Students from India paid thousands to Quebec colleges they couldn't attend. Now they can't get that money back

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 the school.

The college initially told her it would take six to eight weeks to give her back just $7,300 (less than half of what she paid), but that wait has now stretched to more than half a year.

"My parents are so stressed because it was their hard-earned money," Kaur said on a recent video call with CBC News. The 20-year-old lives in Ludhiana, a large city in India's northern state of Punjab, where her father works as a farmer.

Kaur said she is part of a WhatsApp group with about 120 Indian students who are in a similar predicament with M College, which is operated by a Montrealer named Joseph Mastantuono.

Mastantuono runs another private school in Sherbrooke, Que., where students also say they have not been reimbursed.

Kaur shared with CBC News copies of her email correspondence with the school and tuition receipts. The CBC also spoke with three other students who are also waiting for their money back. 

"We are all shocked. No authorities are ready to help us," said Kaur.

WATCH | Family saved for years to send this student abroad:

M College and CDE College were among 10 private colleges investigated by the province for what it described as "questionable" recruitment practices for students in India.

Those 10 colleges were temporarily barred from accepting certain foreign student applications. That put a hold on the processing of Quebec Acceptance Certificates (CAQ), a document international students need to obtain their study permit, which is then issued by Ottawa.

While the suspensions were lifted at the beginning of 2021, long processing delays have persisted.