An ongoing strike by foreign service workers is delaying the new school year for many international students who are waiting to begin classes this fall. Due to the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers’ strike, ongoing since April 3, there has been a massive backlog in processing Canadian visas. In response, York has implemented strategies to ensure international students are not affected by this.
“We were proactive in reaching out to our students and giving them an extension for September and additional extensions for January if needed,” says Julie Parna, acting registrar and director of
admissions. “York is lucky in that most of our programs can accept students in January.”
“We have actually seen an increase in international students who have registered with York this year and we are hoping this doesn’t affect future applicants.”
Parna says York knew the strike was coming and planned ahead by offering extensions to both international and domestic students. She says the university sent emails to all new undergraduate international students who were accepted for the 2013-2014 school year.
“We asked about 1,400 students if they needed an extension letter until January, and we had over 65 students who have replied back indicating they needed an extension letter,” she says.
“This a small number compared to the number who have accepted the offer. Each year we get approximately half of that number who request an extension or deferral.”
When asked about this decline in international applicants, Parna says that she hopes the strike doesn’t last too long, as Canada has a strong reputation for housing international students. She does not foresee this strike affecting York application rates.
“We have actually seen an increase in international students who have registered with York this year and we are hoping this doesn’t affect future applicants,” she adds.
“It’s very hard to plan right now for the summer, so we are hoping the students who couldn’t come for September can come for January,” says Parna, who hopes the strike will be resolved by JanuarySixty-five students stuck abroad due to strike
