Sheridan College and city make pledge to improve lives of international students in Brampton

With big changes coming to Canada’s international student program next year, the city and Sheridan College are taking steps to make a positive difference in the lives of students in Brampton.

The charter lays out a five-point plan which includes upholding ethical recruitment standards and practices, creating academic and wrap-around supports for learners and providing opportunities for legal and reliable work.

It also commits to promoting safe and affordable housing and financial stability and advocates for transparent pathways to citizenship for international students.

“We hope that our work will inspire other jurisdictions to adopt similar community charters of their own, creating a national network of organizations that choose to hold themselves and one another accountable to provide a seamless and successful international student experience,” Sheridan said in a release.

The charter comes just weeks after the federal government announced plans to more than double the amount of money international students are required to have in their bank accounts before coming to Canada for their studies.

Ottawa has also pledged to toughen regulations following an admission scandal that had hundreds of international students facing deportation in June.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said in an interview with Insauga.com that he welcomed the program changes but said more can be done to keep international students from living in “third-world conditions.”

“In some cases you have families that their life savings go to sending one child to school in Canada, and to have them sleeping outdoors in a park or to have them sleeping with 12 people in a basement apartment that doesn’t meet fire code is wrong,” Brown said.

Brampton City Council will have its final meeting of the year on Wednesday and includes a discussion item added by Brown on “international student housing within the City of Brampton.”

Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller has likened some Canadian colleges to “puppy mills” that don’t provide international students with an adequate education while giving them a chance to get a visa to work in Canada and to eventually immigrate.

Today, the City of Brampton and @SheridanCollege formed the Brampton Charter for Improving the International Student Experience as an outcome of an 18-month process to co-create meaningful change for how international students experience life and study in Canada.

International… pic.twitter.com/A5rZPGmfKh

— City of Brampton (@CityBrampton) December 18, 2023