Challenges Faced By International Students in Toronto

Many students across the world move to different countries in search of better education. In many instances, students move from their home nations to their chosen countries in search of better academic opportunities and living standards. Canada is one destination that has experienced an increase in the arrival of international students. Research shows that the presence of international students has brought positive impacts in various sectors of the nation. However, these students face myriads of challenges while in the country. Academic scholars concerned with the stay and study abilities of international students in Toronto have specified that this group of immigrants has to go through several hurdles to achieve their dreams. Similarly, the international groups of students also face various challenges that affect their studies and stay in different ways. Therefore, this paper is a research essay about some of the hurdles and challenges that international student s in Toronto experience.

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The first notable issue that international students face in Toronto is lack of proper reception on arrival to their universities of choice. A research study by Esse and Belkhodija (2013) indicates that many Canadian universities lack effective procedures for orientating international students. The authors assert that the on-campus orientation methods used in some schools are not adequate in helping the international students to fit effectively in the campus. Poor methods of welcoming and orientating the international students into their new environment are important because they make it possible for them to know their way around. Since the students do not receive orientation proper activities, they feel lost due to lack of knowledge of the right people to approach incase of any difficulty. Secondly, lack of proper orientation strategies also leads to another challenge of poor social integration. Students fail to receive effective information that can help them go about their learning and social activities on campus. They take too long to fit in and get used to routines in college (Esse & Belkhodija, 2013). Another hurdle that international students go through on arrival to universities in Toronto is poor economic support. Some students leave their countries hoping to work as they study with the aim of improving their financial abilities. However, the problem is many universities give priority to their local students at the expense of foreign students. Therefore, these international students tend to live under poor economic conditions (Guzman, Garza, & Wu, 2015). The government ought to have financial kitties for helping international students arriving in various universities in their country. The economic help is vital because research also shows that international students contribute positively to the economic growth of the nation. However, the Canadian government lacks effective procedures for helping international students deal with such issues.

International students in Toronto face the challenges of having to deal with political and government policies in the country (Akinkugbe, 2014). The political and government systems of Canada play the role of forming rules and regulations that international students must abide by. Some of these rules are stringent and hinder the students from engaging in many activities. For example, the country has the policy that every student must have a job irrespective of the nature of the course they are taking. Some students from foreign countries are not used to juggling school with work; hence, they find it quite challenging to undertake such activities (Cameron, 2006). Some laws formed by politicians and other leaders require that international students from some if not all nations should return to their home countries after completing their studies. On the same note, those students who would wish to find jobs and further their education finds it hard to do so because of the available rules and regulations (Hansen, 2011). Racism is another issue that most if not all international students have to deal with. This is a hurdle faced mainly by students of color. The societies in Canada still have problems accepting people from other races. Some still consider people of color as less deserving compared to those of white origins. In that sense, racism makes it hard for international students to gain access to important life-changing activities on campus. They also find it difficult to secure job opportunities in preferred organizations that do not have strict policies on dealing with racial discrimination (Hansen, 2011). Unfortunately, some of the administrators do not do much to help international students iron out such difficulties. Another challenge that international students face is the difficulty in transitioning to permanent residency. As stated above, most international students do not only move to Toronto to find better education but also hope to acquire the best jobs after completing their studies (Hansen, 2011). Those who succeed and acquire better jobs also hope to find permanent residence in Toronto. However, the government has strict policies for gaining permanent residence in Toronto. This also makes it hard for international students who have completed their studies and are working in the province to gain permanent residence

The increasing number of international students and other immigrants moving into different parts of Toronto also bring about cultural diversity (Akinkugbe, 2014). Therefore, some students find it difficult to fit in an environment with different cultural practices. Such international students usually experience culture shock, and some of them take a while before they integrate into the system fully (Guzman, Garza, & Wu, 2015). Due to diverse cultural effects, international students also face the challenge of social isolation. since they originate from unique societies and move into a society whose methods of operations and thinking is different from what they are used to, international students usually segregate themselves from such a setting due to lack of coping strategies. Similarly, cultural differences between those in Toronto and the students home of origin are another challenge that international students have to deal with (Cameron, 2006). An important part of the cultural difference is that the variations in the language are spoken in the two regions. Those students who come from non-English speaking countries find it difficult to cope especially due to communication barriers.

In conclusion Research studies by different authors have shown that international students in most parts of the world face different challenges and hurdles in their new environment. Some of the challenges are similar around the globe and include the inability to find permanent residency and acquire better paying jobs in foreign companies of their choices. International students in Toronto also face the obstacles created by political and government policies which hinder them from getting jobs in the province. Similarly, the students have to deal with tough economic times once they move to Toronto because of lack of or inadequate economic support from the government. Cultural diversity and social seclusion are other challenges the international students have to deal with while in Toronto. Poor methods and strategies of orientating international students into their new environment is another challenge that affects the international students.

References

Akinkugbe, M. (2014). The challenges of studying in a different cultural environment.

Cameron, J. (2006). International student integration into the Canadian universities: a post world war two historical study. History of intellectual culture.

Esse, V., & Belkhodija, C. (2013). Improving the assessment of international student's contribution to Canadian society. Knowledge synthesis.

Guzman, N., Garza, E., & Wu, H. (2015). International students' challenge and adjustment to college. Educational research international.

Hansen, D. (2011). The life of international students in Canada is eye opening. Toronto: Canadia Immigrants.