As thousands of international students prepared to come to Canada in September, their No. 1 worry was not their classes, getting a study permit in time or culture shock.
It was finding a place to live.
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Students moving in at Queen's University in Kingston
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In a recent Canadian Bureau for International Education survey, 46 percent of international students stated that accommodations were a challenge. It was not just a problem for the post-secondary sector. School districts in many areas were struggling to source enough host families. And during the busy summer season, language programs faced the same issues.
Finding housing can be a challenge for domestic students. So imagine what it is like for international students who are thousands of kilometres away and may not understand the Canadian housing market. Some cities are tougher than others. Vancouver has a vacancy rate of just 0.7 per cent, while Toronto's is a very low 1.1 percent.
Carole Morrison, interim director of the Queen's University International Centre, says staff worked tirelessly to help students find a place to live in Kingston, which has few apartments available.
"Students are advised to come to Kingston prepared to stay in temporary accommodations for a period of time while they look for more permanent arrangements. Staff will also continue providing students with information to help them avoid scams, if they choose to book spaces online."
"This year, several students told me that me even though it was stressful they felt like they would ultimately find places - and they did," Morrison says.
Student population doubles in summer
The International Language Academy of Canada (ILAC) has schools in both Vancouver and Toronto, with enrolments soaring in the summer months.
"Since the population doubles in such a short period of time, we work all year round on finding enough housing to be prepared for the busiest months," says Ana Karina Montilla, manager of homestay and accommodations. "As a consequence, sometimes we face the challenge of using families experiencing the homestay program for the first time during the busiest months of the year."
To cope, ILAC has turned to alternative solutions. The school works with post-secondary residences in both cities, locking down rooms months in advance of the summer rush.
In addition, the language school has recently opened its Dream House in Toronto, which serves as an alternative to homestay. The international student residence can accommodate 32 young adults, who live independently with other students.
Some K-12 programs face shortages of host families. In all sectors, the number of international students coming to Canada continues to grow, hitting 495,000 this year. This has created a need to find more and more hosts every year.
In Whistler, BC, the Sea to Sky School District has had so much difficulty finding host families that is looking at creative solutions. One idea is to rent homes for district teachers (who also have trouble finding housing) and have them act as host parents to international students.
