Why are foreign students rejected? – First post

The Greater Vancouver Food Bank in British Columbia, Canada, recently decided to turn away first-year international students amid a growing reliance on national food banks.

The Food Bank, citing federal financial requirements for international students, says they must have sufficient financial resources to cover their expenses during their first year of study in Canada.

In total, British Columbia has approximately 175,000 international post-secondary students from more than 150 countries, with Indians making up one of the largest groups.

The policy has sparked intense debate as rising inflation and the cost of living continue to prompt more people, including students, to seek food assistance.

Canada’s Cost of Living Crisis vs. Food Banks

Canada’s record inflation and housing prices have led to unprecedented food shortages, causing visits to food banks to reach an all-time high. According to Food Banks Canada, more than two million visits were recorded in March 2024 alone, nearly doubling the monthly total from March 2019, when just over one million visits were recorded.

The 90 per cent rise highlights the impact of the “double whammy of housing and food inflation”, chief executive Kirstin Beardsley said. “This is an unimaginable rate of growth that neither food banks nor the people of Canada can sustain,” she said, calling for collective action to address the crisis.

The recently released HungerCount 2024 report shows that nearly 70 percent of food bank clients live in market rental housing and one third are children, representing almost 700,000 visits per month.

In addition, 18 per cent of clients are employed, indicating widespread economic hardship among working Canadians. The data also shows significant demand for food banks from newcomers to Canada, with 32 per cent of clients being recent immigrants.

Can an international student survive in Canada?

The Greater Vancouver Food Bank’s new policy is based on federal rules requiring international students to demonstrate $20,635 in living expenses, in addition to tuition and travel expenses, in order to receive a study permit.

The policy, which increased the cost of living from $10,000 to more than $20,000 on January 1, 2024, was intended to reflect updated Statistics Canada benchmarks. According to the food bank, this amount is intended to support students during their first year in Canada, making them less eligible for food assistance intended for residents experiencing financial hardship.

Also read: How Canada’s 24-hour workday limit for international students will affect Indians

Critics, however, argue that international students often face unexpected costs, especially since their tuition fees are often three to four times higher than those of Canadian citizens.

“Many of them don’t know how high the cost of living is on top of overseas education fees,” Baljit Kamoh, regional director of Khalsa Aid Canada in Vancouver, told local media. The Camo team, which distributes 200-300 food parcels each month to students in Surrey, British Columbia, has seen increased demand, especially during the new academic terms.

The exclusion of international students has caused backlash from various quarters. CityNews Vancouver cited Jaskaran Singh, an international student activist with Team We Care Canada, who called the policy “horrible,” noting that many students lack family support and community resources in a foreign country.

Vancouver councilor Adrian Carr also called the policy “tragic,” saying, “It’s really important that students who come here to get an education don’t starve while they’re doing it.”

The issue has sparked debate over the sources of funding for food banks and their beneficiaries. While some argue that Canadian taxpayers fund food banks and that these resources should be a priority for citizens, others note that international students contribute to campus resources and even some food banks.

Food Banks Canada advocates for non-discriminatory access to its resources, stating in its Code of Ethics for Food Banks that food banks must serve clients “regardless of race, national or ethnic origin, (or) citizenship.”

However, the current economic climate has forced many food banks to tighten their eligibility criteria to cope with the overwhelming demand.

What’s the solution?

With poverty rates soaring, Beardsley and Food Banks Canada called on the government to take long-term solutions to address the root causes of food insecurity.

Key recommendations include increased rent assistance and more predictable “benefit on groceries and essentials” by expanding the GST credit for low-income Canadians. “People need money in their pockets today,” Beardsley stressed, adding that immediate income support is needed to help Canadians weather inflationary pressures.

Canadian Press quoted Yesmil Pena, a food bank coordinator in Toronto, who noted growing demand from older clients, saying high-demand items such as baby formula, baby diapers and adult diapers are often in short supply.

The food bank started with five clients a week in 2021, but now serves 250 people a week and sometimes sees more than 300 people when demand peaks.

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However, the crisis affects not only food resources. Critics argue that Canada’s immigration policies have led to an oversupply of international students, focusing on housing, health care and educational resources, with private colleges often charging international students significantly higher tuition fees.

In response to public concerns, Canada recently restricted certain categories of immigration, including international students, amid an ongoing housing crisis.

Without systemic intervention, Canada risks worsening a food security crisis that will leave both local residents and international students struggling to meet basic needs, the HungerCount report says.

Also read: Opinion | India should declare Canada a state sponsor of terror

With the participation of agencies