The abrupt closing of a language school in Vancouver has affected hundreds of international students, leaving them unsure whether their tuition will be refunded or, for some, where they will be able to live.

The Vancouver English Centre's announcement last Friday that it was permanently shutting down is raising questions about the lack of regulation for small language schools, whose short terms of study mean they are allowed to operate outside of provincial regulations. The closing has also put 45 teachers and more than a dozen staff out of work.

The school posted a notice online and on its doors that it was closing, but it did not offer an explanation. Students don't know whether or not they will be reimbursed for their tuition, and some say their home-stay families have not been compensated by the school. Teachers, who had been on strike since the beginning of August, don't know if they will be paid or receive a severance.

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Vancouver English Centre's president, Kenneth Gardner, hasn't provided any additional information and the school did not respond to requests from The Globe and Mail for comment. The school's phone goes immediately to a recorded message repeating what is posted online, with no option to leave a voice mail.

There are no regulators in charge of operations like the Vancouver English Centre. Some schools are members of Languages Canada, a national association of accredited language institutions that steps in to help students in such cases. However, membership isn't mandatory and the Vancouver English Centre lost its membership in June because it was not paying its fees.

It was never accredited by the B.C. government, either, because the province doesn't oversee such institutions.

"Unless they host international students who are in the province on study permits for programs of more than six months, private language schools are not required to register with the regulatory body," said Andrew Wilkinson, B.C.'s Minister of Advanced Education, in an e-mail to the Globe.

Antonio Ugalde Nieto, a 22-year-old student from Queretaro, Mexico, had signed up for a three-month English program beginning in the first week of August.

He hasn't been able to attend a single class since he got here, because of the strike, and said his home-stay family hasn't been given money to house or feed him, even though he's paid for both tuition and housing.

"It's no fair," said Mr. Nieto, who added that he couldn't believe that a situation like this had happened in a place like Canada – where he had heard the quality of life was so good. Several staff at the school told The Globe they had heard of other students who have ended in similar situations.

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Mr. Nieto is one of the lucky ones. He paid his fees through an agency in Mexico, which said it will pay out of pocket to make sure he isn't stranded without a place to live. But many of Mr. Nieto's peers don't have that kind of backing, forcing them to find money for their accommodation or return home.

Charles Lam, Mr. Nieto's host, said the language centre didn't inform him teachers were on strike, even though the labour dispute began a week before Mr. Nieto's classes were set to start. Mr. Lam said he found out through his guest, after he'd arrived.

Mr. Lam said he has not received any payment from the school so far to house and feed Mr. Nieto.

Languages Canada said it can only help students who paid tuition before June, when the school lost its membership in the association.

"It's a very bad situation for Vancouver and for B.C. to be honest because it means that anybody can basically open up shop and there is no oversight and no support for the students if something goes wrong," said Gonzalo Peralta, executive director of Languages Canada.

He stressed that all students, including international ones, need to be protected – something he said his association aims to ensure. If a school that is part of Languages Canada closes, the association ensures students can finish their studies at an alternate language school or receive a refund if that's not possible.

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He said the B.C. government needs to think about the lack of regulation for such schools.

"This is not a theoretical situation at this point, there are students out there that have lost a big investment and they're not protected," said Mr. Peralta, who was also worried about how the incident reflects on the industry. "It's like a big waterbed; if someone moves on one end you can feel it."

Canadian College of English Language, another language school in Vancouver, is helping to absorb some students, including Mr. Nieto, though it can't help when it comes to accommodation.

CEO Lane Clark noted his school is accredited with Languages Canada and the government – a step he thinks all language schools should have to take.

"It is troubling that some schools aren't, and these things might happen again in the future, which isn't good for the industry at all."