OTTAWA — When Gobindbir Singh describes the stress international students are under, he remembers a young man who called in tears.
Unable to pay his tuition for the upcoming semester, the student said his parents were selling their home in India and it still wasn't enough.Completely desperate, he turned to Khalsa Aid Canada.
In 2023, more than 900,000 foreign students had visas to study in Canada — more than triple the number from 10 years ago. Singh, a former international student himself, said stress around finding work, paying for 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.
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 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.Sarom Rho from the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change said the root cause of the problem is that international students are not afforded the same rights and protections as permanent residents.
Some died by suicide and accidents, he said, but the majority died from drug overdoses as a toxic drug crisis ravages the province.
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