International!Students!! in!Ottawa!

Transcription

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International!Students!!
in!Ottawa!
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October(2012!
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Report!Sponsored!By!
Ottawa(Chinese(Community(Service(Centre((OCCSC)(
Catholic(Centre(for(Immigrants((CCI)(
Axiom(Consultants(Inc.((Axiom)(
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Research!and!Writing!By!!
Axiom(Consultants(Inc.(
Table!of!Contents!
Project!Committee!and!Acknowledgements!
Executive!Summary ...........................................................................................1!
1.0! Introduction ..............................................................................................2!
1.0!Project!Partners ............................................................................................................. 2!
1.1!Objectives!of!Research................................................................................................... 2!
1.2!Scope!of!Research .......................................................................................................... 3!
2.0! International!Students!—!Numbers!and!Trends .........................................3!
2.1!International!Students!in!Canada!and!Ontario ............................................................... 3!
2.2!Centralized!Marketing!and!Recruiting!Initiatives ............................................................ 5!
2.3!Canadian!Work!Experience!Programs!for!International!Students ................................... 7!
2.4!International!Students!in!Ottawa ................................................................................. 10!
3.0! Issues!for!International!Students!in!Ottawa.............................................14!
3.1!Interviews!and!Small!Group!Discussions ...................................................................... 14!
3.2!Issues!Identified........................................................................................................... 15!
4.0! Conclusions .............................................................................................21!
4.1!Role!for!the!Settlement!Sector ..................................................................................... 22!
4.2!Approaches!for!Project!Partners .................................................................................. 23!
5.0! Best!Practices!and!Innovative!Initiatives..................................................24!
5.1!Enhanced!International!Student!Services ..................................................................... 24!
5.2!Initiatives!to!Bring!International!and!Domestic!Students!Together............................... 25!
5.3!Resources!for!Faculty!and!Staff .................................................................................... 27!
5.4!Globalization!Approach!by!Institutions ........................................................................ 29!
5.5!Community!Integration................................................................................................ 30!
5.6!Counselling!Approaches ............................................................................................... 33!
5.7!Employment!Programs................................................................................................. 34!
5.8!!Social!Media ............................................................................................................... 35!
Appendix!One:!Supports!for!International!Students!in!Ottawa ........................37!
A1.1!
A1.2!
A1.3!
Offices!of!the!Educational!Institutions ................................................................... 37!
Student!Associations ............................................................................................. 39!
Other..................................................................................................................... 40!
Appendix!Two:!Costs!for!International!Students!in!Ottawa..............................42!
Homestays......................................................................................................................... 44!
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Project!Committee!
Sharon!Kan,!Executive!Director,!Ottawa!Chinese!Community!Service!Centre!
Carl!Nicholson,!Executive!Director,!Catholic!Centre!for!Immigrants!
Yew!Lee!and!Carolyn!McGill,!Axiom!Consultants!Inc.!
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Acknowledgements!
The!project!partners!are!very!grateful!to!these!individuals!who!provided!contextual!
information!and/or!assistance!with!organizing!our!meetings!with!international!
students.!!
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Roya!Atmar!
Mohamed!Dalmar!
Sean!Dowd!
Patrick!Su!
Huong!Thai!
Ling!Wang!
Jing!Feng!
Yodit!Girmay!
Janice!Zaharko!
Hoang!Zhang!
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Executive!Summary!
The!project!partners!are!two!longRestablished!settlement!service!organizations!in!
Ottawa,!and!a!community!development!consulting!firm.!We!have!a!shared!mission!
to!build!a!welcoming!and!integrated!community.!Together!we!have!over!90!years!of!
experience!in!working!with!newcomers!to!Ottawa!and!a!wide!network!of!social!and!
health!service!partners.!
International!students!have!come!to!Ottawa!in!steadily!increasing!numbers!over!the!
past!decade,!attracted!by!our!city’s!distinguished!educational!institutions,!its!
international!community!and!outlook,!and!a!beautiful!natural!setting.!!!
International!students!are!looking!for!the!experience!of!a!lifetime,!yet!too!many!
settle!for!survival!and!obtaining!their!degree!or!diploma.!Occasionally,!an!
international!student!who!falters!or!fails!makes!the!news.!We!know!there!are!many!
more!who!struggle!and!become!overwhelmed,!and!quietly!return!home.!!
There!is!a!strong!tendency!for!International!Students!to!form!relationships!only!
within!their!own!cultural!groupings.!When!international!students!complete!their!
studies!without!meeting!many!Canadians!outside!of!the!classroom,!it!is!a!loss!for!
both!the!student!and!the!host!country.!Some!international!students!are!potential!
new!Canadians.!We!hope!that!the!rest!return!home!with!a!good!understanding!of!
Canadian!culture!and!will!retain!strong!ties!to!our!country.!
The!forRprofit!sector!has!been!quick!to!develop!and!market!services!to!international!
students.!These!are!piecemeal!and!competitive.!The!worst!are!exploitive!and!
unscrupulous.!!!
We!believe!that!international!students!need!to!be!supported!with!settlement!and!
integration!services.!Our!sector!has!precisely!the!skill!set!required!to!identify!and!
meet!needs,!and!is!distinguished!by!our!community!and!clientRcentred!approaches.!!
With!this!research!project,!the!partners!have!begun!our!outreach!to!international!
students.!Our!next!steps!will!allow!us!to!learn!more,!while!we!help!the!students.!We!
will!focus!on!three!areas:!
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PreRarrival!—!Students!and!their!parents!represent!a!“market”!to!most!of!the!
current!service!providers!operating!in!this!sphere.!However,!the!parents!and!
students!usually!don’t!have!enough!transparent!and!reliable!information!to!
make!good!choices.!We!believe!that!we!can!bring!a!relationshipRbased,!
holistic!approach!to!preRarrival!information!and!services.!
Settlement!—!Resources!are!limited;!and!students!need!tailored!and!nonR
traditional!delivery!systems.!We!propose!to!start!with!information!and!
employment!bridging!services!and!develop!other!services!where!they!can!be!
selfRsustained.!
Integration!—!We!will!provide!opportunities!for!international!students!to!
interact!with!and!feel!part!of!the!Ottawa!community.!!
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International(Students(in(Ottawa(—(October(2012(
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1.0! Introduction!
1.0 Project!Partners!
The!Ottawa!Chinese!Community!Service!Centre!(OCCSC)!is!a!nonRprofit,!nonRpartisan,!
charitable!organization!committed!to!advancing!the!full!social!and!economic!
integration!and!participation!of!newcomers,!immigrants!and!people!of!Chinese!
descent!in!the!City!of!Ottawa.!It!has!served!the!community!since!1975.!
The!Catholic!Centre!for!Immigrants!(CCI)!is!a!communityRbased,!nonRprofit,!
charitable!organization!that!has!served!Ottawa!for!over!50!years.!Its!mission!is!to!
welcome!immigrants!and!refugees!and!to!build!a!more!welcoming!community.!
Since!1990,!Axiom!Consultants!Inc.!(Axiom)!has!provided!consulting!services!in!the!
areas!of!strategic!planning,!organizational!development,!community!consultation,!
training,!and!research.!Axiom!specializes!in!helping!organizations!and!communities!
engage!and!work!together.!
Previously,!these!three!partners!have!collaborated!on!various!organizational!and!
community!development!initiatives.!The!current!project!is!sponsored!by!all!three!
partners.!OCCSC!and!CCI!provided!referrals;!organized!and!hosted!focus!groups.!
Axiom!partners!Yew!Lee!and!Carolyn!McGill!did!the!research!and!writing.!!
For!assistance!with!outreach!to!international!students,!our!sincere!thanks!to:!!
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Patrick!Su,!Media!Coordinator,!OCCSC!
Mohamed!Dalmar,!Manager,!Client!Services,!CCI;!and!CCI!counselling!staff!
members,!Roya!Atmar!and!Yodit!Girmay!
Jing!Feng,!graduate!student,!University!of!Ottawa!!
1.1 Objectives!of!Research!
Ottawa!has!always!welcomed!international!students!and!recognized!their!
contributions:!diversity,!international!perspectives!and!networks,!and!economic!
benefits.!With!numbers!increasing!steadily!over!the!past!decade,!international!
students!are!now!a!significant!group!of!interest.!Furthermore,!many!are!not!just!
sojourners,!but!the!newest!members!of!our!community.!Acknowledging!the!
potential!of!international!students!as!immigrants!who!are!well!matched!with!labour!
market!needs!and!“preRintegrated”!to!Canada,!the!Government!of!Canada!has!
augmented!its!programs!to!facilitate!the!transition!from!international!student!to!
permanent!resident.!!
Through!our!community!contacts,!and!from!the!international!students!who!have!
come!to!OCCSC!and!CCI!for!information!or!counselling,!as!volunteers,!or!to!attend!
events,!the!project!partners!have!become!aware!of!a!number!of!areas!of!unmet!
needs!for!international!students.!We!undertook!the!current!research!as!outreach!to!
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the!local!international!student!population!and!also!to!increase!our!knowledge.!Our!
intent!was!to!survey!experiences!and!current!issues!for!international!students,!
particularly!postRsecondary!students.!We!hoped!to!identify!how!service!gaps!relate!
to!our!individual!and!shared!areas!of!mandate.!Our!objective!is!to!play!a!larger!role!
in!supporting!the!integration!of!international!students!to!the!Ottawa!community.!!
1.2 Scope!of!Research!!
During!the!period!March!to!August!2012,!Axiom!reviewed!a!wide!range!of!resources,!
research,!and!current!information,!mainly!on!the!World!Wide!Web.!
Interviews!and!small!group!discussions!with!international!students!and!other!
informed!sources!in!Ottawa!were!conducted!during!April!and!May.!(Details!are!in!
Section!3.)!
2.0! International!Students!—!Numbers!and!Trends!
2.1! International!Students!in!Canada!and!Ontario!
Economic!Impact!of!International!Education!in!Canada,!a!2009!report!commissioned!
by!the!Government!of!Canada,!stated!that!international!students!had!contributed!
more!than!$6.5!billion!to!the!Canadian!economy!in!the!previous!year.!This!report!
was!Canada’s!notice!that!this!country!intended!to!become!pay!more!attention!to!the!
issue!of!international!students,!and!become!an!even!bigger!player!in!the!education!
export!industry.!!!!!
In!July!2012!the!Economic!Impact!study!was!updated!with!2010!information.!
218,200!longRterm!students!(those!in!Canada!for!over!six!months)!contributed!an!
estimated!$6.9!billion!to!the!Canadian!economy!through!tuition,!accommodation!
and!other!expenditures.!Adding!the!expenditures!of!shortRterm!language!students!
and!tourism!spending!by!students,!their!families!and!friends,!brought!the!total!
expenditure!to!$8.0!billion.!
[These!“economic!impact”!figures!are!estimates.!Notably,!it!doesn’t!seem!realistic!
that!the!number!of!students!went!from!177,700!in!2008!to!218,200!in!2010,!while!
the!economic!contribution!increased!only!marginally.!The!newest!report!includes!a!
number!of!recommendations!related!to!the!need!for!better!data.]!
Although!computing!an!exact!dollar!figure!is!problematic,!both!Economic!Impact!
reports!emphasize!that!the!economic!contribution!of!international!students!is!
substantial.!Certainly!the!2008!report!triggered!action!among!multiple!stakeholders!
aimed!at!increasing!Canada’s!ability!to!attract!international!students.!!!!
The!number!of!international!students!coming!to!Canada!has!continued!to!grow!over!
the!past!dozen!years.!The!table!below!shows!figures!for!Canada,!Ontario!and!
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OttawaRGatineau.!Note!that!these!figures!have!been!taken!from!several!years!of!CIC’s!
Facts!and!Figures.!Historical!numbers!differ!between!the!reports,!sometimes!by!as!
much!as!a!couple!of!hundred!students!in!any!category.!We!did!not!make!any!attempt!
to!reconcile!discrepancies,!as!even!approximate!figures!are!useful!for!indicating!
trends.!
Arrivals!of!New!
International!Students!
International!Students!Living!in!
Canada!as!of!December!1!of!the!Year!
Canada!
Ontario!
Canada!
Ontario!
Ottawa?
Gatineau!
1999!
58,425!
19,856!
97,306!
32,951!
3,135!
2000!
69,104!
23,496!
114,046!
40,142!
3,696!
2001!
80,919!
27,347!
136,664!
49,186!
4,512!
2002!
76,948!
26,611!
150,455!
56,235!
4,957!
2003!
69,712!
23,810!
159,602!
60,273!
5,472!
2004!
66,121!
22,809!
164,741!
62,266!
5,801!
2005!
67,877!
23,314!
167,084!
62,834!
5,848!
2006!
71,786!
24,562!
170,035!
63,815!
5,977!
2007!
73,777!
24,371!
175,690!
65,378!
6,011!
2008!
79,!270!
26,713!
177,700!
65,637!
5,805!
2009!
85,865!
30,425!
195,884!
72,897!
6,232!
2010!
95,236!
38,842!
218,112!
85,225!
7,132!
2011!
98,378!
41,426!
239,131!
96,808!
7,699!
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Year!
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The!majority!of!these!international!students!study!at!the!postRsecondary!level,!but!a!
substantial!number!—!up!to!25%!of!new!arrivals!in!each!year!—!are!in!elementary!
or!secondary!school.!
Looking!at!the!postRsecondary!level!only,!in!October!2011!the!Association!of!
Universities!and!Colleges!of!Canada!(AUCC)!reported!that!the!number!of!
international!students!enrolled!fullRtime!across!Canada!had!risen!for!the!sixteenth!
straight!year!to!over!100,000.!These!students!came!from!more!than!200!countries.!
The!top!source!countries!by!far!are!China,!India!and!Korea.!!!
International!Education:!A!Key!Driver!of!Canada’s!Future!Prosperity,!a!report!to!
Foreign!Affairs!and!International!Trade!Canada!from!the!Advisory!Panel!on!
Canada’s!International!Education!Strategy!in!August!2012!recommends!that!Canada!
seek!to!double!its!number!of!fullRtime!international!students!from!239,131!in!2011!
to!more!than!450,000!by!2022!(equivalent!to!a!seven!percent!increase!in!enrollment!
