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The Canadian Dream vs. Reality: How International Students Are Set Up to Struggle

Updated: Dec 11, 2025

The Promise of Opportunity

Canada has built a global reputation as a welcoming, advanced country that offers multiculturalism, world class education, and a clear pathway to permanent residency. For many families abroad, studying in Canada feels like a strategic investment in their children’s future. Canada is seen as safe, stable, and economically strong, which makes the financial sacrifice of international tuition appear worthwhile.


This perception is reinforced through the Canadian government's messaging, post secondary institution marketing campaigns, social media narratives, and recruitment agents overseas who promise smooth transitions, steady employment, and affordable living. Students arrive hopeful and confident that the Canadian experience will unlock opportunity.


The Reality Students Confront

The federal government’s 2018 slogan, “Study, Work and Stay,” suggested a straightforward pathway to permanent residency (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 2018). However, many students quickly discover that the reality is more challenging.


International tuition fees are significantly higher than domestic fees. For example, York University clearly distinguishes “international tuition” rates, which are charged at a substantial premium (York University, 2024). This financial pressure forces many students to work long hours or juggle multiple jobs simply to cover basic living expenses.


The national economic climate intensifies this strain. Rising rents and housing shortages often push students into cramped basements, shared rooms, or unsafe living arrangements. According to Statistics Canada (2023), international students pay more for housing on average than Canadian born residents, with higher monthly shelter costs across major urban centers.


Recruitment agents in some regions embellish job prospects, affordability, and residency pathways. As a result, students and their families often feel blindsided by the gap between expectation and lived reality. The emotional toll includes guilt, financial fear, pressure not to disappoint family, and the constant challenge of balancing school, work, and survival in a new environment.


What the Official Voices Say

Canadian institutions and government departments are increasingly acknowledging these issues.



Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown gathers with city councillors, police representatives and community member to bring attention to the trafficking of international students, and ask for help. (CBC News, 2024)


In a 2023 statement, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada noted:


“International students provide significant cultural, social and economic benefits to their communities, but they have also faced challenges navigating life in Canada” (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 2023).


The department also revised the cost of living requirement for study permit applicants, aiming to ensure that students “understand the true cost of living here.” Media reports echo these concerns. CBC News reported that some international students feel they are “moments away from a mental breakdown” due to the stress of affording rent and basic necessities (CBC News, 2023). These voices collectively show that Canada and its educational institutions recognize the vulnerabilities international students face.


Why the System Creates These Gaps

A Rogerian approach requires understanding the systemic pressures behind these challenges. Post secondary institutions rely on international tuition to offset reduced public funding. Charging higher international rates has become a key method for sustaining operations.


Cities across Canada are experiencing economic strain and have been unable to expand safe, affordable student housing at the pace required. Government policies have not always kept up with rising inflation, rent increases, and the true cost of living, although recent updates show an effort to catch up. These structural factors demonstrate that while Canada promotes opportunity, the systems surrounding international education often prioritize financial stability over the human experience of students.


The Human Impact of Broken Expectations

When expectations fail to match reality, the impact on students can be severe. Many must work multiple jobs, sometimes beyond legal or healthy limits, to pay for rent, food, and tuition. CBC News has highlighted the overwhelming stress many international students face due to financial insecurity and unstable living conditions (CBC News, 2023).

Students also experience discrimination in housing and employment, along with loneliness, culture shock, and mental health challenges. Many hesitate to seek help due to concerns about stigma, affordability, or immigration implications.

The dream that once motivated them evolves into a heavy burden. Students shift into survival mode, which limits their ability to focus on the education they came to pursue. Over time, psychological, emotional, and financial stress affects academic performance and overall wellbeing.


Moving Toward Transparency and Compassion

If Canada truly values international students and the cultural diversity, economic contributions, and innovation they bring, meaningful change must be rooted in transparency and structural support.


Recruitment messaging should be regulated so that students abroad receive accurate information about tuition, cost of living, housing availability, and employment prospects. Post secondary institutions and all levels of government must collaborate to expand safe and affordable student housing. Tuition frameworks should be reviewed so international students are not used as primary revenue generators. Mental health and settlement supports must be integrated into the educational experience, not treated as optional or accessible only to those who can afford them. A compassionate approach requires recognizing international students as individuals navigating immense pressure and responsibility far from home.


A Call for Collective Change

International students are not statistics. They are individuals and have families with goals, dreams, and aspirations who deserve clarity, dignity, and stability. Whether you are a policymaker, educator, community member, or student, the call to action is clear. Canada must strive to live up to the dream it promotes, not through slogans like, "Study, Work and Stay", or marketing, but through genuine accountability and action international students contribute so much to the country unseen, but they require supports.


Blog Author: Loriann Obajimi December 8, 2025

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