When Yanisa Kapetch decided to leave Thailand to study digital media at a private B.C. college, she never expected it would lead to her knocking on doors and handing out flyers in support of a federal Conservative candidate.The 25-year-old travelled to Canada to study at Pacific Link College, a private college in Metro Vancouver. In December 2024, the school course’s in-class instruction was put on pause so students could work at Conservative candidate Tamara Jansen’s campaign office during a federal byelection, she told CBC News.According to e-mail correspondence reviewed by CBC News, the volunteer campaign work was framed as a component of their digital media course, with one campus director suggesting it would even help them get permanent residency.”We felt it didn’t relate to our studies, and we didn’t know why we had to do this for them. And also, we didn’t know who Tamara was,” Kapetch said. Jansen won the byelection and currently serves as a member of parliament for the Cloverdale-Langley City riding.Kapetch is one of two former students of Pacific Link College who told CBC News the school required their class to work on the campaign, which included door knocking. Both students shared their e-mail exchanges with school staff and photos of their participation. The second student, who has filed a formal complaint against the school over their involvement in the campaign and the overall quality of the program’s education, did not wish to be identified publicly due to concerns about their uncertain immigration status.Pacific Link College is pictured in Burnaby, B.C., on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (Ben Nelms/CBC)Both students said they only attended one day of campaigning before telling the school they didn’t believe it was related to their studies, and never went back.A representative from Pacific Link College denied the allegations, claiming that while the school does offer students volunteer opportunities for both community and political organizations, the roles are entirely optional. The school says it has no political affiliations.Jansen’s office said it was unaware of the school’s involvement in the campaign. A representative said byelection campaigns are typically managed by federal party staff. CBC News has reached out to the Conservative party.The province did not comment on the case but said enforcement actions can be taken against schools that compel students to participate in activities that aren’t aligned with their learning objectives. Enforcement actions include monetary penalties and even licence suspension or revocation.Kapetch says she and a fellow student were accompanied by campaign staff and door knocked throughout the Cloverdale—Langley City riding. CBC News has blurred the face of the person standing to the right of Kapetch. (Submitted by Yanisa Kapetch)Attendance ‘mandatory’Both students said they were informed of the campaign in class by their instructor, who later e-mailed them further details on Dec. 1, 2024. The e-mail, shared with CBC News from both students, tells the class that their subsequent two weeks of classes would instead involve “an in-person campaign” and they were told to meet at Tamara Jansen’s campaign office in the City of Langley.A second e-mail sent days later by school administrator Suraj Roy tells students their attendance is required at the campaign office from “December 6th to 9th” and “December 13th to 16th” for four-to-five hours each day.The e-mail says they are required to submit photo proof that they were at the office and actively working.Students who wanted to opt out were told to obtain permission from campus director Aaron Dpenha.”If we didn’t attend the activities, we would be marked as absent and it would affect our attendance, and we might not pass our course,” Kapetch recalled.Students said they were told to submit photos of their time at the campaign headquarters to the school as a record of their attendance. This photo was submitted as is, on behalf of a student who did not want to be publicly identified. (Submitted by Balraj Kahlon)Conservative campaignAccording to e-mails shared with CBC News, upon arrival at campaign headquarters students were to tell staff that they were sent there by the Indo-Pacific Foundation of Canada (IPFC). Pacific Link College President and CEO Tarun Khullar is listed as a senior cabinet member on IPFC’s website. CBC News has reached out to IPFC for comment.Both students said they spent the day working inside campaign headquarters before travelling to different neighbourhoods with campaign staff, where they knocked on doors and handed out flyers informing residents of advance voting.In a series of e-mails over two days, students, including Kapetch, expressed concerns with school staff over travel to the campaign office and it’s relevance to their course work.”Could you please clarify how this volunteer activity is related to our studies in Digital Media Marketing?” Kapetch wrote to administrators. “During the volunteer session we were asked to fold envelopes and go door-to-door promoting an upcoming election for a political party we know nothing about, which seems unrelated to our studies,” she wrote.School staff responded, telling students the program was meant to teach them about community engagement and promotional strategies.WATCH | Students say coursework included political campaigning: