News september 18, 2002 the other press International Students Asked to Leave SFU Post 9/11 Rules Catch Students by Surprise Mohamad Et Masri The Peak VANCOUVER (CUP)—Over 100 international students at Simon Fraser University will be told to drop out of their courses and leave school. Students holding study permits are facing strict regulations caused by changes to federal immigration regula- tions that came into effect this past June, to which universities across Canada are being forced to adhere. Before the new regulations, students who were out of status could be rein- stated. Effective June 28, students must ensure that they satisfy and meet all the criteria on their study permits. Conditions placed on the permits out- line where and how long a student can study, in accordance with the federal government’ policies. The main problem, according to international student advisor Chris Breedyk, is that students are taking the criteria for granted and paying atten- tion only to when their study period ends. “Students are not looking at whether the permit allows them to switch insti- tutions or place of residence,” said Breedyk. “They come here and study, and their friends tell them that it’s all right to change schools whenever they want and that they don't have to do any paperwork.” The ramifications of this, she says, are that students must now be rein- stated and restored to status before they can continue studies. If students are still within the 90-day period since infraction of the conditions on their permits, they can be restored with a $200 penalty payment. The problems start when students delay going to Immigration Canada to update their permits and go beyond the sanctioned 90-day buffer period to restore them- selves, in which case they are asked to drop their classes. “Many students have been at SFU now for two or three semesters on a college permit,” said Breedyk. “[That] means they either have to reapply for a new permit which allows them to be at a university or leave school.” While the effects of the new regula- tions are hitting students across the board, Simon Fraser Student Society Executive Member Clement Apaak, who is also the Canadian Federation of Students International Student Commissioner, says students most affected by the new policies will be those who transferred to SFU from local colleges. “For some reason a lot of students who transferred from colleges took for granted the fact that they had to go to Immigration to change their study permit from college to university,” Apaak says. “Some of these people have been in university for close to three to four years, and some are even about to graduate. They are being asked to abandon their studies.” Breedyk emphasizes that the new BC Rivers Day Kerry Evans OP Contributor September 29 marks the 22nd annual BC Rivers Day. The event invites British Columbians to celebrate our rivers and to protect and restore the essential waterways. It is expected that this year will be so huge that it will be the largest BC has seen. Mark Angelo of the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC and BC Rivers Day founder, feels that “Rivers Day fosters a greater appreciation of just how important our waterways » are. Organizers across the province are preparing for the event which includes community festivals, the releasing of fish into streams, stream clean-ups, musical celebrations, canoe scav- enger hunts, parades, educational seminars, hatchery tours and much more. inspiring.” every year. regulations are not directly related to attempts by the university to imple- ment the Canadian government’s new security measures, especially when it comes to students entering Canada exclusively for study purposes. Apaak believes, however, that there is a direct connection between stricter regulations on international students and attempts to implement new immigration security laws and condi- tions highlighted in new anti-terror- ism and immigration legislation. Apaak sees obvious connections between what’s happening to interna- tional students now and the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. “It was reported that some of the hijackers [of the planes] were living in the United States on expired student visas,” said Apaak. “That is being translated in the present regulations on how North American countries should monitor the movements of international students. I see the new regulations, where Immigration Canada is becoming more unfriendly to international students, to be a direct consequence of what happened in the eg Breedyk indicates that the conse- quences of the new regulations are simply administrative and will require greater thoroughness on the part of students in updating their permits. “These new regulations do not tar- get any specific group of people and Jennifer Grenz, BC Rivers Day Coordinator, states that “the anticipation and enthusiasm for this event is truly The organizers would like to urge British Columbians to get involved in this tradition that grows larger and larger The Outdoor Recreation Council of BC is a non-govern- mental organization that has been heavily involved in BC Rivers Day and river conservation issues. Corporate sponsors such as BC Hydro, Mountain Equipment Co-op and VanCity have made BC Rivers Day 2002 possible. Visit the ORC Website at , which provides a listing of all the BC Rivers Day events. have little to do with Canada’s new security measures,” she said. “The Canadian government is simply asking students to pay attention to their per- mits and the conditions that allow them or don’t allow them to do certain things during their study periods. Many students gain study permits and then just disappear without a trace and we are trying to avoid that.” Students affected by the policies could not be reached for comment. Apaak believes there are many nega- tive consequences to come as a result of increased barriers on the activities and freedoms of international stu- dents. “Canada has been known to be a champion of human rights and justice for all,” he said. “This is going to influence the type of international stu- dents who can come here, the coun- tries they come from, and the political ideologies that they belong to.” “The long-term effect of these new policies will be that students will be denied entry into Canada because they don’t prescribe to the western neo-lib- eral ideology,” said Apaak. “Those who don't could be perceived as a threat. It’s this idea of a perceived fear which disturbs me, because most international students are law-abiding good people who come here to get an education.” © page 4