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in!each!year).!This!includes!grades!KR12!and!language!schools,!in!addition!to!postR
secondary.!!
Within!Ontario,!in!the!2011R12!academic!year,!over!52,000!international!students!
attended!universities!and!colleges!(34,348!at!universities,!18,025!at!colleges).!
Growth!from!the!previous!year!was!23%!for!colleges!and!11%!for!universities.!Top!
source!countries!are!China!(25%),!India!(9%),!and!South!Korea!(4%).!Among!the!
university!students,!24,032!were!in!undergraduate!studies,!5,713!were!in!Masters!
programs!and!3,703!in!PhD!programs.!
The!figures!below!are!Council!of!Ontario!Universities!(CUDO)!2010!data,!based!on!
2009!enrolment.!!
Ontario!Universities!–!2009!International!Student!Enrolment!
!
University**
!
International!Students!as!a!Percentage!of!Total!
Student!Population!
Total*
Number*of*
Undergraduate*
International*
Students*
Masters*
Doctoral*
Toronto!
7,304!
11%!
9%!
20%!
Waterloo!
2,899!
8%!
18%!
31%!
York!
2,675!
5%!
5%!
10%!
Carleton!
2,329!
10%!
13%!
13%!
McMaster!
1,618!
5%!
12%!
17%!
Windsor!
1,532!
8%!
25%!
25%!
Ottawa!
1,515!
3%!
9%!
12%!
Western!
1,512!
3%!
13%!
23%!
Queen’s!
1,050!
3%!
13%!
19%!
988!
4%!
23%!
14%!
Brock!
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The!Open!Ontario!Plan!target!for!international!student!enrollment!in!Ontario!
colleges!and!universities!is!57,000!by!2014R15,!a!50%!increase!(equal!to!19,000!
more!students)!over!2009R10.!!
2.2!
Centralized!Marketing!and!Recruiting!Initiatives!
One!estimate!says!that!by!2025!the!number!of!students!studying!outside!of!their!
home!countries!will!have!grown!from!the!current!1.8!million!to!7.2!million.!!
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Governments!and!educational!institutions!all!over!the!globe!compete!to!attract!
international!students.!International!students!pay!much!higher!tuition!and!fees!than!
domestic!students!(although,!for!the!educational!institution,!these!are!offset!by!
lower!government!subsidies),!and!they!contribute!to!the!local!economy!
substantially!through!their!other!expenses.!They!represent!new!supplies!of!students!
to!offset!domestic!enrolment!fluctuations!and!declines!due.!International!students!
are!an!important!element!in!the!strategies!of!governments!and!educational!
institutions!to!meet!their!broader!“internationalization”!objectives.!And!recently!
Canada!has!begun!to!regard!international!students!as!desirable!immigrants!—!
young!people!with!both!skills!and!Canadian!credentials!in!specific!areas,!who!enter!
the!job!market!with!language!abilities!and!a!head!start!on!integration!to!Canadian!
life.!!
According!to!2010!statistics,!Canada!attracts!four!per!cent!of!the!world!market!share!
of!international!students.!Our!federal!and!provincial!governments!and!educational!
institutions!are!making!concerted!efforts!to!increase!this!market!share!substantially.!!
Australia,!with!543,000!international!students,!representing!a!seven!percent!world!
market!share!in!2009,!is!often!cited!as!a!model!for!Canada.!In!2008,!international!
students!contributed!$13.7!billion!to!the!Australian!economy,!and!represented!the!
country’s!third!largest!industry.!!
Imagine!Education!in!Canada!(Council!of!Ministers!of!Education,!Canada)!
http://www.educationauRincanada.ca/!
The!Imagine!Brand!is!CMEC’s!marketing!campaign!to!promote!Canada!as!a!
destination!for!international!students.!The!Education!au/in!Canada!website!
provides!official!information!about!student!visas!and!studying!in!Canada.!!
Since!2009,!the!Imagine!Brand!has!been!authorized!to!108!educational!institutions!
and!nonRgovernmental!organizations.!The!brand!ensures!that!Canada!is!represented!
with!consistent!messaging!related!to:!quality!of!education!and!value!of!degrees,!
good!living!and!studying!environment,!facility!of!getting!a!visa,!affordable!tuition!
and!expenses,!opportunities!for!work!and!immigration.!!
Student!Partners!Program!(SPP)!
In!its!first!year!SPP!was!a!collaboration!between!Canada’s!visa!offices!in!India!and!
the!Association!of!Canadian!Community!Colleges.!The!program’s!goal!was!to!
increase!the!approval!rate!for!study!permit!applications!at!participating!Canadian!
colleges!and!to!decrease!processing!times,!while!ensuring!high!rates!of!compliance!
with!visa!regulations.!As!a!result!of!SPP,!the!number!of!Indian!students!studying!in!
Canada!went!from!just!over!7,300!in!2008!to!nearly!9,600!in!2009.!In!2012!SPP!was!
expanded!to!China.!Algonquin!College!is!an!eligible!school!for!international!students!
entering!through!the!SPP.!!
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Mission!to!Brazil!
In!Fall!2011!the!Brazilian!government!announced!Science!Without!Borders,!a!$2R
billion!program!to!send!100,000!top!university!students!abroad,!with!all!tuition!and!
expenses!paid.!In!April!2012!the!Association!of!Universities!and!Colleges!of!Canada!
sent!a!delegation!of!over!30!university!presidents,!led!by!Canada’s!Governor!
General,!to!Rio!de!Janeiro,!as!a!first!attempt!to!attract!12,000!Brazilian!students!of!
science,!technology,!engineering!and!mathematics!by!2015.!
2.3! Canadian!Work!Experience!Programs!for!International!Students!
Jason!Kenney,!Minister!of!Citizenship!and!Immigration,!has!said:!“To!be!a!more!
innovative!society!able!to!compete!and!prosper!in!a!global,!knowledge–based!
economy,!Canada!needs!people!with!an!international!outlook,!skills!and!experience.!
Attracting!more!international!students!is!a!priority!for!our!government.”!
The!Government!of!Canada!is!committed!to!helping!Canadian!educational!
institutions!be!competitive!in!attracting!international!students.!A!number!of!
programs!have!been!developed!or!adjusted!with!the!intention!of!facilitating!the!
transition!from!international!students!to!temporary!workers,!and!—!for!those!who!
qualify!—!to!permanent!residents.!!
Program!!
Detail
Canadian!
Experience!
Class!(CEC)!
Launched!in!2008,!the!CEC!offers!a!pathway!to!permanent!
residence!–!and!eventually!Canadian!citizenship!–!for!some!
international!students.!It!allows!them!to!apply!for!permanent!
residency!from!within!Canada,!if!they!are!a!graduate!of!an!
approved!Canadian!college!or!university!(after!at!least!2!years!
of!fullRtime!study);!and!they!have!at!least!1!year!of!fullRtime!
skilled!work!experience!in!Canada.!(These!are!the!basic!
requirements;!other!conditions!apply.)!!
International!student!graduates!with!a!Master's!or!a!PhD!
degree!from!an!Ontario!university;!or!graduates!of!a!Canadian!
Provincial!
college!or!university!and!a!job!offer!in!Ontario!may!apply!for!
Nominee!
permanent!residency.!Some!PhD!graduates!(and!more!
Program!(PNP)!
recently,!on!a!pilot!basis,!Masters!graduates)!may!qualify!
without!a!job!offer.!
PostR
Graduation!
Work!Permit!
Program!
(PGWP)!
Since!2008,!the!PostRGraduation!Work!Permit!Program!allows!
students!who!have!graduated!from!a!participating!Canadian!
postRsecondary!institution!after!fullRtime!study!to!gain!
valuable!Canadian!work!experience.!
A!work!permit!under!the!PostRGraduation!Work!Permit!
Program!may!be!issued!for!the!length!of!the!study!program!
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(minimum!8!months!in!length),!up!to!a!maximum!of!three!
years.!!
OffRCampus!
Work!Permit!
Program!
Since!2006,!international!students!have!been!allowed!to!work!
partRtime!during!school!sessions,!and!fullRtime!during!breaks!
and!the!summer.!
CoRop!Permits!
International!students!may!obtain!a!permit!to!work!in!Canada,!
when!a!placement!is!a!required!component!of!their!program!of!
study.!!!
Starting!November!5,!2011,!recent!PhD!graduates!and!
international!students!who!have!completed!at!least!two!years!
PhD!Stream!of!
of!study!toward!the!attainment!of!a!PhD!and!who!remain!in!
Federal!Skilled!
good!academic!standing!at!a!provinciallyRrecognized!postR
Worker!
secondary!educational!institution!in!Canada!may!apply!to!the!
Program!
Federal!Skilled!Worker!Program.!
(FSWP)!
This!program!stream!is!not!affected!by!the!recent!moratorium!
on!applications!to!the!FSWP.!
!
These!government!programs!encourage!international!students!to!think!about!
remaining!in!Canada!after!their!studies.!Various!surveys!indicate!that!at!least!30%R
50%!of!international!students!are!interested!in!becoming!permanent!residents.!
CIC!statistics!show!that!the!number!of!international!students!transitioning!to!
permanent!residence!directly!from!student!status!and!after!postRgraduation!
employment!steadily!increased!from!about!8,500!in!2005!to!just!under!13,000!in!
2009.!However,!in!recent!years,!this!number!has!been!dropping.!!
!
Year*
Number!of!international!students!in!Canada!transitioning!to!permanent!resident!
status!!
2000!
2001!
2002!
2003!
2004!
2005!
2006!
2007!
2008!
2009!
2010!
Number*
5362!
of*IS*
5901!
5511!
5486!
7121!
7824!
9835!
10010!
10357!
9456!
8667!
!
Citizenship!and!Immigration!Canada!initially!projected!a!fivefold!increase!in!
students!wishing!to!immigrate!through!the!CEC!between!2009!and!2012!(5,000!to!
26,300).!However,!the!actual!uptake!for!the!CEC!has!been!significantly!lower!than!
expected,!with!just!under!4,000!temporary!foreign!workers!and!international!
student!graduates!(combined)!gaining!permanent!residency!through!the!program!in!
2010.!(The!figure!for!students!alone!isn’t!available.)!CIC!has!acknowledged!that!this!
low!uptake!suggests!that!international!students!have!difficulty!pursuing!or!
accessing!the!program.!!
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On!the!other!hand,!international!students!are!accessing!Provincial!Nominee!
Programs!in!increasing!numbers,!indicating!that!these!may!be!easier!or!more!
attractive!avenues.!Preliminary!data!for!2010!shows!that!21!percent!(58,982)!of!all!
permanent!residents!came!through!the!PNPs.!(Ontario!PNP!numbers!are:!540!
individuals!in!2005;!1232!individuals!in!2008.)!
Key!Sources!!
Citizenship!and!Immigration!Canada!Facts!and!Figures,!www.cic.gc.ca!
Economic!Impact!of!International!Education!in!Canada;!Final!Report,!Presented!to:!Foreign!Affairs!and!
International!Trade!Canada!by!Roslyn!Kunin!&!Associates,!Inc.!(July!2009):!
http://www.international.gc.ca/education/assets/pdfs/rka_inted_report_eng.pdf!
Economic!Impact!of!International!Education!in!Canada!V!An!Update,!Foreign!Affairs!and!International!
Trade!Canada!R!Roslyn!Kunin!&!Associates,!Inc.!(May!2012):!
http://www.international.gc.ca/education/reportRrapport/economicRimpactR
economique/index.aspx?view=d!
AUCC!Media!Release:!Undergraduate!student!enrolment!surpasses!million!mark,!(October!25,!2011):!
http://www.aucc.ca/mediaRroom/newsRandRcommentary/undergraduateRstudentRenrolmentR
surpassesRmillionRmark!
CIC!News!Release:!Attracting!and!retaining!international!PhD!students!the!focus!of!new!initiative!
(November!2,!2011):!http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2011/2011R11R
02.asp!
International!Education:!A!Key!Driver!of!Canada’s!Future!Prosperity,!Advisory!Panel!on!Canada’s!
International!Education!Strategy,!Final!Report,!August!2012:!
http://www.international.gc.ca/education/reportRrapport/strategyR
strategie/index.aspx?lang=eng&view=d!
Ontario's!PostVSecondary!International!Education!Strategy,!Presented!by:!Ontario!Ministry!of!
Training,!Colleges!and!Universities!to!the!OAIE!Conference!(May!10,!2012):!
https://quic.queensu.ca/resources/resource/files/May%202012%20OAIE%20presentation%20R
%20MTCU(1).pdf!
International!Student!to!Immigrant:!Potential!Impact!of!Recent!Policy!Changes!in!Canada,!Sophia!J.!
Lowe,!World!Education!Services,!Presentation!to!Metropolis!International,!Copenhagen,!DK!
(September!2009):!http://international.metropolis.net/pdf/intl_site/WS88_Lowe.pdf!
International!Students!and!Linkages!to!Permanent!Immigration,!World!Education!Services!
Symposium,!Citizenship!and!Immigration!Canada!presentation!(November!4,!2010):!
http://www.wes.org/ca/events/TAPLEY_InternationalStudentsAndLinkages.pdf!
Staying!–!and!Succeeding:!Settlement!Service!Gaps!of!International!Student!Migrants,!Sophia!J.!Lowe,!
Research!and!Policy!Analyst,!World!Education!Services,!Toronto!(August!2011):!http://integrationR
net.ca:81/infocentre/2011/004e.pdf!
Bringing!Education!in!Canada!to!the!World,!Bringing!the!World!to!Canada:!An!International!Education!
Marketing!Action!Plan!for!Provinces!and!Territories,!A!Response!to!the!Council!of!the!Federation!from!
Provincial!and!Territorial!Ministers!of!Education!and!of!Immigration!(June!2011):!
http://www.councilofthefederation.ca/pdfs/COF_Bringing_Ed_to_Canada_Eng_final.pdf!
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From!International!Students!to!Permanent!Residents:!Some!Considerations,!presentation!to!WES!
