SSU President Perspective: Need or Greed Campaign
The Sheridan Student Union has recently partnered up with a number of other student unions and associations across Ontario to advocate on behalf of international students across the province. Specifically, this group is advocating for more fair practices towards international students and a reduction in their tuition in Ontario. Combined, this coalition of student advocates represents a significant portion of all students across Ontario.
We stand together for the fair treatment of international students and for preventing their exploitation within Canada. As the organization representing all students at Sheridan, it is our responsibility to keep you informed of the situation and the work we are doing on behalf of the collective student body.
This coalition advocates for:
A temporary freeze on international student tuition increases (which domestic students have had for the past few years)
A regulation on the increases that post-secondary schools can place on international tuition each year
A commitment from colleges and universities in Ontario to reassess their revenue model based on international student tuition.
The “Need or Greed” campaign that we are participating in, is designed to raise awareness of these requests and to prompt post-secondary institutions to consider whether they need the income from increased international student tuition, or if the increases are based on greed. This is not meant to target or accuse any single post-secondary institution but is simply to raise awareness and to challenge those in college and university administration to consider the students when making decisions around tuition increases. It’s no secret that international students pay significantly more than domestic students, but is this vast difference necessary?
With a critical eye, I have been examining the challenges international students face to see what can realistically be done to provide a more affordable, more valuable education, and quality experience while here in Canada. High international student tuition is just one of the many factors that contribute to the issues that international students face in Canada. These problems cannot be solved by any one post-secondary institution and will require a collective effort from schools and cities, as well as the provincial and federal governments. Regulating and reducing international student tuition is important, but without careful consideration of all aspects of the situation, it may result in creating more problems than it solves.
International Student & Tuition
The provincial government of Ontario has been reducing the total funding it provides to colleges over the last decade or so. This funding initially provided almost 75% of the operating budgets of colleges, but now makes up less than 25% of the total funding required by colleges to maintain the same level of quality they have been providing students. Increasing quality and capacity, while ensuring that students are getting the best education possible are difficult tasks when funding is so sparse and unreliable. These reductions in funding have led colleges to seek more income through other means. This has been primarily via international students due to the loose regulations on their tuition. Some institutions have needed these increased fees to continue providing quality education, while others have taken advantage of the fees these students pay without considering the experience they provide. The worst offenders are private career colleges which are not regulated by the province and have no oversight into the education or experience they provide. Some public colleges have even partnered with these private businesses in order to increase their funding.
International Students & Enrolment Rates
The elevated fees that international students are paying is just one side of the exploitation of international students; the enrolment rate of international students should also be cause for concern. Some institutions, both public and private, have increased the percentage of international students enrolled at their institutions by up to 75% of their total student population over the last ten years. Some private colleges have increased to 100% international students with zero domestic students enrolled in any courses at their institution. Decreasing or regulating international student tuition without considering the enrolment rates could result in institutions further increasing international enrolment. If they cannot increase the cost per student, they may increase the number of students, which further contributes to the declining quality of education and worsening conditions that some international students face when coming to Canada.
International Students & Housing
Post-secondary tuition fees are still only one part of the problem that contributes to the exploitation of international students in Canada. Landlords and employers can further exploit international students and contribute to un-livable conditions for these students. There are students living with more than 10 other people in a 3-person apartment, effectively sharing beds and other necessities. Some are paying the same rates for these conditions as others are paying for an entire apartment. The housing crisis in Canada, especially in Ontario, is incredibly limiting, and it would be irresponsible and immoral for institutions to further increase enrolment and bring more international students to Canada without consideration for where or how they will be living.
The Cost of Living & International Student Supports
Another crisis in Canada is the current job market and making a living wage. With the current rates of inflation, the cost of living is getting higher and higher while wages remain stagnant. Some international students feel this significantly more than domestic students as they have no support network or family in Canada to rely on for financial assistance. Many students, both domestic and international, are working two or three jobs in order to pay their rent, buy groceries, and pay for their education. This year has seen a sharp increase in the use of the Sheridan Student Union’s Food First service, which provides grocery cards for those in need, and the use of the college’s emergency fund to provide emergency funding for a variety of needs. Some international students are being affected, for example, by the ongoing Russia/Ukraine conflict which has also created some unique financial situations that have required unique solutions. These costs simply cannot be covered by working minimum wage jobs, regardless of being a domestic or international student. This is a failing not on the institution, but on the government of Ontario and Canada.
Recently, the government of Canada temporarily removed the 20-hour-per-week employment limit for international students who are studying in Canada, but this does not address the significant issues they are facing. The suppressed wages that Canadians face are only worsened by a flooded job market. If everyone is working multiple jobs in order to survive, it will increase the demand for jobs while decreasing the incentive for employers to increase wages. As more students come to Canada and require a job or two simply to survive, the strain on the job market will increase while effectively stagnating wages; all while the cost of living keeps increasing. This needs to be considered as part of the bigger picture when talking about the issues international students face. This is not to say that we should not be bringing more international students to Canada, but that the government needs to do a better job at regulating minimum wage, so nobody needs to work multiple jobs just to survive.