International students allege private college made them campaign for Conservative candidateTwo international students formerly enrolled at Pacific Link College in Burnaby, B.C. told CBC News their school compelled them to campaign for a federal Conservative candidate in a 2024 byelection, although the college denies the allegation. As John Hernandez reports, e-mails and documents viewed by CBC News suggest staff told students it was a mandatory part of their digital media program.In a later e-mail, campus director Dpenha told Kapetch directly: “The volunteer activity is a mandatory component of the course because it offers hands-on experience relevant to your learning objectives.”Kapetch responded, saying “we are being forced to volunteer, and the tasks involve working for a specific political party. How can this be called volunteering?”In a follow-up e-mail, Dpenha replied, “it is evident you cannot comprehend how beneficial this is for you in your journey to become Canadian. This is not our loss. Please attend your class in person at the campus.”Kapetch later clarified that she didn’t intend on moving to Canada permanently, to which Dpenha responded “the reason I said that is because an MLA’s recommendation can go a long way with an application for permanent residency.”Pacific Link College is pictured in Burnaby, B.C., on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (Ben Nelms/CBC)School denies allegationsIn an e-mailed statement, Dpenha denied the allegations, saying participation was voluntary”Volunteer opportunities have been received from several political parties, not solely from the Conservative Party. Students are free to decide whether to engage in any such activities and which opportunities they wish to pursue,” Dpenha wrote.Dpenha said the school considers itself politically neutral.”These allegations are false, and we view them as an attempt to undermine the college’s goodwill and established processes for student success. Pacific Link College remains committed to providing an inclusive learning environment and respects every student’s right to make their own choices about extracurricular involvement,” Dpenha wrote.CBC News asked Dpenha to clarify what he meant when suggesting a politician’s recommendation could benefit a permanent residency application, to which he responded “recommendation letters about volunteer opportunities add value to a students overall resume.”Surrey-based immigration lawyer Marina Sedai says pathways to permanent residency are typically through work experience — not political recommendation.”Getting a member or parliament or an MLA’s letter of recommendation, for example, has absolutely no bearing on whether one qualifies for permanent residence, and certainly should not, or would not, lead to any favouritism,” Sedai said.Students say they hung flyers on doorknobs, encouraging people to get out to advance polling stations ahead of the federal byelection in December 2024. (Submitted by Balraj Kahlon)Formal complaint filedThe second student has filed a dispute against the school, seeking a tuition refund. His claim, through B.C.’s Private Training Institutions Regulatory Unit (PTIRU), cites poor quality of education and involvement in the political campaign as reasons for a tuition refund of $11,910.The complaint is currently under review. The college has responded to it and denied the allegations, according to documents reviewed by CBC News. The college claimed it had no record of the complainant being there, and said participation in the campaign was voluntary to all students.Students told CBC News they folded cards from the Jansen campaign that were then handed out to voters in the Cloverdale—Langley City riding. (Submitted by Yanisa Kapetch)Balraj Kahlon, an advocate with the international student rights group One Voice Canada, is representing the complainant in the dispute. He previously represented a Pacific Link student who was awarded over $7,000 in tuition refunds following a dispute with the school in October 2024, according to documents reviewed by CBC News.Kahlon says it can be difficult for students to stand up against private schools when they feel like they’re getting shortchanged.”Coming into a new country and pushing back against an institution is usually quite the challenge,” Kahlon said. “And also, a lot of [international students] want to obtain permanent residency here, and the path through that is education.””There’s a power imbalance,” Kahlon said.Kahlon is calling for better provincial oversight of private colleges to minimize harm, particularly when students pay tens of thousands of dollars for their studies.Regular inspectionsSedai, who is also the ethics chair for the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association, says both Ottawa and the province need to regularly inspect private schools that are designated learning institutions (DLI) — a federal designation that allows schools to accept international students and grant study permits.”Can we have inspectors that go out to these institutions? I think yes,” she said. “We want international students to have quality education when they come to Canada.”In a statement, the province said it will inspect schools if “broader compliance issues are identified through student complaints.”
International students allege private college made them campaign for Conservative candidate