Conference!(November!2010),!Naomi!Alboim:!http://www.wes.org/ca/events/NaomiAlboim.pdf!
Evaluation!of!the!International!Student!Program,!Evaluation!Division!Research!and!Evaluation!(July!
2010):!http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/evaluation/isp/index.asp!
2.4! International!Students!in!Ottawa!
Citizenship!and!Immigration!Canada!statistics!show!that!about!7,700!international!
students!lived!in!OttawaRGatineau!on!December!1,!2011.!This!is!the!result!of!steady!
growth!over!the!past!decade,!from!4,512!international!students!in!2001.!Except!for!a!
slight!drop!in!2008,!the!number!of!international!students!in!the!region!increased!
every!year!during!this!period.!!
Carleton!University!and!the!University!of!Ottawa!are!among!the!top!ten!universities!
in!Ontario!in!terms!of!their!enrolment!of!fullR!and!partRtime!international!students.!
St.!Paul!University,!Algonquin!College,!and!the!OttawaRCarleton!District!School!
Board!also!attract!international!students!to!Ottawa.!!
If!local!educational!institutions!meet!their!targets,!there!may!be!as!many!as!15,000!
international!postRsecondary!students!per!year!in!the!Ottawa!region!within!ten!
years.!!
Carleton)University))
Carleton!consistently!attracts!the!fourth!largest!number!of!international!students!in!
Ontario!(behind!the!University!of!Toronto,!Waterloo!and!York),!and!the!second!
highest!percentage!of!international!undergraduates.!At!the!Master’s!level,!Carleton!
is!tied!for!third!place!with!Western!and!Queen’s.!At!13%,!Carleton’s!international!
participation!in!doctoral!programs!is!low!for!the!province.!(Percentages!of!graduate!
students!tend!to!be!higher!in!general,!because!university!recruitment!policies!favour!
students!who!have!full!scholarships!from!external!agencies.)!
The!most!recent!available!enrolment!data!for!Carleton!in!the!CUDO!database!is!for!
Fall!2010.!For!each!group,!the!chart!shows!the!total!number!of!international!
students,!followed!by!the!percentage!of!the!total!student!population!within!that!
group.!!
Carleton!University!International!Student!(IS)!Enrolment,!Fall!2010!
FullVtime!
!
Bachelors!
and!1st!
professional!
degree!!
Total!IS!
%!IS!
!
Total!IS!
%!IS!
!
Total!IS!
%!IS!
1717!
9.6%!
Masters!
271!
13.7%!
Doctoral!
113!
14.8%!
PartVtime!
(
(
11(
!
Bachelors!
and!1st!
professional!
degree!!
Total!IS!
%!IS!
!
Total!IS!
%!IS!
!
Total!IS!
%!IS!
324!
12.25%!
Masters!
22!
3.8%!
Doctoral!
14!
6.25%!
!
Carleton!reported!an!overall!17%!increase!in!international!student!enrolment!
between!2007!and!2010.!The!area!of!largest!growth!was!Engineering!and!Design!
(41%).!Arts!and!Social!Sciences,!Science,!and!Business!programs!had!growth!
between!10%!and!19%.!Public!Affairs!went!down!by!3%.!!
The!source!country!of!the!largest!group!at!Carleton!is!by!far!China!(29%).!Carleton’s!
next!biggest!groups!of!international!students!are!from!Saudi!Arabia,!Nigeria,!and!the!
United!Arab!Emirates.!!
Carleton’s!goal!is!to!increase!international!student!enrolment!to!13%!over!the!next!
five!years.!Recently,!its!International!Recruitment!Unit!(which!has!been!in!place!
since!2003)!has!been!active!in!Africa,!Eastern!Asia,!India,!Latin!America,!Mexico,!the!
Middle!East,!Scandinavia,!Southeast!Asia,!and!Turkey.!!
Carleton’s!Academic!Plan!(CAP)!calls!for!increased!internationalization!of!the!
university,!including!expansion!of!the!number!of!international!students.!This!
document!doesn’t!set!numeric!goals!on!this!front,!favouring!a!“measured!track”!that!
“allows!for!international!students!to!receive!the!necessary!services!and!supports”.!!
Carleton!recently!investigated!issues!related!to!a!foundation!year!program!to!help!
international!students!transition!to!undergraduate!studies!in!Canada.!In!its!Report!
on!International!Recruitment,!September!2011,!Carleton’s!Office!of!the!Provost!and!
ViceRPresident!(Academic)!recommends!that!this!program!be!developed!inRhouse,!
rather!than!in!partnership.!“The!fees!charged!should!be!set!high!enough!to!more!
than!meet!expenses.”!
Key!Sources!
Common!University!Data!Ontario!for!Carleton:!http://oirp.carleton.ca/cudo/htmlSectionA.html!
Report!on!International!Recruitment,!Carleton!University!Office!of!the!Provost!and!ViceRPresident!
(Academic)!(September!2011):!http://www1.carleton.ca/provost/ccms/wpRcontent/ccmsR
files/WGIRReport.pdf!
The!Carleton!Academic!Plan!(CAP)!2010/11!–!2014/15:!Realizing!Our!Dreams!As!Canada’s!Capital!
University!(June!2010):!http://www1.carleton.ca/provost/ccms/wpRcontent/ccmsRfiles/CarletonR
AcademicRPlan.pdf!
University)of)Ottawa)
CUDO’s!data!shows!that!the!University!of!Ottawa!had!1,515!international!students!in!
2009.!The!University!of!Ottawa!has!traditionally!held!a!sixth!place!standing!overall!
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in!the!province,!but!in!that!year,!it!was!nudged!one!placement!downwards!by!the!
University!of!Windsor.!!
Details!of!the!Fall!2010!enrollment!of!degreeRseeking!international!students!at!
University!of!Ottawa!is!shown!in!the!table!below.!!
University!of!Ottawa,!International!Student!(IS)!Enrolment,!Fall!2010!
FullVtime!
!
Bachelors!and!
1st!professional!
degree!!
Total!IS!
%!IS!
!
Total!IS!
%!IS!
!
Total!IS!
%!IS!
842!
3.1%!
Masters!
437!
15.2%!
Doctoral!
176!
12.4%!
PartVtime!
!
Bachelors!and!
1st!professional!
degree!!
Total!IS!
%!IS!
!
Total!IS!
%!IS!
!
Total!IS!
%!IS!
141!
3.8%!
Masters!
33!
3.4%!
Doctoral!
15!
10%!
!
The!University!of!Ottawa’s!Strategic!Plan,!Destination!2020,!outlines!targets!for!
international!students:!!doubling!the!number!of!graduate!students!(from!700!to!
1,400)!and!increasing!the!number!of!undergraduate!students!by!50%!(from!1,500!to!
2,250),!for!a!total!of!3,650!international!students,!representing!9%!of!the!entire!
student!body.!
The!University!of!Ottawa!is!a!member!of!CALDO,!a!consortium!of!the!universities!of!
Alberta,!Laval,!Dalhousie,!and!Ottawa!that!collaborates!on!international!student!
recruitment.!CALDO’s!Science!Without!Borders!initiative!is!expected!to!bring!2,700!
Brazilian!scholars!to!Canada!over!the!next!four!years,!of!which!U!of!Ottawa!will!have!
its!share.!!
Key!Sources!
Common!University!Data!Ontario!Statistics:!http://www.uottawa.ca/services/irp/eng/factR
figures/cudo/sectionRa_2011.html#sectionA6!
It!Starts!Here:!ViewBook!2012V13!International!Edition:!
http://www.international.uottawa.ca/docs/Prospectus_International_2011_EN.pdf!
Destination!2020:!The!University!of!Ottawa’s!Strategic!Plan:!
http://destination2020.uottawa.ca/documents/destinationR2020RstrategicRplan.pdf!
About!CALDO!and!Science!Without!Borders!
http://www.international.uottawa.ca/en/staff/CALDO.html!
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http://www.educationauRincanada.ca/educationauRincanada/newsRnouvelles/2012R04R
24b.aspx?lang=eng&view=d!
Saint)Paul)University))
http://ustpaul.ca/!
Although!federated!with!the!University!of!Ottawa,!Saint!Paul!has!its!own!mission!as!
a!Catholic!institution!and!grants!its!own!degrees.!According!to!undated!information!
at!the!Saint!Paul!website,!total!university!enrolment!(graduate!and!undergraduate,!
fullR!and!partRtime)!is!752,!of!which!83!or!11%!are!international!students.!!
Algonquin)College))
Algonquin!is!one!of!the!largest!colleges!in!Canada,!with!about!16,000!students!
currently,!of!which!1,000!are!international!students.!Algonquin!has!the!highest!
international!student!enrollment!of!any!Ontario!college!outside!of!Toronto.!(72%!of!
the!international!college!students!in!Ontario!go!to!schools!in!the!GTA.)!!
Algonquin!aims!to!increase!total!enrolment!to!20,000!in!2020,!with!international!
students!increasing!to!10%!or!2,000.!!
Algonquin!participates!in!the!Student!Partnership!Program,!an!administrative!
framework!designed!and!implemented!in!partnership!between!Canadian!visa!offices!
in!China!and!India!and!the!Association!of!Canadian!Community!Colleges.!
Algonquin!has!offices!in!Beijing!and!New!Delhi,!with!a!dedicated!website!for!each.!
The!India!office!website!is!in!English!and!much!of!its!content!appears!to!be!a!copy!of!
Algonquin’s!main!site.!The!China!office!website!is!in!Chinese!and!appears!to!have!at!
least!some!unique!content.!
Key!Sources!
Enrolment!–!Algonquin!College!Academic!White!Paper!(March!2009):!
http://www.algonquincollege.com/VPAcademic/Enrolment%20R%20March%202009.pdf!
Algonquin!College!China!Office!(Beijing):!!http://www.algonquincollege.cn/!
Algonquin!India!Office!(New!Delhi):!http://www2.algonquincollege.com/international/algonquinR
indiaRoffice/!
Ottawa8Carleton)District)School)Board)International)Student)Program)
Ottawa’s!public!school!board!offers!credit!ESL!and!secondary!school!academic!
programs!for!international!students.!The!affiliated!organization!handling!
international!student!recruitment!and!support!is!the!OttawaRCarleton!Education!
Network!(OCENET).!OCENET!is!selfRsustaining!through!the!fees!charged!to!
international!students.!!
The!2009R10!Director’s!Report!to!the!Community!notes!that!the!OCDSB!attracted!231!
new!fullRtime!international!students!from!27!countries!to!bring!the!total!number!to!
(
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337.!Top!source!countries!are!South!Korea,!China,!Germany,!Vietnam,!Brazil,!and!
Mexico.!
The!OCDSB’s!2010R2011!report!does!not!update!these!statistics,!but!highlights!a!
new!partnership!with!Canada!Homestay!International!that!brought!28!students!and!
two!teachers!from!the!Peking!University!Elementary!School!to!three!Kanata!schools.!!
Key!Sources!
OCDSB!International!Student!Program:!http://www.studyottawa.ca/en/page/show/main!
OttawaVCarleton!Education!Network:!http://www.ocenet.ca/!
Director’s!Report!to!the!Community:!
2010R2011:!http://www.ocdsb.ca/abR
ocdsb/annual_Reports/Documents/16289%20OCDSB%20Annual%20Report%202010R
2011_Ev_V7a%20FINALRs.pdf!
2009R2010:!http://www.ocdsb.ca/abRocdsb/annual_Reports/ar/Annual%20Reports/2009R
2010%20Director's%20Annual%20Report%20to%20the%20Community.pdf!
3.0! Issues!for!International!Students!in!Ottawa!
3.1! Interviews!and!Small!Group!Discussions!
During!the!months!of!April!and!May!of!2012,!Axiom!consulted!with!14!international!
students!in!Ottawa.!We!held!three!small!group!discussions,!two!individual!
interviews,!and!one!phone!interview.!!
Six!of!the!students!consulted!were!male;!eight!were!female.!Their!countries!of!
citizenship!were:!!
• China!(7)!
• Ethiopia!(3)!
•
•
•
Japan!(1)!
Mexico!(1)!
Rwanda!(1)!
•
South!Korea!(1)!
We!met!with!six!university!graduate!students,!six!undergraduates,!one!college!
student,!and!one!student!in!a!shortRterm!conversational!English!program.!
Of!the!twelve!university!students,!two!were!at!Carleton,!and!ten!studied!at!the!
University!of!Ottawa.!Areas!of!study!represented!were:!journalism,!economics,!
sports!management,!geography,!engineering,!finance,!accounting,!and!international!
affairs.!
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Students!were!asked!about:!!
• Challenges!and!difficulties!faced!by!international!students!(themselves!and!
others!they!know)!
• Supports!that!international!students!currently!access!for!help!with!
challenges!
• Opportunities!for!international!students!to!integrate!with!the!host!
community!
• Services!that!are!needed!to!assist!international!students!in!Ottawa!
Additional!topics!were!discussed,!according!to!the!interests!and!experiences!of!the!
individuals!and!groups.!This!section!provides!a!thematic!summary!of!comments!
from!all!international!student!informants.!
3.2! Issues!Identified!
Orientation!to!the!Academic!Institution!and!to!Ottawa!
A!great!deal!of!information!about!Ottawa!and!each!academic!institution!is!readily!
available!online!to!even!a!casual!researcher.!Prospective!and!current!students!
receive!additional!information!that!is!customized!and!provided!directly!to!them.!
Universities!and!schools!organize!orientation!events!and!information!packages!for!
international!students!just!prior!to!each!school!term.!!
However!students!said!that!the!best!sources!of!useful!information!in!their!early!days!
were!personal!contacts:!family!members,!friends,!roommates,!Homestay!hosts,!
landlords,!and!neighbours.!These!sources!provided!information!on!an!“as!needed”!
basis!about!topics!such!as!adapting!to!the!Canadian!winter,!Canadian!culture,!and!
using!OC!Transpo.!!
However,!not!all!international!students!have!many!—!or!even!any!—!of!these!
personal!contacts!when!they!first!arrive!in!Ottawa.!One!student!in!our!consultation!
observed!that!these!others!had!“big!trouble”.!!
