50 per cent refund on their tickets and rebooked their flights. They finally left Manila on Aug. 10.
They are now quarantining at Noime’s aunt’s house in Mississauga because they are not fully vaccinated and hope their 3-year-old son, Paul, will join them from the Philippines once they are settled here.
“I want to experience the life of a student in Canada, and I also want to gain more work experience here so that when I go back to the Philippines I can build my own business,” said Noime.
“[Travelling] was quite stressful, but we’re happy it’s all done.”
Pritish Mishra, 27
Pritish Mishra, 27, has been trying to travel from India to Canada to continue his PhD studies in computer science at the University of Toronto. Mishra still hasn’t received his study permit, though he applied for one over a year ago. (Submitted by Pritish Mishra)
Pritish Mishra has almost completed the first year of his PhD in computer science at the University of Toronto. And he’s done it almost entirely from India.
After applying for his study permit in June last year, he was excited to begin his studies in Canada come September. But with long delays in processing, he has yet to receive the permit and isn’t sure if he’ll be able to get into the country anytime soon.
According to EduCanada, it can take up to three months to get a study permit, depending on the country you are applying from. But after waiting for his permit to be processed for over a year, Mishra still doesn’t have the document necessary for him to travel to Canada for school.
“Over this last year, my research has been seriously affected,” he said.
“It’s hard to collaborate with colleagues. My professor had to pull a lot of strings to get equipment to me in India. The mental pressure is huge.”
Mishra says he contacts the IRCC using their online web form every month to ask why his study permit is still being processed.
Mishra fills out the IRCC online web form every month to ask why his study permit is still being processed over a year after applying. The response Mishra typically receives from IRCC is that, although the required documents have been received, processing times have been affected by the pandemic. (Submitted by Pritish Mishra)
Every time, Mishra says they send him the same online response — that although the required documents for his permit have been received, processing times have been affected by the pandemic.
His PhD program usually provides stipends to students for completing research, but since Mishra doesn’t have his study permit, he can’t obtain his social insurance number. As a result, his stipend has been put on hold.
“I haven’t been paid anything for one year,” Mishra said.
“I have used up all of my savings over this one year, surviving. You are always under pressure whether you will be able to complete your PhD or not.”
Isaiah Colthrust, 22
Isaiah Colthrust, 22, studies digital enterprise management at the University of Toronto. He made a video documenting his 14-day quarantine experience when he returned to Canada from Trinidad and Tobago in January. (Submitted by Isaiah Colthrust)
When the pandemic hit last spring, Isaiah Colthrust, a fourth-year University of Toronto undergraduate student, travelled back to Trinidad and Tobago to be with family.
After months of lessons online, Colthrust came back to Canada in January since he had a job as a residence assistant that allowed him to stay at the university’s Mississauga campus, where he is studying digital enterprise management.
When he came back to Toronto, he was forced to quarantine in the Chelsea Hotel in Toronto for two weeks and filmed his self-isolation experience.
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“[Isolation] was pretty mind-numbingly boring,” said Colthrust.
“That’s why I made a video about [my quarantine experience], because it took up a lot of my time.”
In his YouTube video, Colthrust shares tips on how to stay mentally and physically fit – and how to wash your clothes in the sink – all from the comfort of a hotel room.
Dikshita Nath, 31
Dikshita Nath, 31, is working on her PhD in civil engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Nath is from India and has faced travel roadblocks on her journey to Canada for school. (Submitted by Dikshita Nath)
Dikshita Nath planned to travel from India to Vancouver on August 11 to pursue her PhD in civil engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Indian students who wish to travel to Canada must obtain a negative COVID-19 test result from a third country before coming to Canada due to an extended travel ban on flights from India until Sept. 21.
Nath, who began the first semester of her PhD online during the summer, planned to travel with a friend from Mumbai to the United Kingdom to Mexico – where she would take a COVID-19 test – and then finally to Vancouver.
But Nath’s plans were complicated by mixed messages and quickly changing travel protocols. Nath said she understood that her journey through London’s Heathrow airport did not involve passing through U.K. border control or entering the U.K. before getting on her connecting flight to Mexico.
However, Nath says British Airways told her in Mumbai that she could not board her flight because she did not meet the necessary requirements to enter the U.K. because she did not have a spouse in the country.
When asked about Nath’s case, a British Airways spokesperson said she did not meet the entry/exit requirements and that customers should check the latest travel information before departure as well as entry requirements for their destination.
“We ran from one airline counter to the other, asking if there were [other] tickets available,” said Nath.
“It was quite a night.”
After hours at Mumbai airport searching for other flights, Nath checked into a traveller’s hostel in Mumbai that night, where she has stayed with all her luggage for over a week.
Her new plan is to get on a charter flight from Mumbai to Cairo on Sunday – where she will take her COVID-19 test – and then travel from Cairo to Toronto. Then, she plans to fly from Toronto to Vancouver to finally pursue in-person experiments as part of her PhD program.
