Official Languages committee  Yes. He spoke about speeding up the process, and that's something we should all work on together, particularly the federal government and the provincial government. Sometimes, you're just handed a sheet of paper and it takes months if not years. It's true, of course, that COVID-19 made things worse, but I don't think it's the main factor that discourages people and leads to all the abuses.

Official Languages committee  We certainly do sometimes get the impression that there is a a high turnover rate. I noticed some really extreme cases this year. The students arrived at the airport, and were sent back home. They had to pay for another ticket, which can sometimes cost over $2,000. It happened because they arrived in the middle of a term.

Official Languages committee  That might indeed be effective. It's a problem that exists around the world. Some of our students often go to other countries. They travel in order to get a visa. It could help, particularly if the provincial and federal governments work together.

Official Languages committee  What he has said is true. The biggest problem may be the enormous number of agencies all over the place that take advantage of people. I think that if we can work together, we need to look at all the information and make sure that it's not confusing. Sometimes, people go to the appropriate location but then feel lost, and have to call on someone for help.

Official Languages committee  Exactly.

Official Languages committee  I just like to point out that in Quebec, France and Belgium are exempt from the lump sum amount. For undergraduate studies, they pay tuition fees at the same rate as Canadians, which is about $4,000 per term. There were plans to do this for other francophone countries, but it never happened.

Official Languages committee  Usually, it's because of the financial evidence they need to supply. Normally, for the first study permit application, it's often the consulate that does the checking. Quebec often accepts the application, but then finds itself in the black box. If we were at least told that it was a money problem, then we would know that the financial evidence was inadequate.

Official Languages committee  Thank you very much. You're absolutely right. I fully agree with you. Many of the problems lie with the red tape. There are many applications and many institutions that admit students from abroad, but in the paperwork, many permits are refused because there is no evidence that the student will leave after graduating.

Official Languages committee  That's exactly what we don't know, what's in the black box. In other words, do we really want to welcome francophones, but also maintain a certain balance, and not have too many black people all at once or people who are wearing veils. It's certainly more difficult to attract someone from countries like France and Belgium.

Official Languages committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and committee members. I'd like to thank you for having invited me to talk about my experience as an immigrant, first of all, and also as someone who spends a lot of time working with immigrants. In my comments, I want to place an emphasis on students, because they represent a clientele of interest to Canada, and in fact of interest to many countries.