Headline

Visa Denial: Canadian College Withholds Nigerian Applicant’s Fees

Published

3 years ago

January 5, 2023

A copy of letter from George Brown College denying Ademokun a refund.

A Canadian college, George Brown, has withheld the part-payment of the school fees paid by a Nigerian applicant, Miss Precious Ademokun, who got denied a study visa by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Ademokun who spoke with the CBC News said she had received her admission into a programme at the George Brown College in April and paid CAD8,867 for the first semester fees out of the total of CAD16,872 for both semesters, before applying for a student visa on July 4, adding, “I was told the visa application process could take six to eight weeks.”

The 19-year-old lady maintained that after months of waiting in Nigeria for her study permit application to be processed, she was denied a student visa — and the Toronto college she applied to won’t refund her money.

“I’m very disappointed and sad,” Ademokun told CBC Toronto.

When Ademokun contacted the college on September 19, with no decision on her visa by the IRCC, she missed the school’s refund deadline.

On October 6, she received a decision from the IRCC that her study permit had been denied.

Despite that, the Canadian college told Ademokun it could not refund any of the fees she paid to the school.

She appealed, but the school denied her request for withdrawal and refund in a letter sent to her on December 15.

In a letter sent to Ademokun, George Brown College denied her appeal to withdraw her first tuition deposit of $8,962 because she didn’t meet up with the deadline date.

Observing the institution’s website to validate their claim, it wrote, “In George Brown College, international students who are refused a study permit are eligible for a refund or deferral, if it is requested within their deadline date.”

When the CBC Toronto contacted the school’s registrar, Janene Christiansen, she said in a statement that it values its international students and understands “it is always a huge disappointment when study permits are denied.”

Christiansen added, “The school is ‘following up directly’ with Ademokun to ‘find a resolution.’”

“Now that new information is coming to light, we are following up directly with the individual to gather more details and find a resolution.”

Christiansen also said George Brown College’s international withdrawal and refund policy is aligned with other colleges in Ontario and complies with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities directives, as well as IRCC regulations.

However, she says, the school is reviewing its internal processes and policies to “ensure an improved, clear and transparent process for all prospective students.”

When The PUNCH observed Canada’s website on study permits for international students, it reads that it currently takes up to nine weeks to process.

PUNCH

Headline

US Suspends Work Visas For Nigerian, Foreign Truck Drivers

Published

12 hours ago

August 23, 2025

Editor

The United States government has suspended the issuance of work visas for Nigerian and other foreign truck drivers, citing job security concerns and safety risks for American citizens.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the decision on Thursday, saying it takes immediate effect.

According to him, the rising number of foreign truck drivers on U.S. highways is both threatening lives and reducing opportunities for American truckers.

“Effective immediately, we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.

“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio said.

The move comes under President Donald Trump’s renewed clampdown on immigration since returning to office in January 2025.

As part of new measures, travellers from countries with high visa overstay rates or weak travel databases will be required to pay a bond of $5,000 to $15,000 before obtaining certain categories of visas.

The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria also directed all visa applicants to disclose their social media handles from the past five years, warning that failure to comply could result in denial of applications and possible ineligibility for future visas.

Headline

Judge Orders Closure Of Trump’s Controversial ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Migrant Camp

Published

1 day ago

August 22, 2025

Editor

A US federal judge on Thursday barred the Trump administration and Florida state government from bringing any new migrants to the detention centre known as “Alligator Alcatraz” and ordered much of the site to be dismantled, effectively shuttering the facility.

Florida’s government swiftly announced it would appeal the decision.

The detention centre was hastily assembled in just eight days in June with bunk beds, wire cages and large white tents at an abandoned airfield in Florida’s Everglades wetlands, home to a large population of alligators.

President Donald Trump, who has vowed to deport millions of undocumented migrants, visited the centre last month, boasting about the harsh conditions and joking that the reptilian predators will serve as guards.

Headline

Japan City Mulls Two-hour Daily Smartphone Limit

Published

1 day ago

August 22, 2025

Editor

A Japanese city will urge all smartphone users to limit screen time to two hours a day outside work or school under a proposed ordinance that includes no penalties.

The limit, which will be recommended for all residents in central Japan’s Toyoake City, will not be binding, and there will be no penalties incurred for higher usage, according to the draft ordinance.

The proposal aims “to prevent excessive use of devices causing physical and mental health issues… including sleep problems,” Mayor Masafumi Koki said in a statement on Friday.

The draft urges elementary school students to avoid smartphones after 9:00 pm, and junior high students and older are advised not to use them after 10:00 pm.

The move prompted an online backlash, with many calling the plan unrealistic.

“I understand their intention, but the two-hour limit is impossible,” one user wrote on social media platform X.

“In two hours, I cannot even read a book or watch a movie (on my smartphone),” wrote another.

Others said smartphone use should be a decision for families to make for themselves.

The angry response prompted the mayor to clarify that the two-hour limit was not mandatory, emphasising that the guidelines “acknowledge smartphones are useful and indispensable in daily life”.

The ordinance will be considered next week, and if passed, it will come into effect in October.

In 2020, the western Kagawa region issued a first-of-its-kind ordinance calling for children to be limited to an hour a day of gaming during the week, and 90 minutes during school holidays.

It also suggested children aged 12 to 15 should not be allowed to use smartphones later than 9:00 pm, with the limit rising to 10:00 pm for children between 15 and 18.

Japanese youth spend slightly over five hours on average a day online on weekdays, according to a survey published in March by the Children and Families Agency.