Ontario international students, families making 'massive sacrifices' for the Canadian dream

The death of an Indian student in Toronto last month made international headlines, but while Kartik Vasudev's story ended in tragedy, his parents' sacrifices offer a glimpse into the hardships that many international students and their families face to achieve the dream of a future in Canada.

Vasudev's father, Jitesh Vasudev, told CBC News he and his wife spent their entire life savings and mortgaged their house to take out a loan of $50,000, just to afford the first year of his son's education in Canada, before he was shot and killed.  

"The only mistake of my innocent child was that he dreamt big of studying in a foreign country, and he wanted to make a name of himself while representing India," said Vasudev's mother, Pooja Vasudev, in a video posted to Instagram. "We had a lot of dreams and expectations with our child, he was going to be our support in our old age."

International students who spoke to CBC News say those kinds of sacrifices are common, and can take a major toll. 

They say international students can pay almost four times more in tuition fees than domestic students, and are calling for change.

An Ontario Auditor General's report from last year highlighted the reliance of Ontario colleges on international student tuition.

The report showed that while international students represented only 30 per cent of the total enrolment in public colleges, they accounted for 68 per cent of tuition fee revenue at a total of $1.7 billion. A majority of students — 62 per cent — were from India.

According to a 2020 report from Global Affairs Canada, international students contributed $16.2 billion and $19.7 billion to Canada's GDP in 2017 and 2018.

A better future in Canada

Students and advocates told CBC News that many international students from India come to Canada to become permanent residents and build a better future for themselves as well as their families.

They say there are limited employment opportunities in India compared to Canada, leading their parents to go to great lengths to send them abroad.

Jobanpreet Singh knows that struggle firsthand.

"[Vasudev's family] sacrificed a lot to send their child to Canada for a brighter future," the 22-year-old international student said. "I can't imagine how painful it must have been for them."

Born and raised in a farmer's family in Punjab, India, Singh came to Canada as an international student in August 2021, where he is studying at the Academy of Learning Career College in Toronto. 

For his first year in Canada, his family spent around $30,000 on his tuition and living expenses.

Singh said his family spent all their savings, took out massive loans and sold assets just to be able to pay for his first year of college.

"[International students] have work stress, school stress, and we have extremely high tuition fees, which is topped off with the fact that we can only work 20 hours a week," he said.

Singh said it is very difficult to handle expenses and living costs in Toronto while working those limited hours.

According to a statement from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), "limiting off-campus work to 20 hours per week reflect the fact that the focus for international students in Canada is on their studies."

Tuition gap between domestic and international students

Sarom Rho from advocacy group Migrant Students United says international students who come to Canada also face rising costs of tuition fees, which are already three to four times more than domestic tuition.

"The majority of current and former international students and their families have made massive sacrifices for them, for example by selling lands, taking out massive educational loans, selling assets, just to pay for these extremely high tuition fees," said Rho.

Rho added that because of these financial burdens, international students also face significant mental health issues.

Ontario's Ministry of Colleges and Universities said in a statement that it understands that as newcomers to Canada and Ontario, international students can face unique challenges. 

"Student wellbeing is paramount, and we support the steps taken by Ontario's colleges and universities to ensure that international students are well supported before and after their arrival in Ontario," said James Tinajero, spokesperson for the ministry.

Gurpreet Singh, a 22-year-old Seneca College student, came to Canada in September 2020. His parents mortgaged their entire agricultural farmland to send him to Canada.

He said because of his international student status in Canada, he can't apply for scholarships and bursaries at his college.

"That's a huge drawback for us," said Gurpreet. "If we're not getting anything extra [over] the domestic students and we pay the same taxes, then why do we pay this huge amount for our tuition?"

The ministry says college and university boards of governors have the full authority to set tuition fees for international students.

"Colleges and universities are allowed the discretion to establish tuition fees for international students at levels the institutions deem appropriate," said Tinajero.

Gurpreet has completed half of his education, and the remaining two semesters of his studies will cost him about $16,000. But instead of asking for help from his family, Gurpreet is taking the responsibility on himself.

According to the IRCC, international students can work full-time when they are on a scheduled break, like during winter and summer holidays, or during a fall or spring reading week. 

Gurpreet is currently on a summer break from his college. He says this is his last chance to work full-time before he begins his third semester in the fall.

For the next four months of summer break, Gurpreet says he'll be working in two different warehouses doing long days of general labour.

"Right now I've [got] to concentrate on my work to pay off my fees, so I'm willing to compromise for the next four months," he said.

"I know this is going to be hard, but these hardships are temporary, and there's light at the end of the tunnel."