“It’s been really hard because at one moment I’m so hopeful and at another moment I’m like, I should give up that opportunity [in Vancouver] and stay in India and find a job,” said Nath.
“It has been difficult, but it’s forced me to be stronger.”
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers placed All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve because of his lingering calf and Achilles tendon injuries.
The move made Saturday means McCaffrey will miss at least four more games after already sitting out the season opener. He is eligible to return for a Thursday night game in Seattle on Oct. 10.
McCaffrey got hurt early in training camp and missed four weeks of practice before returning to the field on a limited basis last week. He was a late scratch for the opener on Monday night against the Jets and now is sidelined again after experiencing pain following practice on Thursday.
McCaffrey led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns, winning AP Offensive Player of the Year.
The Niners made up for McCaffrey’s absence thanks to a strong performance from backup Jordan Mason, who had 28 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco’s 32-19 victory over the New York Jets. Mason is set to start again Sunday at Minnesota.
After missing 23 games because of injuries in his final two full seasons with Carolina, McCaffrey had been healthy the past two seasons.
He missed only one game combined in 2022-23 — a meaningless Week 18 game last season for San Francisco when he had a sore calf. His 798 combined touches from scrimmage in the regular season and playoffs were the third most for any player in a two-year span in the past 10 years.
Now San Francisco will likely rely heavily on Mason, a former undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech who had 83 carries his first two seasons. He had at least 10 touches just twice before the season opener, when his 28 carries were the most by a 49ers player in a regular-season game since Frank Gore had 31 against Seattle on Oct. 30, 2011.
The Niners also have fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. on the active roster. Guerendo played three offensive snaps with no touches in the opener. Taylor had 65 carries for Green Bay from 2021-23.
San Francisco also elevated safety Tracy Walker III from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against Minnesota.
BRUSSELS – Canada walked away with some hardware at the Diamond League track and field competition Saturday.
Alysha Newman finished third in women’s pole vault, while Marco Arop did the same in the men’s 800-metre race.
Newman won a bronze medal in her event at the recent Paris Olympics. Arop grabbed silver at the same distance in France last month.
Australia’s Nina Kennedy, who captured gold at the Summer Games, again finished atop the podium. Sandi Morris of the United States was second.
Newman set a national record when she secured Canada’s first-ever pole vault medal with a bronze at the Olympics with a height of 4.85 metres. The 30-year-old from London, Ont., cleared 4.80 metres in her second attempt Saturday, but was unable conquer 4.88 metres on three attempts.
Arop, a 25-year-old from Edmonton, finished the men’s 800 metres with a time of one minute 43.25 seconds. Olympic gold medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya was first with a time of 1:42.70.
Djamel Sedjati, edged out by Arop for silver in Paris last month, was second 1:42.87
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
MILAN (AP) — Bologna’s preparations for its Champions League debut are not going well though it managed to spoil Como’s first Serie A home match in 21 years on Saturday.
Bologna came from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw to gather three points from its opening four matches.
Bologna hosts Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday. Its only other appearance in Europe’s top competition was in 1964 in the preliminary round of the old European Cup.
AC Milan is also winless as it prepares for a Tuesday Champions League match against Liverpool. The Rossoneri hosted promoted Venezia later. Juventus drew at Empoli 0-0.
Como made a great start in the fifth minute when Patrick Cutrone attempted to roll the ball across the six-yard box but it took a huge deflection off Bologna defender Nicolò Casale for an own goal.
Bologna thought it was gifted a way back into the match on the stroke of halftime when referee Marco Piccinini signalled for a penalty following an Alberto Moreno handball, but he revoked his decision and instead gave a free kick because the handball was just outside the area.
Bologna improved after the break but found itself further behind when Cutrone raced onto a through ball and cut inside past a defender and fired into the far bottom corner.
Tommaso Pobega hit the post for Bologna, which finally pulled one back in the 76th through substitute Santiago Castro.
Another substitute helped the visitors snatch a point when Samuel Iling-Junior curled a fine strike into the top left corner in stoppage time.
Unbeaten sides
Juventus, and more surprisingly Empoli, are among six unbeaten sides.
Empoli held Monza and Bologna to draws either side of a shock 2-1 win at Roma. Juventus’ perfect start to the season was ruined by Roma in a goalless draw before the international break.
On Saturday, there were few clearcut chances in Empoli although home goalkeeper Devis Vásquez made spectacular saves to fingertip out a Federico Gatti header and deny Dusan Vlahovic in a one on one with the Juventus forward.
Empoli had a good opportunity in the 73rd minute following an Alberto Grassi one-two with Pietro Pellegri but the finish was straight at Mattia Perin.
The host could have won it right at the death but Gatti flew in with a great sliding block to keep out Emanuel Gyasi’s close-range effort.
Juventus hosts PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday.