The government of Canada recently announced their intention to increase international immigration into Canada by 500,000 persons per year within the next 3 years. This will not only be students coming to Canada to study, but you can be sure that post-secondary schools, especially private colleges, will be pushing for more and more students in order to cover their operating costs. 500,000 people is the equivalent of creating a new city almost the size of Hamilton every year. This will be spread across Canada, but with more than 40% of the population of Canada residing in Ontario, we will see roughly 40% of those new immigrants coming to Canada. If even 15% of those are post-secondary students, that is an increase of around 30,000 new students every year. Compare that to the slightly under 200,000 international students currently studying in Ontario, and you can quickly see that this is entirely unsustainable.
If the government cannot provide the means for basic necessities for students currently studying in Canada, how can they justify these increases? Houses, hospitals, and social services cannot be built quickly enough to provide the services required to accommodate these newcomers to Canada.
None of these issues are ever conveyed to potential students when they are brought to Canada. Our government and the recruitment centres that work to bring in new students paint our country as a utopia that will give permanent residence, guaranteed employment, and a better life than anywhere else. Canada is not without its flaws, so these promises fall flat and are often misleading to those that hope for a better life. This is not necessarily something that can be controlled from within Canada, as a lot of the recruitment centres operate in other countries, but post-secondary institutions need to stop working with these predatory companies and start controlling the messages going out to potential students. Better yet, institutions need to provide a realistic view of what to expect when coming to Canada and the government needs to provide better services to help with integrating into Canadian life.
As you can see, there are a few major concerns that need to be addressed outside of simply regulating international student tuition. There are several things colleges and universities can do to help improve the experience for international students coming to study in Canada, but this goes beyond the individual institutions. International student tuition needs to be properly regulated, colleges need to be provided significantly more provincial funding, private colleges need to be properly regulated and overseen, affordable housing needs to be achievable for those living in Canada and those coming to study, wages need to keep up with ever-rising inflation and the cost of living, and we as a collective need to be more transparent about the reality of studying in Canada as an international student so that both potential students and future Canadians can be aware of the challenges many have faced. International newcomers and students deserve to be treated fairly and provided the experience they are sold when coming to Canada, not a holistic representation of the “Canadian Dream” that dissolves shortly after arriving here.
How can we advocate for change?
These issues go far above what the Sheridan Student Union can directly change, and even above what individual institutions can change, but we are committed to doing what we can to affect change and make an impact on these issues. We have partnered together to provide services for students to help better their situation and provide much-needed services for those in need. There is food security support, financial aid assistance, housing support, and legal services available for all students if they are facing serious challenges. We have started work with the city of Brampton to create the Brampton Charter, which will serve as a commitment to improving the international experience, and as a guide for other organizations on how they can help improve the situation in the community. Through advocacy with like-minded student unions, we hope to advocate for changes at a provincial level to create a better situation across Ontario. The Sheridan Student Union has also started working with national advocacy groups to push for change not only at the provincial level but at the federal level. Through this work, we will push for major changes to policies, the creation of better social services, a narrative shift on what coming to Canada is really like, and even more that will impact those here in Canada already, and those who aspire to come here to work and study.
International students are the hardest hit by all these challenges, and they are being failed at almost every point in their journey to Canada, and consistently while they are here. We need to stand united in advocating for a better experience for everyone, but especially the international students that study alongside us.
You can get involved in advocating for change and there are plenty of ways you can do that. Sign petitions that push for changes within the government, attend protests and rallies to advocate for changes that will improve conditions for international students, write your local and provincial governmental representatives, and share your story with anyone who will listen. Together is the only way that we can make these changes happen. Change won’t happen overnight, but change will happen when enough voices speak up.
If you are interested in other ways to get involved or would like to share your story and situation with me, I am always happy to meet.
Kyle Budge
President, Sheridan Student Union
Resources & Articles
Sheridan announcement supporting the creation of the Brampton Charter
Community Partners Announce Summit and Charter to Improve International Student ExperienceOntario Government’s domestic tuition freeze extension announcement
Ontario Extends Freeze on College and University TuitionAn investigation into the recruiting practices of recruitment centres, and how colleges are enrolling international students in Ontario
Canada's International Student Recruiting Machine is BrokenCBC article with personal accounts of promises about studying in Canada and the bleak reality
International Students Enticed to Canada on Dubious Promises of Jobs and ImmigrationRBC report on international students “solving” the Canadian economy and job market
Course Correction: How International Students Can Help Solve Canada's Labour CrisisInternational students struggle across Canada, not only within the GTA
Desperate for Housing - International Students Struggle Amid Shortage of Affordable Options in HalifaxCanadian Federal Government announcing the increase to immigration over the next few years
An Immigration Plan to Grow the EconomyArticle from Western University focusing on the housing crisis, related to immigration
Expert Insight: Canada Needs to Build More Affordable Housing for NewcomersStatistics on Canadian international student recruitment, used to attract potential students
Canada International Student Statistics (Updated 2022)