International students in Yukon worry about changes to federal regulations

Some international students at Yukon University say new federal requirements will make it harder for less well-off students to enrol in Canadian post-secondary schools.

"There are a lot of factors that we should consider when we are discussing about international students, because it's not like their parents have a lot of money that they can spend. Not everybody has money back home," said Ratan Singh, a graduate of the university who also served as student union president.

Late last year, the federal government announced new rules aimed at ensuring international students are "financially prepared for life in Canada."

Prospective students will have to prove they have access to at least $20,635 to cover cost-of-living expenses, in order to get a study permit. That's more than double the previous required amount of $10,000 — a figure hadn't been updated since the early 2000s.

Students will also be limited to working no more than 20 hours per week off-campus, starting in April.

The federal government says delaying the work-hours change until April is to provide more stability and continuity through the academic year. 

Ramandeep Kaur, who's studying early childhood education at Yukon University, says working just 20 hours per week will make it hard to make ends meet.

"By working full time, I pay my tuition fee, grocery and other expenses," Kaur said. She cites working 40- or 50-hour weeks on top of a full course load. 

Matthew Toothill, who graduated in 2023 from the university, says framing the changes as a solution to the cost-of-living crisis doesn't quite add up.

"It's not actually the price of tuition that's gone up, which is incredibly high anyway," he said. "You're just sort of on your own."

Toothill also spoke of a lack of supports for international students in terms of bursaries, scholarships, and very limited access to health care.

The new cost-of-living requirement "privileges" and "gives advantages to certain people who have wealth or access to wealth," Toothill said.

Ratan Singh also agrees that many students cannot afford to work just 20 hours per week off-campus. Even full-time hours are not sufficient in this economy, he said.

"It requires them to do too much here. With the current resources, we don't have enough support for international students right now," Singh said.

Some students at the university also say the new rules are unclear or difficult to understand.

"The system is not very logical," said office administration student Leticia Herrejon, who is from Mexico.

In fall 2023, of the registered 469 full-time students at Yukon University, 130 were international students.