Other!sources!of!information:!
• Orientation!events!—!A!small!number!of!students!mentioned!the!school’s!
official!orientation!event!and!said!it!was!helpful.!One!said!that!the!
information!might!have!been!more!helpful!if!it!was!provided!before!classes!
started.!!
• Mentorship!—!One!student!had!a!peer!mentorship!arranged!by!the!
university.!!
• On!academic!issues,!students!have!consulted!their!academic!department,!the!
international!students!office,!their!professors,!and!—!in!the!case!of!a!small!
graduate!program!only!—!their!classmates!!
• Websites!—!Students!from!China!all!use!the!Come!from!China!website!which!
provides!news,!and!connects!buyers!and!purchasers!of!textbooks!and!other!
secondRhand!items.!Come!from!China!also!has!a!discussion!forum,!which!
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students!say!has!been!less!interesting!for!them!since!the!former!president!
left.!One!student!used!Kijiji!Ottawa!to!find!shared!accommodation.!One!
student!frequently!visits!a!website!that!lists!upcoming!free!events.!!
Making!Friends!!
Most!of!the!students!we!spoke!to!said!that!they!do!almost!all!of!their!socializing!with!
members!of!their!own!national!or!language!group!—!family!and!friends,!friends!of!
friends,!and!occasionally!classmates.!Only!one!student!reported!involvement!with!
the!university!student!association!for!their!home!country.!!
Our!informants!would!very!much!welcome!opportunities!to!meet!more!Canadians.!
Some!of!them!had!actively!tried!to!make!Canadian!friends,!but!found!that!getting!
beyond!a!friendly!‘hiRbye’!relationship!is!difficult.!Some!of!the!reasons!for!this:!
• Students!are!all!busy;!and!have!their!own!schedules.!!
•
•
•
•
•
Undergraduate!classes!are!large.!There!isn’t!a!lot!of!student!interaction!
during!class,!and!everyone!leaves!right!away!at!the!end.!!
Other!students!talk!and!socialize!within!their!established!groups,!and!it’s!
hard!to!break!in.!!
Some!international!students!feel!they!don’t!have!enough!fluency!or!
vocabulary,!or!otherwise!lack!confidence!to!converse!in!English!with!
Canadian!peers.!!
Beyond!language!limitations,!there!are!cultural!barriers!to!conversation,!
because!of!a!lack!of!shared!hobbies!and!interests.!(One!student!makes!a!point!
of!reading!hockey!news!frequently,!in!order!to!have!something!to!talk!to!
Canadians!about.)!!
Some!Canadian!students!party!and!drink!a!lot,!especially!in!residence.!Many!
international!students!don’t!like!to!socialize!in!this!way,!or!have!been!warned!
against!taking!part!in!these!types!of!activities.!!
This!situation!is!a!very!common!one!for!international!students!everywhere.!
Typically,!international!students!desire!more!interactions!with!the!host!community;!
while!domestic!students!are!unmindful!or!neutral!about!friendship!with!
international!students.!The!presence!of!international!students,!even!in!large!
numbers,!is!not!enough!to!promote!intercultural!interaction,!without!active!
intervention!and!facilitation.!!
Accommodations!and!Food!
A!small!number!of!our!informants!had!tried!a!Homestay.!One!was!there!only!very!
briefly!(as!planned),!before!she!was!able!to!enter!the!university!residence.!Another!
student!moved!out!of!her!first!Homestay!because!the!meals!were!strictly!vegetarian,!
and!there!was!no!Internet.!She!tried!a!second!Homestay,!and!was!happier!there.!
Most!of!her!friends!stayed!only!a!few!months!at!their!Homestay!before!moving!out!
to!share!apartments!with!students!of!the!same!nationality.!She!said!that!the!
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Homestays!had!been!arranged!in!her!country!and!that!many!important!details!for!
ensuring!compatibility!and!avoiding!problems!were!not!discussed!at!that!time.!!
It!is!also!possible!to!rent!an!apartment!from!overseas,!but!this!wasn’t!a!good!
experience!for!a!friend!of!a!student!we!consulted.!The!rent!was!very!high,!and!the!
student!was!eventually!evicted!without!notice.!!
Three!of!our!informants!lived!in!university!residence!for!a!time.!One!student!said!
this!was!a!helpful!transition!to!independent!living,!because!she!didn’t!have!to!worry!
about!food,!transportation,!rent,!and!utilities.!Also,!the!residence!reception!service!
provided!her!with!a!lot!of!information!to!help!her!get!oriented!to!Ottawa.!Living!in!
residence!provided!opportunities!for!the!international!students!to!meet!Canadians,!
even!though!no!close!friendships!resulted.!!
One!informant!reported!a!friend’s!unfortunate!experience!with!residence.!She!didn’t!
know!that!residence!closes!for!Christmas!break,!and!had!to!find!other!
accommodation!on!short!notice.!
A!few!students!live!with!family!members!—!either!parents!who!came!to!Canada!to!
be!with!them,!or!other!family!members!already!in!Canada.!!
The!students!who!live!in!apartments!say!it!can!be!a!challenge!to!find!an!affordable!
place!near!the!school.!One!student!used!Kijiji!to!find!shared!accommodation.!!
Shopping!and!cooking!for!oneself,!and!managing!to!eat!well!with!budget!and!time!
constraints!are!challenges!for!the!students!who!live!independently.!Most!of!them!
never!did!any!cooking!before!coming!to!Canada.!They!also!had!to!learn!about!
shopping!in!Canada.!Some!of!their!usual!food!choices!at!home!aren’t!easy!to!find!
here.!They!had!to!learn!to!prepare!cheap!and!readily!found!Canadian!foods,!such!as!
potatoes.!!!
Learning!English!
Many!of!our!informants!aren’t!confident!about!their!conversational!English.!It!was!
said!that!it!would!be!nice!to!have!a!conversational!English!group!on!campus.!
Almost!no!one!mentioned!language!as!a!limitation!on!their!academic!results.!
However,!tutorial!help!in!written!English!may!be!an!area!of!unmet!need.!One!
student!who!has!to!write!a!lot!in!her!program!of!study!noted!that,!for!students!who!
have!passed!TOEFL,!the!university’s!free!writing!help!covers!only!outline!and!
structure.!Tutorial!help!with!English!grammar!is!available!only!at!a!cost.!The!shortR
term!language!student!we!spoke!to!was!disappointed!to!learn!after!she!got!to!
Canada!that!her!English!language!course!was!strictly!conversation,!while!she!was!
hoping!to!learn!about!writing.!
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Budgeting!and!Financial!Issues!
A!couple!of!our!informants!are!on!full!scholarship,!and!don’t!get!any!additional!
financial!support!from!their!parents.!As!their!scholarships!don’t!cover!all!their!
expenses,!they!had!to!find!jobs!to!make!ends!meet.!!!
Discovering!that!education!in!Canada!costs!more!than!expected!is!not!unusual.!
While!most!of!our!informants!did!not!report!personal!money!issues,!they!are!aware!
that!money!issues!and!shortfalls!are!a!cause!of!stress!for!many!international!
students.!Some!of!this!is!due!to!indiscriminate!spending.!“Everyone!needs!Student!
Finances!101”,!was!one!student’s!advice.!!
Information!and!assistance!with!banking!and!income!taxes!were!other!identified!
areas!of!need.!!
A!couple!of!students!said!that!they!didn’t!get!accurate!or!complete!information!
about!tuition!or!accommodation!costs!from!agents!in!their!home!country.!They!
aren’t!sure!whether!this!is!because!the!agents!have!never!been!to!Canada,!because!
the!agents!steer!them!toward!certain!businesses!that!give!them!a!commission,!or!
because!the!agents,!the!businesses,!or!both!are!unscrupulous.!!!
Canada!First,!a!2009!survey!of!international!students!across!the!country!by!the!
Canadian!Bureau!for!International!Education,!reported:!!
• Most!students!received!at!least!some!financial!support!from!their!family!
(70%!for!university;!80%!for!college).!
•
•
•
About!one!university!student!in!three!received!financial!assistance!from!their!
institution!in!the!form!of!a!scholarship.!Only!6%!of!college!students!had!
scholarships.!!
One!university!student!in!five!received!a!loan!or!scholarship!from!a!
government!or!agency!in!their!home!country.!!
University!students!are!much!more!likely!than!college!students!(29%!vs.!
16%)!to!use!current!income!from!onR!or!offRcampus!work!to!help!pay!for!
their!education.!!
According!to!Canada!First,!international!students!sometimes!face!shortfalls!in!
income.!About!half!of!all!students!reported!having!provided!some!academic!
assistance!to!other!international!students!in!the!last!year.!One!in!three!provided!this!
help!twice!or!more;!and!7%!had!done!so!six!times!or!more.!Students!from!
Central/South!Asia!and!SubRSaharan!Africa!were!the!most!likely!to!report!helping!
other!international!students!by!lending!food,!money,!or!accommodations!at!least!
once!during!the!past!year.!(The!study!did!not!ask!about!repayment!of!loans.)!
Appendix!Two!has!estimated!costs!for!international!students!in!Ottawa.!!
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Next!Steps!—!Working!in!Canada!!
For!some!students!nearing!the!end!of!their!current!program!of!study!their!next!
steps!are!not!clear.!One!student!said!that!Canadians!always!ask!him!if!he!plans!to!
stay!here.!Having!to!answer!the!question!makes!him!uncomfortable,!because!his!
future!plans!depend!on!contingencies!and!opportunities.!(We!spoke!to!him!shortly!
before!he!learned!that!he!had!finished!his!degree!program!successfully.)!
Our!informants!feel!that!international!students!who!might!want!to!stay!in!Canada!
are!not!well!informed!about!opportunities!such!as!the!PostRGraduate!Work!
Program,!the!Canadian!Experience!Class!and!the!Provincial!Nominee!Program,!and!
what!is!required!to!take!advantage!of!these!programs.!Obtaining!work!in!Canada!is!
key!to!being!able!to!stay!in!the!country!after!a!student!visa!expires.!It!is!difficult!to!
think!about!all!the!next!steps!while!the!student!is!concentrating!on!doing!well!in!
school.!After!that,!time!runs!out!quickly.!!
Informants!spoke!about!various!aspects!of!the!situation:!
• International!students!and!their!parents!need!more!information!about!
processes,!requirements!and!timing!for!postgraduate!work!permits.!They!
need!as!much!of!this!information!as!possible!prior!to!their!arrival!in!Canada.!
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Student!visas!or!money!sometimes!run!out!before!the!deadlines!for!applying!
from!within!Canada.!
After!the!student!graduates,!the!university!can’t!help!with!finding!jobs!or!
applications!to!CIC.!
Job!fairs!aren’t!good!for!international!students,!because!most!jobs!are!for!
Canadian!citizens.!
International!students!need!more!bridges!to!the!business!community!and!
more!information!about!where!there!are!job!openings.!!
International!students!need!volunteer!work!and!partRtime!jobs!to!obtain!
Canadian!experience.!
International!students!need!assistance!in!filling!out!government!forms.!
Many!international!students!have!trust!issues!related!to!asking!for!help.!They!
may!be!ashamed!to!acknowledge!that!money!is!a!problem,!or!that!they!aren’t!
doing!well!in!school.!!
One!student!commented!that!surely!the!increasing!number!of!international!students!
in!Canada!is!in!itself!an!argument!for!opening!doors!to!employment!for!them.!
Social!analysts!recognize!that!Canada’s!international!student!transition!programs!
delay!access!to!full!rights!and!services.!!
Naomi!Alboim!of!Queen’s!University!has!said:!“If!it’s!in!Canada’s!interest!on!the!
policy!side!to!see!international!students!as!a!pool!of!really!high!potential!permanent!
residents!in!Canada,!then!one!would!think!that!a!complimentary!policy!would!be!to!
provide!the!programmatic!support!that!would!allow!them!to!integrate!fully.”!
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PostRsecondary!institutions!provide!support!to!students,!not!to!potential!
immigrants.!Most!International!Student!Offices!don’t!have!the!mandate,!the!
capacity,!skills!or!resources!to!assume!a!full!slate!of!services!for!students!who!want!
to!transition!to!permanent!residency.!And!most!settlement!agencies!can!help!only!a!
small!number!of!international!students!because!they!get!the!majority!of!their!
funding!from!CIC’s!Settlement!Program,!which!has!strict!client!eligibility!criteria!
that!exclude!international!students.!!
Currently!the!only!widely–available!recourse!is!private!businesses,!such!as!
immigration!lawyers,!who!tend!to!be!expensive.!
In!terms!of!services!readily!available!to!most!international!students!across!the!
country,!there!are!no!common!standards.!Some!get!no!information!at!all!about!
options!for!immigrating!to!Canada.!Some!get!enough!information!to!confuse!and!
overwhelm!them.!There!are!a!few,!scattered!initiatives!that!demonstrate!
partnership!and!innovation!in!assisting!international!students!through!the!
transition!to!living!and!working!in!Canada.!The!Greater!Halifax!Partnership!
International!Student!Connector!Program!is!one!example.!(See!details!in!Section!5.)!!
Informant!Recommendations!
Information))
• Students!and!parents!need!as!much!preRarrival!information!as!possible!about!
services,!support,!and!costs!in!Canada.!This!should!be!from!trustworthy!
sources,!accurate!and!complete.!!
• Students!need!to!understand!early!on!about!the!various!options!available!for!
their!path!through!education!to!employment!to!applying!for!permanent!
residency.!In!addition!to!the!official!information,!they!would!like!
opportunities!to!hear!various!perspectives!that!would!help!them!assess!the!
options.!For!example,!parents!encourage!a!path!directly!through!to!graduate!
school,!whereas!a!break!from!school!might!be!an!opportunity!to!gain!
valuable!experience.!!
Staying)in)Touch)
• Personal!checkRins,!by!email!or!otherwise,!are!helpful.!
• A!newsletter!targeted!to!international!students!would!be!welcome.!
• Students!appreciate!being!on!listservs!for!various!community!organizations,!
embassies,!and!others!who!have!interesting!events!and!programs.!
