Problems Faced by International Students | Essay

Running head: PROBLEMS FACED BY INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
PROBLEMS FACED BY INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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PROBLEMS FACED BY INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Canada attracts students from all across the world. As per reports, there have been
estimated almost 266,620 students enrolled in Canadian universities (Dauwer, 2018). The
huge influx of students in Canada for educational purposes is because the nation is
recognized for its excellent educational services and forbearing approaches towards
foreigners. The thesis statement of this essay is “Though studying overseas might have its
benefits, there is still remains number of challenges international students experience in
Canada especially financial constraints and employment crisis.” The paper by using method
of secondary research will analyse the issues and constraints encountered by international
students in Canada.
Significant of overseas scholars select Canada to obtain higher educational services,
but encounter issues of its extremely daunting fees structure. Majority of international
students exhibit high optimisms and expectations while enrolling in a Canadian educational
institution especially for its supreme educational level and knowledge understanding (Wu et
al., 2015). However, notwithstanding its supremacy in educational services, education
charges of international students on an average are estimated to be three times higher as
compared to the country’s domestic apprentices. According to report, “At Queen's University
in Kingston, domestic fees increased 26 per cent to $6,580 in 2017, while international tuition
rose by 112.27 per cent to $37,490 that same year” (Ireton, 2019). However, due to such
elevating demand of fees and other expenses, international apprentices tend to struggle with
expenditures meant for their accommodation as well as sustenance. In the view of Toman
(2016), even though there are options of financial assistance obtainable for international
students in Canada but admittedly, they are highly restricted or inadequate resources to
suffice their need.
Housing issues impacts all international students in relation to affordability,
sufficiency and suitability. For these apprentices in Canada, accommodation reflects a

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substantial portion of their living expenditure and consequently fails to balance between
earnings and expenditures. As per reports, accommodation rents as well as house charges are
higher which are positioned in nearby areas of the universities as well as colleges (Calder et
al., 2016). In consequence, accommodation issues are showing dark side of its concern which
has led number of overseas students to encounter outright mistreatment. Furthermore, the
issue of accommodation for international learners in Canada is intricate due to its
involvement with various other “structures” at diverse levels. On the other hand, lack of
awareness of students vis-à-vis housing system and policies in addition to their rights and the
resources existing in case of complications, associated ways in which rental agreements
function or by what means university policies possibly will shed light on their concerns about
accommodation and housing (Guo & Guo, 2017). Such inexperience often results in students
misplacing or losing their rental deposit and facing more severe challenges of receiving
accommodation services.
According to studies, for international students, organizations are domestic, provincial
and university guidelines in addition to resources as well as support delivered by
administrations and individuals directly to students in need (Winton & Milani, 2017). In
addition, numbers of “agents” are likewise involved in international student accommodation
problems that include nongovernment establishments. Likewise, through interactions as well
as associations, these agents engage into varied roles in introducing alterations in current
systems, which often are seen as reproduced dealings between actors or collectivises,
controlled as systematic social practices (Toman, 2016). Moreover, the continuous
restructuration process results in social change at diverse levels.
International students encounter barriers while entering into the Canadian labour
market. These obstructions typically arise from the preference and selection criterion set by
the employers needed for Canadian work experience. In addition to this, the challenge of

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language as well as cultural flexibility to Canadian workplaces also instigate as one of the
critical barriers for these students while seeking employment opportunities. Thomson and
Esses (2016) by drawing relevance to previous studies have noted that Canadian employers
show utmost tendency of discriminating international students due to their lack of Canadian
work experience. Deficiency of Canadian experience appears to disturb male as well as
female international students at equivalent level. According to Dauwer (2018), 48
international students in two postsecondary institutions in Ontario confirmed that "prejudicial
attitudes and discriminatory behaviour" by Canadian employers were the "primary obstacle"
to finding employment in their career (p.8).”
Furthermore, study shows inadequate and restricted opportunities for work placement
meant for students coming from foreign countries besides their temporary status as well as
lack of experience. These insufficiencies make it problematic for them in obtaining utmost
accessibility for these openings. Thus, international students are left unprepared to move into
the labour market and, consequently their lasting professional ambitions are undesirably
affected. Winton and Milani (2017) have indicated that absence of initiatives by
organizations especially in the post-graduation employment readiness programs intended for
international students elevates the issues for international students. Studies have claimed that
Canadian degree fails to help overseas students due to their absence of Canadian work
experience (Ward & Geeraert, 2016). On the other hand, undergraduate learners tend to have
minimum level of experience because of their age. As a result, there are very limited
openings for them to help them attain work experience on campus as compared to graduate
scholars. As per studies of Guo and Guo (2017), critical factors like social and professional
networks instigate or create major hindrances to the transition growth to employment and
permanent migration. Restricted social as well as professional networks in addition to a
deficiency of robust English expertise for professional services complicate the issues and

