Lareina Kumar, 19, flown from India to Dubai, stopped in Dubai for over nine hours, then flew to Barcelona, then Mexico and then travelled on to Vancouver, all to get to her dream university in Canada. Kumar’s trip to four countries was not part of a tourism itinerary, but she had no choice since Canada reduced direct flights from India due to the COVID-19 situation during the second wave. The consecutive extension of the ban on direct flights means that Indian students who have been admitted to Canada’s universities must take a connecting flight to Canada, where they will need a negative RT-PCR certificate from a third country. It must be on Canada’s list of approved third countries.
Students and parents demand that the issue of Indian RT-PCR tests not being accepted be addressed by India to the Canadian government, stating that the current procedure is not only inconvenient but also highly expensive. In contrast to Kumar, who spent over Rs 5 lakh on a trip that would usually cost less than Rs 1.5 lakh, several others are still figuring out how to deal with the various routes to take, the excessive expenditures involved, and the uncertainty. ‘My plans to go with my daughter have been thwarted by the restrictions imposed by the outbreak. She will have to travel alone through four countries for the first time, and the rules can change at any time,’ Lareina’s mother Lovely Kumar told PTI.
‘We had a ticket for her booked through Doha but then the rules changed and she isn’t eligible to receive a partial refund. The hotels offering refund policies are very expensive, while the more affordable ones have no cancellation policy. We spent Rs 5 lakh on a trip that would have cost us around Rs 1.5 lakh, and the mental anguish it has caused is unimaginable,’ she said. She has just completed her second year of undergraduate studies at the Emilly Carr University of Art and Design in Canada. Due to the pandemic, she has taken classes online since last year. Canada has again extended the ban on direct flights from India until September 21 at a time when several European countries have relaxed travel restrictions on India because the COVID-19 situation has improved in India.
According to a Gurgaon resident who asked not to be identified, his twin daughters are still trying to figure out the details of their travels to Canada, where they are expected to enroll in university. ‘The first challenge is to plan for the unexpected expenditure, get the travel arrangements set up for both of them as well as be on pins until they finally reach their destination without any hiccups due to travel restrictions,’ he said.
‘The Indian government should bring this issue to the attention of the Canadian government. It is crazy to travel to a third country just for a RT-PCR test. If the Canadian authorities are concerned about the quality of tests conducted here, they can set up some facilities at our airport. They have already completed one year of their studies and it is a practical course, so if they don’t go to university this year, the entire experience of studying abroad will be a waste of their time,’ he added. Ajay Bisaria, the High Commissioner of India to Canada, met with the Toronto representative of Air India last month to discuss the resumption of flights between the two countries. According to Bisaria, this is a pressing need for many travelers, especially students.
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‘Imp to rapidly normalize mobility for economic recovery, for achieving normalcy in biz n educn. Discussed with @airindiain Toronto rep #RachelLawrence plans for resumption of flights in the India-Canada corridor given the pressing needs of travelers, particularly students @IndiainToronto,’ he had tweeted. Arvind, who has also postponed enrolling in offline classes at his Canadian university, said, ‘I am baffled as to why RTPCR tests done in India are not accepted here. Why there is discrimination in India. Indian govt should liaise and resolve this. We students now got both doses of vaccine. Why things are still not changing? Canada has opened its border for the United States which is reporting new Covid cases crossing 1 lakh and here we are still struggling,’ he said.
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