Inflation hits hard for international students in B.C. By Nono Shen The Canadian Press October 2022 (copywritten material) Find the 10 attributions Laughter lights up the gathering twilight at Langara College in Vancouver, where first-year health science student Jagiit Singh is chatting with friends next to the school's fountain. But his smile fades when he's asked about the cost of living in Canada since moving from India last year. Singh and his classmates say the growing financial stresses on international students cast a shadow over the new school year's possibilities and opportunities. "Some people think we come here having a luxurious life, but it's not true," said Singh, adding that many of his friends' parents have spent their life savings on their children's education. Many international students are being pushed toward a breaking point. Students and social advocates say international students face a particularly high burden from soaring inflation because of a series of exacerbating factors fixed budgets, rules that limit how much paid work they can do, and exchange rate woes. One Vancouver food bank said that three-quarters of the students on its books were from overseas. Kashish Hukku Jani, 22, a fourth-year communication design student at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, said her living costs were high from the start. Now they have soared. "I remember my tuition back in my first year was very high. But now, with the years progressing, it went even higher. And renting in Vancouver is skyrocketing. Everything here is getting really, really high," said Jani, who hails from Gujarat in western India. The biggest concern is how students aren't able to focus much on studies because they're worrying about other things, like groceries and rent. Her family's income became unstable during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jani said, forcing them to dig into savings to pay for her tuition of around $9,000 per semester. Jani has had a part-time job but working-hour limits meant she couldn't keep up with the rising costs. She give up her part-time work to focus on her graduation project. Many foreign students have turned to food banks to survive. In the year leading up to June, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank registered 7,725 new clients, including 1,844 students, according to chief operating officer Cynthia Boulter. The vast majority of those, 1,377, were international students. "One of the students I met two weeks ago was a pharmacist in Mexico, but because Canada doesn't recognize that degree, she is going to University Canada West and getting a master's in a business field. She is struggling to make rent," said Boulter. International exchange rates between Canada and other countries has placed more international students in a more difficult situation. The Canadian dollar had risen by about 25 per cent compared to the Indian rupee in five years, although it has dropped about five per cent since late August. India is by far the biggest source country for foreign students in Canada, making up 39 per cent of this year's 232,665 admissions so far, according to the Immigration Department. The food bank was working with colleges and universities to ensure students know how to get its help. In 2021, there were 184,350 international students in B.C., according to the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training

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