Integration)
• Students!would!like!opportunities!to!attend!events!that!are!not!for!
international!students!only.!
• International!students!would!like!to!meet!with!Canadians!and!families,!to!
learn!about!Canadian!culture!and!values.!!
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•
•
International!students!want!volunteer!opportunities,!to!learn!about!Canada!
and!to!get!Canadian!experience.!
Suggestions!for!summer!outdoor!outings:!Byward!Market!tour,!Rideau!Canal!
trip,!hiking,!BBQ!
Settlement)Services)
Many!areas!of!need!identified!by!the!students!are!common!to!all!newcomers.!These!
include!help!with:!
• Documentation!
• Housing!!
•
•
•
Transportation!
Legal!issues!(employment,!landlordRtenant!relations)!
Medical!issues!(finding!and!paying!for!services,!transportation)!
•
Employment!!—!making!connections,!getting!security!clearance,!finding!jobs,!
overcoming!employer!preferences!for!Canadians!
Language!—!conversation!and!English!grammar!
•
4.0! Conclusions!
The!Government!of!Canada!(under!lead!departments!CIC,!DFAIT!and!Canadian!
Border!Services)!and!Canada’s!educational!sector!(provinces!and!institutions)!
continue!to!strengthen!and!expand!their!efforts!to!bring!international!students!to!
Canada.!Latterly,!some!municipalities!have!begun!to!play!a!bigger!role!in!recruiting!
and!welcoming!international!students.!These!stakeholders!have!various!approaches!
and!objectives.!In!some!situations!they!are!at!odds,!or!even!in!competition,!with!
each!other.!
Canada!has!no!overall!policy!defining!the!relationship!between!the!nation,!education!
providers,!and!the!international!student,!correspondent!to!Australia’s!Educational!
Services!for!Overseas!Students!(ESOS)!Act,!which!includes!a!Code!of!Practice.!ESOS!
protects!both!Australia’s!reputation!for!delivering!quality!education!services!and!
the!interests!of!its!international!students.!!
International!students!choose!Canada!for!various!reasons,!but!primarily!because!it!
is!an!EnglishRspeaking!country,!Canadian!degrees!are!valued!but!cheaper!to!obtain!
than!in!the!United!States,!and!because!our!country!is!seen!as!beautiful!and!safe.!With!
international!education!in!Canada!governed!mainly!by!marketplace!dynamics,!it!
may!be!said!that!international!students!have!the!influence!and!rights!of!the!
consumer.!However,!when!choose!an!educational!program!in!Canada!from!the!
vantage!point!of!their!home!country,!it!is!difficult!for!them!to!assess!the!value!of!
what!they!are!purchasing.!Once!they!are!here,!their!power!as!a!consumer!is!
diminished!even!more,!because!they!become!subject!to!the!host!government,!the!
educational!institution,!and!unfamiliar!organizational!and!societal!cultures.!There!is!
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little!oversight!and!there!are!few!safeguards!for!the!welfare!of!international!
students.!
All!educational!institutions!do!offer!some!specialized!support!to!international!
students.!This!is!generally!intensive!during!the!early!days!after!arrival.!Thereafter,!
the!international!student’s!relationship!with!the!university!or!college!becomes!
fragmented.!University!departments,!especially!on!the!academic!and!administrative!
sides,!often!don’t!coordinate!well!with!regard!to!international!students.!!
Most!international!students!have!little!opportunity!to!learn,!understand!and!trust!
institutional!processes.!Services!designed!for!domestic!services!may!not!be!
especially!helpful!for!international!students!and!may!even!drive!them!away.!This!is!
the!case!for!even!routine!issues;!so!that!students!are!generally!not!prepared!to!turn!
to!the!university!for!assistance!when!they!face!bigger!or!more!personal!problems.!
Queen’s!University!Director!of!Counseling!and!Psychology!once!commented,!after!
recounting!the!story!of!an!international!student!whose!academic!and!financial!
troubles!led!to!him!suicide,!that!the!difference!between!sadness!and!depression!is!
only!two!weeks.!!
There!are!signs!that!international!student!offices!are!trying!to!provide!more!and!
better!services.!However,!their!resources!are!limited!and!ISOs!may!be!overloaded!
with!duties!related!to!both!international!students!and!exchanges!for!domestic!
students.!!
Language!capabilities!and!lack!of!a!strong!social!network!further!isolate!and!
endanger!the!international!student.!At!a!time!when!both!the!students!and!the!
Canadian!government!are!anticipating!that!many!will!transition!to!becoming!
permanent!residents!and!Canadian!citizens,!international!students!generally!do!not!
become!integrated!into!the!community!or!experience!Canadian!culture!firstRhand.!
By!the!end!of!their!studies!here,!few!have!established!relationships!with!Canadians!
outside!of!the!classroom.!!
4.1!
Role!for!the!Settlement!Sector!
International!students!face!a!broad!range!of!issues.!Some!of!these!are!shared!with!all!
students,!such!as!academic,!financial,!and!time!management!issues.!Also!in!common!
with!some!domestic!students,!international!students!are!far!from!home!and!learning!
to!live!independently.!!
However!international!students!must!make!their!way!in!an!unfamiliar!host!culture!
both!academically!and!socially.!Services!for!them!must!account!for!each!student’s!
unique!considerations,!such!as!language,!culture,!gender,!and!financial!situation.!!
Many!currently!unmet!needs!of!international!students!are!a!good!match!with!the!
unique!skills!and!resources!of!the!longRestablished!settlement!sector!in!Ottawa.!
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However,!international!students!may!not!currently!access!these!services!in!great!
numbers!because!of!federal!funder!restrictions!that!favour!permanent!residents.!
If!they!can!find!new!funders,!or!if!they!decide!to!operate!on!a!costRrecovery!basis!
and!charge!a!fee!for!services,!the!settlement!sector!has!many!strengths!to!market!to!
international!students:!!
•
Agencies!with!over!30!years!of!experience!and!inRdepth!knowledge!of!the!
barriers!and!challenges!faced!by!newcomers!to!Canada!
•
•
•
Multilingual!staff!with!extensive!crossRcultural!skills!!!
Employment!assistance!programs!and!connections!to!the!business!sector!
Comprehensive!links!with!other!community,!health,!and!social!services!
•
A!mandate!to!build!a!welcoming!Ottawa!community!that!values!and!enriches!
all!members!
The!settlement!sector!could!potentially!provide!services!to!international!students,!
oversee!their!welfare,!and!advocate!on!their!issues.!Acting!proactively!from!its!
strengths!will!position!the!sector!well!for!brokering!partnerships!with!educational!
institutions.!!
4.2! Approaches!for!Project!Partners!
The!project!partners:!Ottawa!Chinese!Community!Service!Centre!(OCCSC),!the!
Catholic!Centre!for!Immigrants!(CCI),!and!Axiom!Consultants!Inc.!(Axiom)!are!
agreed!to!take!next!steps!using!these!approaches:!
•
•
•
Begin!to!position!the!partners!as!community!leaders!in!welcoming!and!
supporting!international!students!in!Ottawa!
Learn!and!grow!the!joint!initiative!in!stages,!starting!with!communications!
and!small!events!for!international!students!
Develop!a!strategy!to!engage!a!wider!range!of!partners!and!stakeholders!
•
Explore!and!assign!areas!of!focus!for!each!project!partner!(e.g.!employment!
assistance,!settlement,!use!of!new!media)!!
•
Determine!additional!information!needs;!seek!partners!and!resources!to!do!
research!
!
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5.0! Best!Practices!and!Innovative!Initiatives!
This!section!presents!highlights!from!a!scan!for!interesting!and!innovative!
approaches!to!support!international!students!and!assist!their!integration!to!
academic!and!community!life!Canada.!These!examples!are!scattered!and!mostly!
limited!in!scope.!Therefore,!few!are!Best!Practices!in!the!strict!definition!of!the!term.!
They!are!provided!here!as!inspiration!and!“food!for!thought”.!!
5.1!
Enhanced!International!Student!Services!
All!universities!and!colleges!have!an!office!or!staff!assigned!to!international!student!
administration!and!support.!This!often!includes!both!international!students!
studying!in!Canada!and!Canadian!students!going!abroad.!
Basic!services!of!international!student!offices!are:!information!for!potential!and!
current!students,!orientation!for!new!students,!occasional!social!events!and!
workshops,!assistance!with!student!visas,!and!UHIP!(health!insurance)!
administration.!Many!ISOs!offer!some!type!of!counseling!and/or!academic!support,!
although!just!as!often!international!students!are!referred!to!mainstream!services!on!
campus.!Some!schools!have!begun!to!realize!that!they!should!be!doing!more!and!
better!than!they!have!in!the!past!to!support!international!students.!!!
York!University!
York!International!Annual!Report:!May!2010RApril!2011:!http://international.yorku.ca/about/YIR
ANNUALRREPORTR2010R11.pdf!
York!has!a!goal!of!increasing!its!percentage!of!international!students!from!about!five!
percent!currently!to!at!least!7.5!percent!by!2013!and!10!percent!by!2017.!To!inform!
its!recruitment!and!retention!efforts,!York!has!been!considering!the!results!of!recent!
international!student!satisfaction!surveys,!including!the!International!Student!
Barometer.!(The!Barometer!is!the!flagship!service!of!the!business!IRGraduate.!It!is!an!
online!survey!tool!that!allows!education!providers!to!see!how!they!are!doing!against!
global,!regional,!and!customized!benchmarks.!Carleton!University,!the!University!of!
Ottawa!and!Algonquin!College!are!also!IRGraduate!clients.)!
To!address!areas!of!low!satisfaction!among!its!international!students,!York!
introduced!new!services!and!programs!in!2010R2011:!!
•
•
•
Workshops!on!“Living!in!Canada,”!including!safety!and!security!sessions!
Session!on!“Working!in!Canada”!
Workshop!on!transitional!issues!faced!by!international!students!!
•
Together!with!the!City!of!Toronto,!a!welcome!booth!to!greet!international!
students!on!their!arrival!at!Pearson!International!Airport.!Rogers!offered!an!
opportunity!for!students!to!call!home!from!the!event.!City!Hall!held!a!
reception!for!international!students!later!in!the!Fall!term.!
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•
More!orientation!sessions,!with!better!scheduling,!resulting!in!an!84%!
increase!in!participation!(from!222!students!to!408!students).!Through!a!
partnership!with!Scotiabank!Multicultural!Services,!the!orientation!included!
a!financial!budgeting!session.!!
Thompson!Rivers!University!(TRU)!
http://www.truworld.ca/internationalstudents.html!
In!addition!to!its!staff!of!International!Academic!Advisors,!TRU!has!a!group!of!
multilingual!International!Student!Advisors,!who!give!individual!support!to!each!of!
TRU’s!international!students.!“TRU!students!can!count!on!the!ISA!team!for!
information!or!assistance!with!any!aspect!of!student!life!in!Canada.!The!ISAs!also!
coordinate!housing,!orientation,!and!settlement!services.”!Collectively,!the!advisors!
maintain!My!TRU!World,!a!dedicated!communications!website!for!international!
students.!!
TRU’s!orientation!week!for!international!students!includes!a!luncheon!with!the!city.!
TRU!holds!a!followRup!orientation!event!one!month!into!the!term.!Both!international!
and!domestic!students!are!invited!to!activities!organized!by!the!international!
student!program.!!
University!of!Waterloo!
http://uwaterloo.ca/internationalRstudents/!
Programs!and!services!at!Waterloo!include:!
• International!advisors!to!assist!with!Canadian!immigration!status,!medical,!
financial,!cultural!adjustment,!taxes,!workshops,!preRarrival!information!
• English!conversation!circles!!
•
•
•
English!reading,!writing,!grammar!and!pronunciation!tutoring!by!student!
volunteers!
Global!representative!program!—!A!Waterloo!student!answers!questions!
about!the!university!in!the!students’!first!language.!
Shadow!program!—!A!student!volunteer!offers!friendship!and!guidance!to!
the!campus!and!community!during!the!international!student’s!first!term.!
5.2! Initiatives!to!Bring!International!and!Domestic!Students!Together!
A!researcher!in!New!Zealand!reviewed!the!literature!to!find!proven!strategies!for!
fostering!positive!intercultural!perceptions!and!relations.![The!Impact!of!International!
Students!on!Domestic!Students!and!Host!Institutions,!Colleen!Ward!(2001):!
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/international/the_impact_of_international_stude
nts_on_domestic_students_and_host_institutions]!
She!considered!mutual!impacts!for!international!students,!domestic!students,!
educational!institutions,!and!host!communities.!Her!report!identifies!three!
strategies!that!have!been!tested!in!various!contexts!and!evaluated!as!successful:!
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•
•
PeerRpairing!programs!!
Cooperative!learning!in!the!classroom!!
•
Programs!for!student!halls!of!residence!
Peer!Mentorship!
Many!universities!and!colleges!in!Canada!and!elsewhere!offer!peer!mentorship,!a!
proven!best!practice,!to!international!students.!The!school!recruits!mentors!from!
among!its!upperRyear!students!and!pairs!them!with!incoming!international!
students.!For!international!students!in!Ottawa,!the!opportunities!to!take!part!in!
formal!peer!mentorships!are!limited.!!
Carleton!offers!mentorships!to!assist!international!undergraduate!and!graduate!
students!through!arrival!and!transition!in!Ottawa.!However,!Carleton!has!only!a!
small!number!of!mentors!available.!
The!University!of!Ottawa!offers!student!academic!mentoring!through!its!Student!
Academic!Success!Services.!There!isn’t!a!dedicated!program!for!international!
students.!Algonquin!doesn’t!appear!to!offer!peer!mentoring!except!for!students!with!
disabilities.!!
International!students!are!not!eligible!for!newcomer!mentorships!offered!by!
settlement!service!organizations!and!funded!by!Citizenship!and!Integration!
Canada’s!Settlement!Program.!!
Cooperative/Integrated!Learning!
A!number!of!resources!have!been!created!to!provide!instructors!with!ideas!for!using!
the!classroom!to!model!integration,!foster!intercultural!communications,!and!draw!
out!global!perspectives.!Examples!of!resources!are!listed!in!the!next!section.!
