As an international student, balancing my academic commitments with the constant financial burden of living in Canada is hard. As someone who has been here for seven years, since I started studying in Canada in Grade 10, I have been both a witness to and a victim of the ridiculous increase of the cost living here in Victoria, BC. I mean, just seven years ago I used to pay $800 for a room—a cost which included the host family making me food every day. In 2024, I am struggling to see the end of the month because I pay $1,100 a month for a tiny place near Camosun. The cost of living here makes it nearly impossible to survive with the current restriction placed on international students where we can only work 20 hours per week. The government has said they will be raising this to 24 in September, and although that still hasn’t happened as of press time, it would be a great decision.
Now, I know what you are thinking: “Did I read a whole paragraph about the financial burden of living in Victoria and you only want a four-hour increase?” Four hours makes a huge difference, and let me explain why. Take my situation as an example. I work a minimum-wage job and pay $1,100 a month in rent. With a 20-hour work week that means I am taking home $1,200. That means that I only have $100 for groceries, transportation, and any other basic needs, as well as entertainment, like Spotify.
It’s simply not enough.
However, if the restriction was 24 hours per week I would be taking home $1,500 a month. That means I’d have an extra $300 for all my expenses. That looks more friendly. I mean, I could even take my girlfriend out to a cheap restaurant making that kind of money. Seriously, this is the harsh reality for many international students who are doing their best to make a better life for themselves through education.
Four extra hours of work means we can cover essential living expenses each month more easily; it also means we have an opportunity to focus on what we are really here for, which is education, without the constant stress of not being able to have a place to live or enough food to eat.
However, some would argue that international students are here to study, not work, and if they aren’t able to support their studies they shouldn’t be here. That’s true, and that’s why we aren’t asking to go back to being able to work 40 hours a week like we were able to in 2023. We are only asking for four more insignificant hours of work that would make our lives much easier. These extra hours would not detract from our studies, but it would be an aid to fully focus on them.
As someone who works a minimum wage job while paying $1,100 in rent, I know firsthand how difficult it is to survive with this 20-hours-per-week work restriction. Raising that restriction four hours would make a world of difference not only for me but to thousands of other international students who are just trying to get a better education in a beautiful country like Canada.