For years, Amanpreet Kaur’s parents set aside what money they could so their daughter could study abroad.

In 2020, Kaur enrolled in business administration at M College of Canada, a private college in Montreal. Her tuition totalled more than $15,000 for the year.

But there was a problem: Kaur couldn’t come to Canada because she didn’t have her study permit, which was delayed after the college was put under investigation last winter for its recruitment practices.

In February 2021, she opted for online courses instead. When her permit still hadn’t been approved by the federal government by spring, she decided to withdraw from