As a research student in science, I have always been fascinated by the ways innovations have shaped the future of humanity. Being a single girl child in a family of accountants and teachers, my inspiration for learning was instilled at a young age, which was further fuelled during my adolescence through some amazing science classes at high school and a hobby for hiking trips around the magnificent Himalayas in my homeland of India. This led me to appreciate the diversity in the natural world which was eventually transformed into a curiosity for the biology of our existence. I then transitioned into studying biotechnology in my undergrad, culminating in a master’s thesis in cancer biology which in my opinion, is the most fascinating rogue player that has metamorphosed with life itself! This now further fuels me to continue my doctoral studies in the domain of immune-oncology of the brain at UofT.

“While the pandemic has brought the world to its knees, it has opened our eyes to the stark realities of poor healthcare, lack of investment in research, improper dissipation of scientific knowledge from institutions to the general public as well as disparities in socio-economic structures. Added to it, we are witnessing the fault-lines in our government policies to drive sustainable development, better social reforms as well as investments into grass-root changes for better access to education and healthcare. While all populations around the country are grappling with these mammoth problems, the Canadian diaspora of international students have been the hardest hit of the lot. With myriad troubles like mental health issues owing to COVID-19, uncertainty in post graduation scenarios and work permits, no financial security and the stress of worrying for their loved ones in distant homelands, the neglect towards this large community motivates me to tackle this issue.”

The Canadian institutes of higher learning have been putting in large efforts in the directions of scouting for the best of global talents into the educational landscape and eventually the workforce. These efforts bring forth its own set of challenges such as catering to a community of diversity, making inclusions into the regulations which allow for growth of the individual as well as holistic benefit of the institution, adding to its repertoire of myriad teaching, training and outreach efforts.

In order to achieve the above milestones, every institution has stepped up to put in rigorous efforts for improving the international experience through increased student engagement, better graduate community support and flexible work/study options. However, isolated and fragmented efforts by the institutions do not allow tackling the whole range of the problem! Part of the challenge lies in the limited resources of the institutions as well as dearth of a coordinated large-scale effort. Adding to the woes is the lack of engagement from individuals of international and marginalized communities, as well as frugal support from the government to these institutions. With the BLM movement gaining traction in North America, the fragile landscape of including foreign nationals into positions of decision-making has become more urgent now than ever.

In light of the impact on students, the federal government has made commendable efforts to support domestic students through the payment of Canada Emergency Student Benefits (CESB), but most eligible international students are only allowed to apply for EI or CERB. The criteria for successfully being able to apply for these benefits come with their own set of challenges leaving most low-income or newly arrived students in a very volatile situation. Added to it, the pandemic has brought its own set of mental health challenges for every individual, and the ramifications of those are worse for international students who are already adjusting to a new culture, trying to fit into a new way of life while trying to meet their academic and professional goals. Additionally, the global anxiety regarding the advent of a vaccine and its associated success as a key player to turn the tide on the economy, are all uncertainties which are weighing heavy on the massive group of international students in Canadian institutions. Many such students are in doubt of their future in a foreign land while some are even reconsidering shifting back to their homelands upon their degree completion. If allowed to continue, this situation will have a devastating brain-drain effect on the Canadian economy which will lose a lot of valuable working individuals with Canadian experience serving in various cadres of the society.

In order to meet these challenges, we need to devise solutions which are custom-tailored for this vulnerable community, and would be readily available at their fingertips. While major economic reforms are a far-cry under the current scenario, carefully planned steps to support their life experience and dissipate the professional and psychological stress can act as major contributors to a Canadian success story for supporting international students. This in turn could bolster Canada as a destination for education, and allow mitigating the loss in international student population which is chocking almost all universities across the country.

A recent study conducted by the Toronto Science Policy Network at the University of Toronto has already shed light on the impact of the pandemic upon graduate and professional students. Having been conducted across all departments of the University, it gives a holistic idea about several challenges faced by the students. However, as part of my policy proposal I would like to focus on a small subset of international students who may not form the bulk of the student cohort but have the potential to turn the tide in the education paradigm of Canada!

With the increasing cases of COVID-19 and ill-managed immigration policies, the US has become a difficult destination for study or work for many talented individuals across the globe. While Canada’s immigration policies and improved work culture allow for drawing focus to its opportunities, there is still a substantial work space available which could allow better engagement of the local communities with a global platform to foster a feeling of collaboration.

The first to achieve this dream would be initiate grass-root changes which equip universities and high schools with better tools to address the issue. One such approach would be to partner with the student support groups in the campuses, organize workshops to educate them about the various ways to enrich the community experience as well as empower them to contribute in decision-making steps to garner community support. Secondly, creation of special advisory panels and inclusion of people from racially marginalized communities, which act as a bridge between policy-creation and implementation, would act as a buffer to allow good representation of current student needs. This would also nurture the leadership potential in students at their respective institutional domains which in turn allow a custom-fit approach to focus on each school’s individual needs.

Next, creation of an online support caucus from the government to discuss and direct steps for welfare of these communities and engage support for their mental health (such as creation of a mental health toll-free line with individuals adept at several foreign languages would allow the international student to enjoy some familiarity while discussing ongoing challenges in life), would allow for better out-reach. This could see a drop in crime rates, domestic violence as well as suicides in all marginalized communities and hence significantly impact the social landscape of the nation.

Lastly, implementation of improved policies to take off the financial stress, such as creation of emergency funds for international students or extension of the work hours on a study permit (from 40 hours in summer to 40 hours for the whole upcoming term), inclusion of nominal benefits (like health checks or vaccines for flu, MMR etc) would create much superior living conditions and reduce the paranoia caused by food shortages, rent/ mortgage insecurities.

All of these approaches taken together, would create a better international student experience and make Canada a study/work hub post the COVID-19 era.