International students struggle with jobs, rent, mental health
Terrace StandardApr 02, 2024
Over the past few years, Northwest B.C. has seen an influx of international students and Terrace has become a desirable destination for students from abroad.
But the influx comes with its challenges. While the number of international students has gone up, the availability of jobs is unable to keep up.
Starting in
Some students also feel employers won't hire them because their class schedules change every semester.
The post-Christmas lull in commerce has led to more hurdles taking a toll on international students with major employers such as Winners,
Queenlie Ramos used to work 14-15 hours per week last year, however, her hours have been reduced to 4-5 since the beginning of 2024. She pays a monthly rent of
"Family is supporting me, but I don't want to keep on asking them," she said.
"Five other students with me will be travelling to Kitimat for jobs and there are many others who have been unable to secure employment," he said.
In B.C., international student enrollment has more than doubled in the past decade. According to the provincial government, more than 175,000 such students attended post-secondary institutions last year, compared to 78,000 in 2013.
These changes do not apply to students in master's and doctoral programs.
But according to
"The cap should have been put [in place] a long time ago, but I fear the current headlines might lead to a lot of racism against the international students," said Loggin.
"Many international students invite their spouses to
Loggin interacts with international students regularly at
International students contribute over
The community has come together, however, to help those in need. A local gurudwara (Sikh temple) in Terrace has stepped up and is serving food (known as langar at a gurudwara) to about thirty international students on weekdays and about a hundred on weekends.
"The number of students coming in for langar has dramatically increased over the past few months," said a community member.
With a lack of money and an inability to pay bills, the mental health of some students is also being affected.
Inflationary prices of groceries and rent is making it more and more difficult for such students to survive.
"We come across many students dealing with mental health crisis and it is getting worse," said
To support the students,
"We've seen an increase in the use of the referral system," said
During a visit to Terrace, federal opposition leader
"I think it's terrible with the way this government has treated the international students," he told The Terrace Standard. "They came in under the rules that the Trudeau government set in place, and they followed those rules, and now they're being punished.
Poilievre suggested unleashing the power of the resource sector as a solution to the underemployment problem applauding Kitimat for the LNG Canada project.
"We can do that in communities across the country by approving pipelines, mines, re-forestry projects, and other major developments that will bring powerful paychecks to rural communities that will allow them to prosper," he said.