It!is!much!harder!to!find!examples!that!have!been!put!into!practice.!A!few!are:!
• The!University!of!Southern!California!offers!a!course!called!"The!United!
States:!An!American!Culture!Series,"!which!teaches!foreign!students!about!
food,!customs,!and!lingo.!
•
•
A!criminalRjustice!professor!at!Northcentral!Technical!College!asks!his!
students!to!develop!a!project!comparing!U.S.!laws!with!those!in!another!
country.!He!encourages!students!to!find!someone!on!campus!who!is!from!
their!assigned!country!and!get!to!know!that!person!as!a!way!to!learn!about!
the!laws!there.!
An!Intercultural!Communication!Workshop!engages!students!in!readings!on!
intercultural!issues,!roleRplaying!exercises,!critical!incident!case!studies,!and!
communication!exercises!state!that!the!purpose!of!this!group!is!to!facilitate!a!
“deeper!understanding,!appreciation,!and!acceptance!of!cultural!differences!
or!similarities”!!!
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There!is!great!potential!in!this!area.!However!change!is!discouragingly!slow,!given!
that!instructors!have!more!flexibility!to!adapt!and!innovate!than!the!administrative!
side!of!academic!institutions.!!
5.3! Resources!for!Faculty!and!Staff!!
A!number!of!educational!institutions!have!created!resources!for!their!instructors!
and!administrators.!!
TRU:!A!Globally!Minded!Campus!—!A!Resource!for!Academic!Departments!
http://www.truworld.ca/__shared/assets/gmc6666!
This!resource!for!faculty!members!and!departments!presents!information,!current!
theory,!and!examples!of!best!practices!in!multicultural!classrooms.!It!was!created!
with!the!input!of!the!TRU!community,!including!international!students.!
Communication!Strategies!for!International!Graduate!Students:!Surviving!and!Thriving!
in!Canadian!Academia!!
http://www.uwo.ca/tsc/resources/publications/csigs_emanual.html!
This!eRmanual!was!produced!by!the!University!of!Western!Ontario,!primarily!to!
familiarize!international!and!newcomer!graduate!students!with!the!norms!of!
communication!in!Canada!and!the!United!States.!It!is!recommended!to!those!who!
work!with!international!students,!so!they!will!become!aware!of!alternate!norms!of!
communication!and!are!equipped!to!support,!understand,!and!work!productively!
with!students!from!other!cultural!backgrounds.!This!resource!is!available!free!to!
people!at!some!universities!(including!Carleton).!Others!can!view!sample!chapters!
online!for!free,!and!purchase!the!entire!manual!as!a!download!for!$150.!!
Teaching!International!Students!(TIS)!Project!
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/teachingRinternationalRstudents!
TIS!is!a!twoRyear!(2010R2012)!joint!initiative!between!the!Higher!Education!
Academy!and!the!United!Kingdom!Council!for!International!Student!Affairs!
(UKCISA).!It!aim!is!to!improve!the!quality!of!teaching!and!learning!for!international!
students.!!
Resources!are!organized!by!the!International!Students!lifecycle:!
• PreRarrival!and!preRsession!support!
• Induction!
•
•
•
Teaching!and!learning!in!the!classroom!
Life!outside!the!classroom!
Employability!and!next!steps!
Also!included!are!resources!for!building!intercultural!competencies.!!
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Working!with!International!Students:!a!Guide!for!Staff!in!Engineering!
http://84.22.166.132/downloads/scholarart/workingRwithRinternationalRstudents.pdf!
This!guide,!aligned!with!the!TIS!project!(see!above),!is!specifically!targeted!to!
engineering!instructors.!The!reader!will!revisit!their!assumptions!and!teaching!
practices!and!learn!about:!!
• Cultural!diversity!in!approaches!to!learning!
• How!colleagues!address!commonly!experienced!situations!
UK!Council!for!International!Student!Affairs!
http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/!
This!site!includes!a!number!of!resources,!notably:!
Discussing!Difference,!Discovering!Similarities!—!A!toolkit!of!learning!activities!to!
improve!crossRcultural!exchange!between!students!of!different!cultural!
backgrounds!
http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/about/material_media/pubs_crosscultural.php!
Benchmarking!Survey!Report!2011,!and!a!selfRaudit!tool!for!international!student!
services:!
http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/files/pdf/about/material_media/benchmarking2011.pdf!
http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/files/pdf/about/material_media/selfRaudit_tool.pdf!
Berkeley!International!Office!
http://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/ucb_departments/fj_students!
PPTs!from!a!series!of!workshop!presentations!are!available!at!this!site.!
• Overview!of!the!Most!Common!Student!Requests!!
• Creating!Your!CrossRCampus!Network!
• Promoting!International!Student!Success:!!CampusRWide!Advising!Strategies!
•
•
•
International!Students'!Admissions!and!Arrivals!
Supporting!Students'!First!Year!Experiences!
Hiring!and!Paying!International!Students!
•
What!International!Students!Need:!!Results!of!Assessment!
Working!with!Students!from!China!
http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/China/teaching/index.xml!
This!resource!discusses!issue!related!to!international!students,!and!how!teaching!
staff!can!respond.!!!
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5.4! Globalization!Approach!by!Institutions!
Most!educational!institutions!recognize!that!attracting!international!students!and!
supporting!their!success!is!just!one!aspect!of!their!overall!strategy!to!increase!the!
global!participation!and!influence!of!the!institution,!and!its!faculty,!students!and!
alumni.!
However,!relatively!few!institutions!treat!the!integration!of!international!students!
as!a!twoRway!street,!by!considering!how!the!institution!needs!to!adapt!for!the!
benefit!all!students.!This!would!require!taking!steps!to!eliminate!disadvantages!
international!students!face!within!a!system!built!on!assumptions!that!apply!to!
domestic!students.!!
Thompson!Rivers!University!(TRU)!
http://www.truworld.ca/truworld.html!
Although!it!is!a!relatively!small!university!in!Kamloops,!British!Columbia,!TRU!has!
integrated!internationalization!into!its!mission.!It!defines!internationalization!at!the!
institutional!level!as!“the!process!of!integrating!an!international!and!intercultural!
dimension!into!the!teaching,!research!and!service!functions!of!the!university!or!
institution!of!higher!education”.!!
TRU!has!developed!a!number!of!programs!and!resources!to!support!its!claim!to!be!a!
leader!in!this!approach.!!
• TRU!A!Globally!Minded!Campus:!A!Resource!for!Academic!Departments!—!This!
resource!provides!teachers!with!ways!of!thinking!and!tools!to!use!for!
integration,!intercultural!communications,!and!drawing!out!global!
perspectives!
• International!Student!Advisory!—!In!addition!to!Academic!Advisors!on!
campus,!TRU!has!a!team!of!personal!counselors,!who!speak!a!number!of!
international!languages.!!
• InRCanada!Pathways!—!TRU!partners!with!high!schools,!English!language!
schools!and!colleges!to!help!students!transition!to!universityRlevel!studies!at!
TRU.!!
• International!Student!Activity!Program!—!International!and!Canadian!
students!come!together!for!cultural,!social,!and!outdoor!activities.!!
• 3R4!week!language!and!cultural!immersion!programs!for!younger!students,!
which!includes!Homestay!in!Kamloops!(tuition!is!just!under!$3,000!for!the!4R
week!program.)!
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University!of!Saskatchewan!International!Student!and!Study!Abroad!Centre!
http://students.usask.ca/current/international/issac/!
The!International!Student!and!Study!Abroad!Centre!(ISSAC)!is!a!resource!and!
campus!partner!for!all!students,!staff,!and!faculty.!ISSAC!is!dedicated!to!fostering!a!
welcoming,!globally!aware!and!engaged!campus!community.!
The!Centre!provides!services!to!students!going!abroad!and!to!new!and!current!
international!students.!Its!URStart!International!program!in!the!last!two!weeks!of!
August!is!also!open!to!recent!Canadian!immigrants.!
The!Global!Connections!Student!Lounge!and!Training!Room!is!a!place!for!all!
students,!faculty!and!staff!to!“connect!with!internationallyRminded!people!and!
participate!in!crossRcultural!events”.!It!is!open!seven!days!a!week!on!a!dropRin!basis,!
and!can!be!booked!for!special!events,!which!have!included!a!salsa!lesson,!foreign!
film!festival,!workshops,!academic!talks!and!various!international!celebrations.!
The!Global!Connections!Student!Committee!brings!together!groups!that!have!an!
international!focus!or!are!involved!in!crossRcultural!engagement,!sharing!and!
education.!!
5.5!
Community!Integration!!
A!few!isolated!programs!have!used!a!communityRbased!approach!to!the!integration!
of!international!students.!These!programs!engage!the!community!to!welcome!
students,!to!ease!their!transition,!and!to!help!them!to!consider!the!community!as!a!
more!permanent!home.!!
Toronto!Welcomes!International!Students!
http://wx.toronto.ca/inter/it/newsrel.nsf/7017df2f20edbe2885256619004e428e/cf99babe19dfb7
4e85257a59006662d9?OpenDocument!
Toronto!welcomes!international!students!at!Pearson!International!Airport!and!
holds!an!International!Students!Festival!with!food!and!entertainment!at!Nathan!
Phillips!Square!(this!year!on!October!6).!
For!2012!the!Welcome!Booth!program!has!been!expanded!from!15!days!in!last!
year’s!pilot!to!30!days.!International!students!can!visit!the!booths!in!Terminals!1!
and!3!arrival!areas!to!meet!with!students!from!partnering!schools!and!receive!
welcome!kits!containing!information!regarding!transportation,!accommodation,!and!
their!academic!institution.!Students!also!have!an!opportunity!to!call!home!for!free,!
courtesy!of!Rogers!Communications.
This!year’s!initiative!was!launched!jointly!by!a!Toronto!City!Councillor!and!by!
Ontario’s!Deputy!Minister!for!Citizenship!and!Immigration.!Project!sponsors!are:!the!
Ontario!Ministry!of!Training,!Colleges!and!Universities,!Scotiabank,!Rogers!
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Communications,!the!Greater!Toronto!Airports!Authority!(GTAA)!and!Tim!Hortons.!
Academic!Partners!are:!the!University!of!Toronto,!York!University,!Ryerson!
University,!OCAD!University,!University!of!Ontario!Institute!of!Technology,!George!
Brown!College,!Humber!College,!Centennial!College,!Seneca!College,!Sheridan!
College,!Western!University,!McMaster!University,!University!of!Guelph,!Durham!
College,!Fanshawe!College!and!Languages!Canada,!a!national!level!notRforRprofit!
organization.!
Vancouver!Safety!Initiative!for!International!Students!
http://www.theprovince.com/news/Chinese+consultate+launch+safety+plan+protect+international
+students/7032046/story.html!
In!August!2012,!the!Vancouver!Police!Department!and!the!Chinese!consulate!
launched!a!new!safety!initiative!aimed!at!the!approximately!20,000!Chinese!
international!students!in!the!area.!!
The!initiative!includes!a!MandarinRlanguage!video!outlining!resources!posted!to!the!
police!and!Chinese!consulate!websites.!The!aim!of!the!outreach!is!to!overcome!
language!and!cultural!barriers!and!to!inform!international!students!that!the!police!
serve!all!members!of!the!community.!
Memorial!University!Community!Settlement!Program!for!International!Student!
Families!!
http://www.mun.ca/isa/family/!
The!International!Student!Advising!Office!of!Memorial!University!in!St.!John’s,!
Newfoundland!has!an!International!Families!Coordinator!to!support!its!129!
international!students!with!a!spouse!and/or!children.!!
With!a!2009!grant!from!Newfoundland!and!Labrador’s!Department!of!Human!
Resources,!Labour!and!Employment!for!a!Community!Settlement!Program,!the!
Office!expanded!its!playgroup!to!weekly!family!outings.!The!program!also!provides!
information!and!referral!services,!and!coordinated!community!donations.!The!
Family!Program!offers!Welcome!Kits,!back!to!school!supplies,!a!birthday!book!club,!
and!Welcome!New!baby!gifts.!Although!future!government!funding!is!not!assured,!
the!coordinator!has!said!she!knows!that!the!community!would!continue!to!support!
the!program.!!
University!of!Western!Ontario!Porch!Light!Program!
http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/int/services/index.html?porchlight!
The!Porch!Light!Program!was!organized!by!members!of!the!London!community!in!
cooperation!with!the!International!and!Exchange!Student!Centre!at!The!University!
of!Western!Ontario.!It!grew!from!the!experiences!of!several!international!students!
who!realized!later!that!they!had!graduated!from!Western!without!ever!stepping!into!
the!home!of!a!Canadian.!!
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Porch!Light!is!a!small!program!that!has!been!running!since!2007.!Each!year!it!
accepts!a!small!number!of!international!women!degree!students.!(In!its!third!year,!
the!program!had!7!hosts!and!16!students.)!Each!month!Porch!Light!hosts!organize!
one!Sunday!afternoon!getRtogether!to!share!food!and!conversation!in!the!home!of!a!
community!member.!!
University!of!Saskatchewan!International!Friendship!Program!
http://students.usask.ca/current/international/!
For!most!settlement!needs,!the!university!refers!students!to!the!Saskatoon!
Newcomer!Information!Centre.!However,!the!University!runs!a!Student!
International!Friendship!Program!that!matches!students!with!Canadian!families.!
The!students!are!invited!to!a!Canadian!home!at!least!once!a!month.!!
International!Examples!
http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20110902150523303!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/higherReducationRnetwork/2011/may/03/improvingRexperienceRforR
internationalRstudents!
http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20110902150523303!
•
The!Community!Connections!program!at!the!University!of!Newcastle,!UK!is!a!
volunteerRresourced!program,!led!by!a!paid!coordinator,!which!harnesses!the!
skills!and!experiences!of!members!of!the!local!Newcastle!community.!Its!aim!
is!to!facilitate!the!development!of!crossRcultural!friendships!between!
international!students!and!members!of!the!host!community.!!
•
Northcentral!Technical!College,!in!Wisconsin,!runs!a!program!in!which!41!
families!have!agreed!to!act!as!mentors!for!international!students.!Another!19!
families!host!students!in!their!homes.!
