Ottawa says it is talking to provinces, territories, and other important partners about the lack of student housing
Harshal Bhasgauri, an incoming international student at George Brown, says he used his family’s savings in India to pay months of rent in advance so he could try to find a place to live in Toronto for the school year.
Even so, he says that in the four months he has been looking for a place to live, his rental applications have been ignored or turned down, leaving him to wonder why he was invited to come to Canada if there was no place for him to live.
Bhasgauri, who is 24 years old, said, “I’m always on the edge of a mental breakdown because of the stress of not knowing if I’m going to have a home or not.”
“Immigration is great for Canada, and it gives people from other countries a chance to see what a first-world country is like… I think this country needs to realize at some point that it’s only making one step forward and two steps back.
International students have been coming in steadily more and more. A new high of 550,150Study permits for international studentsAccording to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), they were given out last year. That’s a 75% increase compared to just five years ago.
Experts say that there is no limit on the number of students who come here, and neither the provincial nor the federal governments require schools to build enough housing. The IRCC says that it is reviewing its program for international students, and the federal housing minister said on Monday that the federal government is thinking about putting a limit on the number of international students to help the housing market.
But supporters say that more needs to be done at all levels, including building more housing for international students and looking at the incentives schools have to bring students to Canada in the first place.
International students are good for schools
Steve Pomeroy, a senior research fellow at Carleton University’s Centre for Urban Research and Education, said that the federal government has been giving out more study permits even though provinces have been cutting back on post-secondary funding over the years.
He says that this has made post-secondary schools look to international students as a way to make up for the money they are losing.
“You can put the blame on anyone,” Pomeroy said.
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Mateusz Salmassi, the director of advocacy for the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), says that the organization has heard from international students like Bhasguari who say they were asked to pay months or even a year’s worth of rent in advance to secure a unit.
He says that some students told stories about living in small, unsafe, and falling apart housing, while others said they had to live in their cars because they couldn’t find anywhere else.
Salmassi, who is himself an international student from the United States, says that the lengths these students go to in order to find housing defeats the purpose of coming to Canada in the first place, especially since he says they pay much more in tuition fees than Canadian students.
“Their chances of graduating are in danger if they live in places that aren’t safe or can’t pay for them,” he said.
Students of color can face discriminatio
According to IRCC data from 2023, most international students were from China, Nigeria, the Philippines, and India. About 40% of all study permits were given to people from India.
Tania Das Gupta, an immigration expert and professor of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies at York University, says that discrimination and racism on the part of landlords can make it even harder for international students to find a place to live.
Das Gupta said, “Instead of blaming them for their own situation, I think we should focus on the institutions that are getting money from them.”
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Demands that the government spend mor
Salmassi says that CASA is asking the government to not only get more information about how the student rental market is doing, but also to put billions of dollars into housing just for students.
“We know that will do two things,” Salmassi said. “It will give students who need it safe, affordable housing, and it will also help the rest of the housing market off campus.”
Also, post-secondary institutions say they are building housing but need more help from the federal government to keep up with demand.
National groups like Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) have asked that the National Housing Strategy’s funding programs be made more open so that more housing projects can get started.
Philip Landon, interim CEO and president of Universities Canada, said in an email, “Expanding access to low-cost financing to build housing, expanding eligibility for programs through the National Housing Strategy, and putting affordable housing projects at the top of the list will help Canada better meet its diverse and growing housing needs.”
Universities Canada gave several examples of post-secondary schools that were building housing on campus.Among them is Huron University College, which is part of Western University in London, Ont.
The school said that in December, work began on a new residence with 311 student rooms that will open in the fall of 2024.
Schools are careful when it comes to recruiting
Alain Roy, the president of international partnerships at CICan, says that members are being “very careful” about how they recruit and enroll students from other countries to make sure they can pay for their time in Canada.
Roy says that in its 2024 pre-budget submission, CICan asked the federal government for $2.6 billion over the next three years to set up a loan and grant program for new student housing that would aim to create at least 14,000 beds across Canada.
“Institutions are coming up with some really new and innovative programs or initiatives to meet short-term needs,” said Roy. As an example, he pointed to programs that connect students looking for housing with older people who have rooms to rent.
“But in the medium or long term, what we need is to build more housing and pay attention to the right kinds of incentives to speed up the building.”
IRCC response  
The IRCC said it is “in talks with” provinces and territories, national educational associations, and other key partners about making changes to its International Student Program to help with the lack of student housing.
In an email, IRCC said, “The department is currently reviewing the program to see how it can better choose and keep students who can help Canada reach its economic, social, and cultural goals.”
Aspiring data scientist Bhasgauri says that the federal government should look into putting a limit on international student permits as a way to deal with the housing crisis now and in the future.
“The fact that I, as an immigrant student, agree to this should show people outside of this country how bad things are,” he said.
As things stand now, Bhasgauri says that while he’s glad to be able to study in Canada, he doesn’t think he’ll bring his family here after he graduates because of how expensive it is.
He said, “I can work three jobs and bring the money here so that we can all live in a big house and drive one car.”
“I just don’t want that kind of life for myself or for my parents.”