Toronto international student feels Canada immigration system needs a review

At a bustling college campus west of Toronto, several students had been thinking about recently announced changes to the international student program that brought them to the post-secondary institution.

Some were sympathizing with friends back home whose dreams of studying in Canada were suddenly in jeopardy as Ottawa has moved to cap the number of study permits for international undergraduate students over the next two years. Others called it a sensible move as Canada aims to get a handle on the ballooning international student program.

There was a general consensus, however, that the program needs to be reviewed

For Gayathri Jayachandrakurup Sreeja, who came to Ontario from India just last month to begin a marketing program, the changes had her thinking of those she knew with similar aspirations of a Canadian education.

“They are pretty much sad about it,” she said while between classes at Sheridan College’s campus in Mississauga, Ont.

“There are a lot of students who are willing to come here and study, set their future, so I think it’s pretty bad for them.”

 

 

Haritha Kaladharan, another international student from India who is studying business and process management, agreed that the changes were disappointing many she knew back home.

But she said it was important for Canada to address problems associated with the program.

“People in the other country may feel very sad because Canada has (become) more strict,” Kaladharan said while studying for an exam on campus. “But they don’t know the struggle we face after coming here.”

International students face challenges securinghousing and finding part-time jobs, she said, all while paying far higher tuition rates than their domestic counterparts.

“If (Canada is) inviting more immigrants to the country, they should have some plans, like whether we can give jobs. Most of the people find very hard to get an accommodation,” Kaladharan said.

 

“The immigrants here … let them get settled, let them get jobs, after that once they get settled, they can invite more immigrants.”

Manmohidpreet Singh, a 20-year-old marketing student at Sheridan College, said the latest cap is necessary.

“They don’t understand that they need lots of money to survive here,” he said of those abroad thinking of coming to Canada for post-secondary education.

“If you want to come here, be prepared.”

 

This article was first reported by The Canadian Press