•
The!University!of!East!London,!as!part!of!their!intensive!fiveRday!Welcome!
Program!(which!begins!preRdeparture!and!includes!airport!pickRup),!has!
local!families!meeting!international!students!to!help!them!orient!to!the!
community!and!provide!practical!assistance.!The!university’s!events!
management!and!public!relations!students!organize!events!for!the!
international!students.!!
•
Hallam!University!in!Sheffield!(UK)!runs!Local!Friends,!a!program!that!
matches!students!with!local!families.!The!host!can!invite!the!student!for!a!
coffee,!show!them!a!local!place!of!interest!or!to!their!home.!Hallam!offers!
podcasts!on!topics!such!as!getting!out!of!the!Manchester!airport!to!the!
university!and!about!research!and!essay!writing!skills.!University!students!
(especially!events!management,!PR!and!ESL!teaching)!have!organized!social!
events,!including!Christmas!dinner,!for!international!students.!!
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5.6!
Counselling!Approaches!
Universities!sometimes!don’t!have!enough!or!appropriate!counseling!services!to!
meet!the!needs!of!international!students.!!
Researchers!Popadiuk!and!Arthur!note!the!limitations!of!counseling!services!at!
Canadian!colleges!and!universities!related!to!international!students:!!
• Culture!shock!as!a!model!of!crossRcultural!transition!is!too!simplistic!
•
•
•
Lack!of!methodological!diversity!in!research!involving!international!students!
Focus!on!group!characteristics!
Continued!emphasis!on!the!problems!experienced!by!international!students!
Outreach!and!getting!students!to!come!for!counselling!is!a!challenge.!University!
students!sometimes!think!they!just!have!to!focus!or!work!harder!to!overcome!
problems.!Sometimes!they!don’t!seek!help!because!of!shame!of!failure!and!the!
stigma!of!mental!health!problems.!The!authors!suggest!that!counseling!services!for!
international!students!could!be!organized!around!health!promotion!and!prevention!
mandates.!
(Counseling!International!Students!in!Canadian!Schools,!International!Journal!for!the!
Advancement!of!Counselling,!Natalee!Popadiuk!and!Nancy!Arthur!(Vol.!26,!No.!2,!
June!2004):!http://www.sfu.ca/~wberezow/fulltext.pdf)!
Okanagan!College,!British!Columbia!
http://www.okanagan.bc.ca/departments/International_Education/Student_Support.html!
The!Student!Life!Coordinator!at!this!college!estimates!that!10%!of!his!international!
students!need!some!psychological!attention.!His!department!stays!in!touch!with!the!
international!students!through!a!team!of!multilingual!cultural!interpreters,!who!
check!in!on!the!students!to!see!how!they!are!settling!in.!This!includes!asking!
whether!they!are!making!friends!and!eating!properly.!
Okanagan!also!has!a!Conversational!Partners!Program!for!Canadian!and!
international!students!to!meet,!chat!and!learn!from!each!other.!!
EbCounselling!
http://proceedings.com.au/isana2009/PDF/paper_King.pdf!
The!Australian!Capital!Territory!Department!of!Education!and!Training!has!eR
counselling!for!high!school!and!college!international!students.!Counseling!is!mostly!
related!to!study!concerns!and!career!pathways,!but!it!also!encompasses!personal!
issues,!with!referrals!on!health!issues.!!
Both!counselors!and!students!have!observed!that!quick!and!targeted!information!
eliminates!anxiety.!This!way!of!communicating!promotes!dialogue!and!counselorR
student!relations.!!
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5.7! Employment!Programs!
Greater!Halifax!Partnership!International!Student!Connector!Program!
http://www.greaterhalifax.com/en/home/ourprograms/connectorprogram/internationalstudents/
welcometohfx/default.aspx!
Greater!Halifax!Partnership!—!Halifax!Index!http://www.greaterhalifax.com/en/agh_home/halifaxR
index.aspx!
Greater!Halifax!Partnership!International!Student!Connector!Program!
http://www.greaterhalifax.com/en/home/ourprograms/connectorprogram/internationalstudents/
welcometohfx/default.aspx!
International!students!have!been!a!key!component!of!Halifax’s!immigration!strategy!
since!2005.!A!broad!range!of!stakeholders!was!consulted!during!development!of!the!
strategy;!and!the!strategy!specifies!each!stakeholder’s!contribution!to!immigration!
to!Halifax.!International!students!were!an!integral!part!of!this!process!—!they!were!
consulted,!and!their!needs!considered.!!
Halifax!wants!to!attract!and!retain!many!more!international!students,!and!in!fact!
sees!them!as!the!area’s!biggest!immigration!opportunity.!In!the!fall!of!2011,!the!
city’s!Welcome!International!Students!Campaign!put!up!banners!to!greet!3,200!
students!from!over!140!countries.!!
A!more!recent!study,!the!Halifax!Index!(May!2012)!is!described!as!a!first!step!to!
“Aligning!our!resources!and!efforts!to!make!our!city!a!place!where!more!people!
want!to!live!and!work!in!the!future”.!The!study!states:!“Policy!centred!on!retaining!
current!and!future!international!students!may!prove!to!be!as!efficient!in!creating!
economic!outcomes!as!ones!that!focus!on!attraction.!International!students!
represent!talented!and!entrepreneurial!individuals!that!Nova!Scotia!has!already!
invested!in.!Getting!the!most!out!of!international!students!and!keeping!them!in!Nova!
Scotia!and!Halifax!will!help!to!ensure!the!economy!remains!vibrant.”!
Halifax’s!International!Student!Connector!Program!is!recognized!as!a!best!practice,!
and!has!been!so!far!replicated!in!nine!locations!across!Canada,!including!Niagara,!
Waterloo,!North!Bay,!and!Kingston!in!Ontario.!The!Program!aims!to!expand!
networks!for!students!and!build!their!attachment!to!Halifax.!It!also!promotes!
international!students!to!employers.!International!students!who!are!in!coRop!
programs!or!doing!an!MBA!or!Masters!of!Finance!program!meet!oneRonRone!with!
“connectors”,!local!leaders!with!large!networks,!to!discuss!the!local!job!market.!In!
2011R12,!366!connectors!from!250!organizations!participated.!(Note:!The!
International!Student!Connector!Program!is!one!component!of!the!larger!Connector!
Program!for!all!newcomers!to!Halifax.)!
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5.8!!
Social!Media!
Many!academic!institutions,!programs!and!government!agencies!who!wish!to!inform!
or!engage!international!students!follow!the!recommended!practice!of!maintaining!a!
presence!on!Facebook,!YouTube,!Pinterest,!or!Twitter.!Very!often!this!is!not!
particularly!effective.!This!has!been!quantified!with!respect!to!recruiting!new!
students:!only!four!per!cent!of!international!students!use!social!media!to!select!a!
university,!according!to!a!worldwide!survey!of!150,000!undergraduates.!They!
prefer!recommendations!from!friends;!and!information!from!a!school’s!main!
website.!!
One!problem!is!that!many!educational!institutions!don’t!have!the!resources!to!
maintain!a!constant!flow!of!interesting!and!varied!content!for!social!media.!
However,!Brock!University!has!reported!some!success!in!recruiting!students!from!
China,!illustrating!a!couple!of!best!practices.!Brock!hired!its!own!MandarinRspeaking!
students!to!answer!questions!about!the!university!and!life!in!St.!Catharines,!Ontario!
on!RenRen!and!QQ!(two!popular!sites!in!China).!Brock!plans!to!extend!the!strategy!
to!Okrut,!to!reach!young!people!in!India!and!South!America.!
International!students!are!definitely!active!in!online!communities,!but!they!tend!not!
to!engage!until!there!is!an!established!relationship.!Once!they!are!committed!to!a!
school,!they!are!much!more!likely!to!follow!or!“like”!the!institution,!its!international!
student!office,!its!sports!teams!or!clubs.!!
Many!schools!also!have!an!intranet!that!allows!their!enrolled!students!to!connect!in!
various!ways!with!the!institution,!instructors!and!each!other.!
There!are!a!number!of!online!discussion!forums!that!try!to!attract!international!
students!who!need!information!and!advice.!For!example,!Loon!Lounge,!International!
Student.com,!and!various!businesses,!organizations!and!media!outlets!host!online!
discussion!forums!with!threads!for!international!students!in!Canada.!A!scan!of!those!
that!are!open!to!all,!and!in!English,!shows!that!most!are!relatively!quiet.!Typically!
there!are!a!great!number!of!topics!opened,!with!a!few!oneRtime!posters,!and!
somewhat!more!readers.!Some!forums!have!no!active!posts!for!several!years.!!
Settlement.Org!provides!the!opportunity!for!questions!to!be!answered!by!
settlement!experts!among!the!OCASI!staff.!This!service!is!quite!wellRused.!However,!
little!discussion!is!sparked.!!
The!use!of!social!media!is!certainly!an!emerging!area,!and!one!that!is!attractive!
because!it!appears!to!be!relatively!cost!effective.!Those!wishing!to!engage!
international!students!are!just!beginning!to!study!what!approaches!are!most!
effective,!such!as!cultural!approaches!to!online!networking,!use!of!other!languages!
and!sites!popular!in!other!countries,!and!different!types!of!content.!
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Key!Sources!
International!students!do!not!use!Facebook!to!choose!their!university:!
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=417479!
Brock!recruits!Chinese!students!on!social!media:!
http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2011/05/20/brockRrecruitsRchineseRstudentsRonRsocialR
media/!
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Appendix!One:!Supports!for!International!Students!in!Ottawa!!
A1.1! Offices!of!the!Educational!Institutions!
Carleton!University!!
International)Student)Services)Office)(ISSO))))
Mandate:!The!International!Student!Services!Office!(ISSO)!is!dedicated!to!delivering!
services!for!registered!international!and!exchange!students.!The!office!supports!
student!success!and!contributes!to!positive!international!experiences!by!offering!a!
variety!of!support!services!and!programming.!!
Resources:!5!fullRtime!staff;!2!student!staff;!4!peer!helpers;!30!program!volunteers!
Services/Programs:!Immigration!support;!UHIP!administration;!orientation;!
support!programming!and!workshops!(job!search,!resumes,!Canadian!classroom,!
etc.);!intercultural!education!programs;!social!events!and!outings;!individual!
counselling!(personal,!finances,!housing,!etc.);!tax!workshops;!tutor!referral;!English!
conversation;!study!skills;!web!info!and!NL;!Publishes!International!Student!Guide.!
ISSO!runs!undergraduate!and!graduate!mentor!programs,!on!a!limited!basis.!!
ISSO!provides!personal!counseling!to!international!students!on!a!dropRin!basis!on!
Monday!afternoons,!to!help!with!issues!such!as!culture!shock,!stress,!and!financial!
problems.!ISSO!does!not!provide!counselling!on!permanent!residency!as!a!matter!of!
policy.!
There!is!no!evidence!that!ISSO!provides!information!or!services!in!languages!other!
than!English.!!
Key!Sources!
ISSO!Website:!http://www1.carleton.ca/isso/!
Carleton!International!Student!Guide:!http://www1.carleton.ca/isso/ccms/wpRcontent/ccmsR
files/international_student_guide.pdf!
Report!on!International!Recruitment,!Office!of!the!Provost!and!ViceRPresident!(Academic)!(September!
2011):!!http://www1.carleton.ca/provost/ccms/wpRcontent/ccmsRfiles/WGIRReport.pdf!
University!of!Ottawa!
The!university’s!International!Office!provides!information!on!study!permits!and!
temporary!resident!visas,!UHIP,!Housing,!budgeting!and!banking.!It!publishes!a!
yearly!ViewBook!International!Edition!and!provides!a!mandatory!halfRday!
Orientation!session!for!international!students!each!semester.!!
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The!University!of!Ottawa!has!a!buddy!program!for!new!international!students.!
Buddies!are!secondR!or!thirdRyear!students!who!meet!and/or!correspond!with!
international!students!for!at!least!the!first!few!weeks!of!each!semester.!!
There!is!some!website!information!for!international!students!in!Chinese.!Otherwise,!
there!is!no!evidence!of!the!International!Office!providing!information!or!services!in!
languages!other!than!English!and!French.!
Key!Sources!
International!Office!Website:!http://www.international.uottawa.ca/en/students/!
Saint!Paul!University!
Saint!Paul’s!International!Services!assists!international!students!and!Canadians!
looking!for!study!opportunities!elsewhere.!!
Online!information!covers:!visas,!health!insurance,!housing,!banking!and!budgeting,!
what!to!bring!to!Canada,!and!an!overview!of!Ottawa’s!climate!and!required!clothing.!
Information!is!provided!in!English!and!French.!!
Key!Sources!
Website:!http://ustpaul.ca/en/internationalRservicesRhome_368_163.htm!
Algonquin!College!
The!International!Education!Centre!area!of!the!college!website!has!basic!
information!for!future!and!current!students:!programs!and!admissions,!visas!and!
study!permits,!costs,!living!in!Ottawa!and!student!life.!Algonquin’s!Beijing!office!
website!provides!information!in!Chinese.!
The!IEC!assists!international!students,!or!puts!them!in!touch!with!other!campus!
services!and!events.!The!Centre!offers!these!services:!!
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Airport!Pickup!Services!(with!oneRmonth!notice,!at!a!cost!of!$80)!
Academic!Workshops!&!Peer!Tutoring!(IEC!Academic!coaching!is!free)!
EnglishRlanguage!support!
Banking!&!Accommodation!Assistance!
International!Student!&!ESL!Orientation!
Social!and!Cultural!Activities!
Visa!&!Permit!Assistance!
Income!Tax!Program!
Health!Insurance!program!assistance!
Individual!questions!are!answered!through!an!email!link!through!the!website,!or!at!
the!IEC!International!Student!Facebook!group.!
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Key!Sources!
http://www2.algonquincollege.com/international/!
Algonquin!College!China!Office!(Beijing):!!http://www.algonquincollege.cn/!
OttawabCarleton!District!School!Board!
