Canadian senators called for fairness with international students
Four members of the Parliament submitted a report outlining the problems.
Four Canadian senators have released a joint report entitled "Strengthening the Integrity of the Canadian International Student Program." The authors recognized the value of international students to the country's economy and to Canada's social and cultural development. However, at the heart of the program itself, they believe there are a number of structural flaws that need to be corrected. And underlying all of these flaws is a lack of clarity and honesty.
Tuition fees
The first such injustice noted by senators is the difference in tuition fees. And it is not just that the rates for international students are inherently higher than for Canadians. Using Ontario as an example, speakers point to the difference in approach. For example, the province has frozen tuition rates for Canadians for three years, while prices for international students continue to rise — sometimes by up to 20% per year. As a result, international students account for 68% of tuition revenue across Ontario.
The mere fact of this imbalance, according to the senators, is not the problem. What is a problem, however, is the inability of colleges and universities accredited to accept international students (DLI) to cover their costs without attracting these same international students. First, the institutions don't have much to offer to attract foreigners, and second, this imbalance in the literal value of each student is not good for incoming Canadians either.
Agents or consultants
Senators are concerned about the terms of interaction between universities and agents-assistants, whose services are used by the majority of international applicants. The agent receives a percentage only if the student successfully enrolls and makes the first payment, and non-payment of such commissions can lead to a complete drying up of the flow of foreign students (and large financial losses) for the university. That is why unscrupulous agents can bargain a large percentage for themselves and recommend to the applied students not the universities and programs they need, but those that are the most profitable for the agent.
The saddest thing about this situation is that not all universities accredited for foreigners are entitled to participate in the PGWP — i.e. to issue work permits upon graduation. International students who rely on agents are often unaware of such subtleties and find out the bad news when it is too late.
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