When Gobindbir Singh talks about the pressure foreign students are dealing with, he recalls a young man who phoned in tears.
The student couldn't afford his tuition for the next semester, even after his parents sold their home in India.
He had asked friends for money and tried to get an extension from the college.
Feeling completely hopeless, he reached out to Khalsa Aid Canada.
“He cried on the phone,” said Singh, a project manager for the organization in Ottawa, which helps international students by giving them free groceries once a month and winter coats.
“He said, ‘I have tried everything, and you are the last resort.'”
This story is just one example of the tough situations international students find themselves in as the cost of living rises in Canada and it becomes harder for newcomers to find work.
These challenges have become more noticeable as the number of international students in the country has increased in recent years.
In 2023, over 900,000 foreign students had visas to study in Canada — more than three times the number from 10 years ago.
Post-secondary institutions and policymakers are facing significant scrutiny over the increase as colleges and universities increasingly use international student tuition to supplement inadequate government funding.
Meanwhile, more stories are emerging of international students living in poor housing and relying on food banks.
Singh, a former international student himself, said stress around finding work, paying high tuition, and adjusting to life in Canada can take a toll on a student’s mental health. Often, the students don’t know where to seek help.
Dealing with immigration issues or a family matter back home only makes the situation worse, he added.
Thushara Rodrigo, Sri Lanka’s consul general in Toronto, recently issued a warning to parents to stay informed about how their children are doing, after a 19-year-old Sri Lankan student was charged with killing six people, including four children, in Ottawa last week.
Police have not assigned a motive or divulged the circumstances that led to the attack.
Some of those who spoke with The Canadian Press were quick to caution that based on the limited information available now, it is difficult to draw any link between the horrific case and the general experiences of international students.
Rodrigo says he regularly hears from Sri Lankan students who are looking for help finding a job, and reeling from the shock of how much it costs to buy groceries and pay rent in Canada. That’s why he decided to put out the warning, he said.
He added that given Sri Lanka’s economic situation, there is “a very big demand” for people to emigrate, and families will mortgage their homes or borrow money to send their children to what they hope is a land of better opportunities.
The problem, he said, is the image painted by educational consultants hired to recruit and match students for schools in Canada.
He said the students don’t know how difficult it is to find a job and that if they find one, they will have to work late into the night — working as Uber drivers, for example — and wake up early for class after a 16-hour day.
“They are facing a lot of pressure.”
He said that Sri Lankan students are seeking assistance in finding employment.
Sarom Rho, from the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, mentioned that the main issue is that international students do not have the same rights and protections as permanent residents.
For instance, most provinces do not provide public health care for international students.
Rho explained that this situation adds a significant amount of pressure, stress, and feelings of exclusion.
Students are also experiencing great pressure to secure employment after graduating as they aim for permanent residency.
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THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Narinder Singh noted a concerning pattern: his Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C., has repatriated the remains of 30 students to India since 2021, and performed cremations for around 15 others.
According to him, some died due to suicide and accidents, but the majority succumbed to drug overdoses amidst a toxic drug crisis in the province.
Singh, president of the Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran, believes that one reason for students turning to drug use is to cope with the mental distress of living in a place where they cannot afford housing or food, and to deal with loneliness.
“They had a different expectation,” he said.
“When they arrived here, the situation is completely different.”
Singh mentioned that he would not advise parents in India to send their aspiring students to Canada.
His temple provides welcome packages for new students, including a mattress and other essentials. He stated that many families do not send enough money for their survival.
Jatinder Singh, the national director of Khalsa Aid Canada, mentioned that the need has been steadily increasing over the past four years.
In Ottawa alone, the organization has 920 students registered from 51 different countries.
He stated that a new occurrence is hearing from parents who are looking for a missing child. He estimated that at least one case is reported to him every week.
“Usually, we discover that the student has become homeless or addicted to drugs, and is essentially living on the streets or in malls during the day, and they are no longer studying.”
Singh attributed this to the lack of comprehensive services for students.
“When they encounter problems, there is really no one to seek help from.”
— With files from Nojoud Al Mallees