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PROBLEMS FACED BY INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
create obstacles for apprentices coming from various countries outside Canada in seeking
employment opportunities in the country. Similarly, Toman (2016) has argued that
opportunities for networking as well as off-campus services often place overseas learners in a
deprived and disadvantageous position to seeking employment after graduation as compared
to domestic students.
International students fail to escape the cultural shock as well as adjustment which
they experience while obtaining educational services in Canada. For that reason, these
fluctuations and adjustments can be ascribed to the acculturation process. The acculturation
process might show certain degree of positivity as it intends to enhance and upgrade
individuals’ life chances as well as mental health conditions in the context of dominant
culture (Thomson & Esses, 2016). However, on the contrary, it can be negative or
destructive. The adverse part of the acculturation process tends to ensue because of the
intrinsically challenging characteristic of adjustment as well as adaptation to new ethnic and
social outlooks and prospects. Correspondingly, the accomplishment of a sojourn or an
impermanent stopover in a new culture is frequently considered as “adjustment” in the
context of psychological literature (Ward & Geeraert, 2016). Such adjustment occurs in two
vital aspects related to psychological as well as sociocultural adjustment. In the view of
Winton and Milani (2017), for international students sustaining in new community is
considered as the first lesson which they require to attain along with adopting the system
when they newly land. After settling in a new place, international students will also
experience cultural shock. The issue is of great social significance as they underline the need
of connecting international students to aspects of "social capital," in relation to social
resources within the ethno-cultural or linguistics communal of the settlers. These issues have
the ability to provide overseas students with prospects of accessing and interrelating with
resources to develop their expenditure and employment experiences.

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Hence, to solve the aforementioned challenges of international students effectively,
social integration as well as system integration is essential. Post-secondary institutions single-
handedly must function in precise ways to help international students in their expenditure
experience. Higher educational institutions could propose more co-operative education posts
in addition to connecting programs as well as educational courses on the Canadian labour
market with an agenda of contributing to their effective employment changeover in the
upcoming days.

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References
Calder, M. J., Richter, S., Mao, Y., Kovacs Burns, K., Mogale, R. S., & Danko, M. (2016).
International Students Attending Canadian Universities: Their Experiences with
Housing, Finances, and Other Issues. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 46(2),
92-110.
Dauwer, A. (2018). Assessing Canada’s support of international students: A comprehensive
review of Canada’s retention and settlement of its “model immigrants” (Vol. 2).
RCIS Working Paper No.
Guo, Y., & Guo, S. (2017). Internationalization of Canadian higher education: Discrepancies
between policies and international student experiences. Studies in Higher
Education, 42(5), 851-868.
Ireton ·, J. (2019). Skyrocketing tuition for international students questioned. Retrieved from
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/analysis-ontario-universities-international-
tuition-increases-1.5189755.
Thomson, C., & Esses, V. M. (2016). Helping the transition: Mentorship to support
international students in Canada. Journal of International Students, 6(4), 873-886.
Toman, J. (2016). Long odds for international students to land a job. Retrieved from
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/international-students-tuition-jobs-
1.3525821.
Ward, C., & Geeraert, N. (2016). Advancing acculturation theory and research: The
acculturation process in its ecological context. Current Opinion in Psychology, 8, 98-
104.
Winton, S., & Milani, M. (2017). Policy advocacy, inequity, and school fees and fundraising
in Ontario, Canada. education policy analysis archives, 25, 40.

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Wu, H. P., Garza, E., & Guzman, N. (2015). International student’s challenge and adjustment
to college. Education Research International, 2015.