Faraz Khorsandi is completing his masters in engineering at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont. He came to Canada from Iran and says the top concern among international students is housing.
As Canada sees big growth in the number of international students, there are concerns about the unexpected challenges they face, from the rising cost of food to housing issues. At Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., students are helping each other and advocating for their peers.Faraz Khorsandi is completing his master's in engineering at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., after arriving in Canada from Iran.
About 90 per cent of the grocery program's clients are international students, a trend Faraz Khorsandi says has become increasingly concerning as Canada prepares to welcome"International are paying way tuition fees compared to domestic students, and they come from different countries that have different exchange rates and all of that, so it's even more expensive for them," said Khorsandi, Lakehead's international student assistant.
"Last September, our emergency grocery pickup program saw about 160 unique individuals," said the centre's director of food security, Sierra Garofalo. "This September, it has increased to 217 and we've seen an increase in students who are coming to our other free meal programs as well. Garofalo, who completed her thesis on food insecurity among post-secondary students, has found more students overall struggling to find accommodation this year compared to last year, and many of them have been staying in Airbnbs for a month or more.
But when students arrive, they're met with difficulties, including finding work — they're not eligible for opportunities such as the Canada Summer Jobs program, for instance — a housing crisis that has led to bed sharing in cramped spaces, and social and cultural isolation, particularly in more remote communities, he said.
"We just need the political will to recognize that this problem exists and address in co-ordination with these other actors."A key focus should be placed on the education consultants who recruit these students in the first place, he added, so students aren't sold"The profit motive comes into play in terms of how students are advised," Varughese said.
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