The!OCDSB!offers!international!students!ESL!and!academic!programs,!as!well!as!a!
preRarrival!learning!program!for!registered!students.!!
OCDSB!has!an!Orientation!Handbook!for!International!Students.!OCENET,!the!
affiliated!administration!for!international!students,!has!five!dedicated!Guardian!
Counsellors!who!help!students!deal!with!homesickness,!adjustment!to!living!away!
from!home,!Canadian!winters,!personal,!medical,!and!academic!issues.!!!
Languages:!Website!uses!English,!French,!Korean,!Spanish,!Chinese,!Turkish,!
Japanese!and!Vietnamese!
Key!Sources!
Ottawa!International!Student!Program:!http://www.studyottawa.ca/!
A1.2! Student!Associations!
Carleton’s!and!the!University!of!Ottawa’s!club!lists!include!numerous!student!clubs!
and!associations!based!on!country!of!origin,!culture!or!religion.!These!would!be!
open!to!both!domestic!and!international!students.!!
Carleton!University!Club!List:!http://www.cusaonline.com/clubs/club_list.html!
University!of!Ottawa!Club!List:!http://sfuo.ca/clubs/en/listing/alphabetical.html!
Neither!has!an!International!Students!Club!or!Association.!
Algonquin!College!Club!List:!http://www.algonquinsa.com/events/clubs/clubsR
campus.aspx!
At!Algonquin!College,!there!are!student!associations!for!Chinese,!Korean,!Indian,!
Ethiopian!and!Somali!students;!and!an!International!Student!club.!
A!few!clubs!have!websites!or!Facebook!pages.!Many!have!only!an!email!contact.!!
Chinese!clubs!at!U.!of!Ottawa,!Carleton!and!Algonquin!collaborated!on!a!Chinese!
New!Year’s!event.!These!student!associations!have!received!support!from!the!
Chinese!embassy!in!Ottawa.!
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A1.3! Other!
The!OttawabExperience!—!International!Student!Welcome!Event!
http://theottawaexperience.eventbrite.ca/?ebtv=C!
Talentbridge!is!the!youth!initiative!of!the!Ottawa!Centre!for!Research!and!
Innovation.!In!the!fall!of!2010!and!2011,!Talentbridge!organized!a!social!event!to!
welcome!new!international!and!out!of!province!students!attending!Ottawa’s!postR
secondary!institutions.!The!Friday!evening!free!event!was!sold!out!in!2011.!The!aim!
was!“!to!help!incoming!and!current!international!students!discover!the!true!
potential!of!Ottawa,!and!to!showcase!the!diverse!professional,!social!and!
entrepreneurial!opportunities!in!Ottawa”.!(There!is!no!information!about!a!2012!
event.!Talentbridge’s!website!and!blog!haven’t!been!active!since!late!2011.)!
Settlement!Agencies!
Some!international!students!find!their!way!to!settlement!service!providers!in!
Ottawa.!These!agencies!can!help!only!a!few!international!students,!because!of!
limited!resources,!and!their!funders’!priorities!and!restrictions!on!client!eligibility.!!!
The!Catholic!Centre!for!Immigrants!sees!25R30!students!each!year,!mainly!to!
provide!assistance!with!visas!or!permanent!resident!applications.!!
The!Ottawa!Chinese!Community!Service!Centre!has!done!some!outreach!to!the!
student!population,!such!as!an!information!booth!at!the!University!of!Ottawa!
welcome!week,!so!that!students!know!about!its!services!and!can!be!informed!about!
its!events!and!volunteer!needs.!OCCSC!youth!counselors!have!helped!Chinese!
international!students!with!permanent!residence!applications!and!some!personal!
and!medical!issues.!!
International!Student!Friendship!Program!
http://www.internationalstudentsottawa.com/!
This!program’s!website!says:!“We!are!a!place!for!international!students!to!meet!
other!students!and!Canadians.!Come!join!us!for!fun,!laughter,!and!friendship.!
Experience!Canadian!Culture!and!Traditions.”!
Twice!a!week,!English!Conversation!Groups!and!Inquirer’s!Bible!Discussions!are!
offered!on!campus!at!Carleton!and!the!University!of!Ottawa.!There!is!also!an!
International!Fellowship!Group!and!seasonal!activities,!for!nominal!cost.!A!fourRday!
Christmas!getRaway!costs!about!$250.!The!website!lists!upcoming!events!and!
provides!a!few!“useful!links”.!!
LanFan!International!Culture!Exchange!and!Development!Center!of!SinobCanada!
http://www.icecd.ca/cn/index.html!
The!website!is!in!Chinese.!The!link!to!the!English!version!of!the!site!isn’t!live.!!
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Services!for!members!include!assistance!with:!
• Tax!preparation!
•
•
•
•
Housing!
Visa!issues!
Employment!and!careers!
Banking!
•
•
Moving!and!airport!transfers!
Insurance!
There!are!also!social!events!for!members.!!
LanFan!offers!both!basic!and!VIP!services.!Their!deluxe!service!is!“360!degree!–!
24/7”.!It!can!include!legal!guardianship!and!24Rhour!emergency!contact.!Some!of!
these!deluxe!services!are:!one!day!trip,!guardian,!student!card,!bus!passes,!learn!
language,!airport!greeting,!contact!parents,!accommodation,!liaison!and!school!
registration,!school!regulations,!accommodation,!transportation!to!college,!
guarantor!for!purchases!(cell!phone!and!other!services);!income!tax!service,!housing!
help,!visitors!visa!applications!for!parents,!embassy!support,!moving,!insurance,!2!
free!shuttles,!travel!ticket!purchases,!quarterly!parties!(for!VIP!members),!car!
insurance,!car!purchasing!and!leasing,!driving!school,!and!exams,!shopping,!tutoring,!
24/7!hotline,!360!degree!service!(includes!preRlanding!service);!services!for!
graduation,!tourism!for!parents,!golf,!transportation.!
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Appendix!Two:!
Costs!for!International!Students!in!Ottawa!
Costs!that!apply!to!all!international!students!are:!
• Application!fees!
• Tuition!and!student!fees!
•
Housing!and!utilities!
Food!
Compulsory!health!insurance!(UHIP!—!$600R700!for!one!person!for!12!
months)!
Books!and!school!supplies!
•
Communications!(phone,!Internet)!
•
Personal!expenses!—!toiletries,!clothing,!laundry,!prescriptions,!
entertainment!
•
•
•
• Travel!to!Canada!
• Airport!transfer!
• Local!transportation!(e.g.!bus!pass)!
Some!international!students!incur!additional!costs,!such!as!agent!fees!in!their!home!
country!for!making!arrangements!with!service!providers!in!Canada.!!
Parents!of!Homestay!minors,!such!as!those!studying!with!the!OCDSB,!may!opt!to!pay!
a!custodianship!fee!of!about!$650!for!one!academic!year,!on!top!of!the!other!
Homestay!fees.!A!growing!area!of!private!business!offers!various!types!of!
monitoring!and!support!services!to!international!students!and!their!parents.!
Tuition!for!international!students!is!twice!or!more!what!it!is!for!Canadian!students!
in!the!same!programs.!Universities!and!colleges!set!tuitions!and!student!fees!for!
international!students!to!cover!their!own!costs,!including!recruitment,!and!to!bring!
in!additional!income.!There!is!no!regulation!on!what!they!can!charge,!other!than!
their!competition!from!other!schools.!!
From!website!information,!here!is!a!comparison!of!tuition!costs!for!international!
students!in!Ottawa.!!
Tuition)201182012)for)Academic)Year)
School/School!Board! Undergraduate!
Graduate!
Student!Fees!
Carleton!University!
$17,519!–!$20,735!
$11,840!–!$25,766!
$1400!–!$1800!
University!of!Ottawa!
$17,080!–!20,965!!
$16,600!–!17,700!
$625!–!955!
$14,265!–!$17,358!
!
Saint!Paul!University! $9,419!!
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Algonquin!College!
$12,000!–!$14,500!
Included!
!
Elementary!
Secondary!
!
OCDSB!
!
$9,500!
$11,000!
n/a!
The!University!of!Ottawa!advises!international!students!to!budget!for!at!least!
$26,000!to!$30,000!Canadian!dollars!(CAD)!in!expenses!per!year.!
Algonquin!advises!prospective!students!to!budget!$25,000!CAD!to!cover!tuition!fees,!
living!expenses,!clothing,!entertainment,!local!travel,!books!and!supplies!etc.!
The!Education!au/in!Canada!website!has!a!cost!calculation!function!that!provides!a!
somewhat!higher!estimate!for!university!education!in!Ottawa.!The!user!selects!an!
area!of!study!and!a!province,!which!brings!up!a!list!of!programs!and!schools.!In!the!
next!step,!the!user!selects!one!program,!and!answers!questions!about!country!of!
citizenship,!and!whether!they!will!live!alone!or!with!others.!To!obtain!a!sample!
costing,!we!entered!information!for!an!undergraduate!from!China,!studying!math!at!
Carleton,!and!living!alone.!These!were!the!results:!
Item!
Cost!
Tuition/Program!Fees!
$!22,898!
Compulsory!Fees!
$!955!
Books/Supplies!
$!991!
Education!costs!for!one!year!
$!24,844!
Cost!of!Living/Shelter!
$!5,496!
Groceries!
$!2,460!
Miscellaneous!
$!2,664!
Local!Public!Transport!
$!804!
Living!costs!for!one!year!
$!11,424!
Total*costs*per*year*
$36,268*
!
Key!Sources!
Web!sites!for!schools/school!boards!
Education!au/in!Canada:!http://www.educationauRincanada.ca/!
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Homestays!
Homestays!provide!international!student!with!accommodations,!and!usually!at!least!
some!meals,!in!a!home!setting.!They!are!more!than!mere!accommodation,!in!that!
some!amount!of!orientation!and!crossRcultural!exchange!is!part!of!the!arrangement.!
International!students!obtain!firstRhand!experience!of!Canadian!family!life,!and!are!
able!to!practice!speaking!English.!Often,!especially!for!younger!students,!it!is!
expected!that!the!students!will!participate!in!family!activities!and!outings!during!
their!stay.!Parents!are!assured!that!their!children!will!have!a!safe,!clean!
environment,!get!regular!meals,!and!have!some!support!as!they!encounter!a!new!
culture.!Parents!of!minors!may!also!pay!for!a!custodial!agreement.!This!“safety!net”!
helps!to!ensure!the!child’s!academic!success.!!
Homestays!are!a!$60Rmillion!business!in!Canada!(as!reported!by!the!Canadian!Press!
in!2010).!Many!local!Homestay!companies!are!small,!familyRrun!businesses.!
In!Ottawa,!Algonquin’s!Homestay!program!is!managed!in!partnership!with!Canada!
Homestay!International!(http://www.canadahomestayinternational.com/).!OCDSB!
Homestays!are!also!offered!through!Canada!Homestay!International,!although!
OCDSB!does!the!intake!through!its!own!International!Student!Program.!!
The!University!of!Ottawa!arranges!Homestays!only!for!participants!in!its!English!
Intensive!Program.!This!option!isn’t!available!to!most!of!its!international!students.!
Carleton!University!refers!students!to!private!Homestay!organizations!in!Ottawa,!
such!as!Capital!Homestay!(http://capitalhomestay.com/!)!
Homestay)Fees)
School/Provider!
Application
/Placement! Room/Board!Cost!
Fee!
Other!
U.!of!Ottawa!(English!
Intensive!Program!only)!
$150!
$225/week!
n/a!
$175!
$775/four!weeks!(12!
week!minimum)!
$500!
refundable!
security!
deposit!
$800!full!board/28!
days!
Optional:!
custodianship!
$450!
Intercultural!
support,!some!
languages;!
airport!pickRup!
$110!
Algonquin!College,!in!
partnership!with!Canada!
Homestay!International!
OCDSB!through!Canada!
Homestay!Int’l.!!
(application!fee!&!
custodianship!fee!from!
OCDSB!website;!other!info!
from!Canada!Homestay!
Int’l!2012!fees)!
$350!
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Capital!HomeStay!
Full!Homestay:!$775!
first!4!weeks;!$180!
each!week!afterward!
($170/week!for!
Breakfast!Homestay)!
$190!
Airport!
transfer!$100!
oneRway/$170!
round!trip!
!
A!comparison!of!Canada!Homestay!International!Fees!in!Ottawa!to!other!cities!(full!
board!rates):!
Ottawa!
Toronto!
Edmonton!
Victoria!
Vancouver!
$800!
$900!
$775!
$800!
$875!
!
A!number!of!websites!such!as!Homestay!Finder,!Ottawa!Homestay!Search,!Ottawa!
Homestay!Directory,!allow!students!searching!for!a!Homestay!and!Ottawa!hosts!can!
connect!with!each!other.!This!option!avoids!some!administrative!time!and!costs,!if!
the!student!is!willing!to!do!without!the!guarantees!and!safeguards!offered!by!
Homestay!companies.!!
Issues)with)Homestays))
A!2010!Canadian!study!looked!at!3,000!Chinese,!Korean!and!Japanese!students!
between!Grades!7!and!12.!The!researcher!found!that!young!Homestay!students!
were!more!likely!than!their!peers!to!take!part!in!risky!behaviours,!such!as:!
• Unsafe!sexual!practices!
• Fewer!extracurricular!activities!
•
•
Cocaine!use!
Skipping!school!
This!study!highlighted!the!fact!that!Homestay!custodian!agreements!have!limits.!For!
example,!hosts!cannot!talk!to!students!directly!about!health!issues,!especially!sexual!
health.!!
Key!Sources!
Asian!Homestay!Students!at!Risk!of!Sex,!Drugs,!Abuse,!The!Canadian!Press!(July!13,!2010):!
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Health/20100713/asianRhomestayRstudentsR100713/!
The!Unmet!Health!Needs!of!East!Asian!High!School!Students:!Are!Homestay!Students!at!Risk?,!Canadian!
Journal!of!Public!Health!(May/June!2010):!
http://journal.cpha.ca/index.php/cjph/article/view/2358/2115!
!
!
(
(

International!Students!! in!Ottawa!

Transcription

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