International Students For Alberta
As I am assisting various school divisions across Alberta in achieving their goals of accepting young international students into their programs, I am finding that there is some confusion in the differences between a young student and their parents wanting to give their child an enriching international cross-cultural experience and what is deemed as an older student with post-secondary goals with 3-6 year plans of post-secondary education, work permits, and eventually seeking permanent residence here in Canada.
Here at Independent Student Support Agents-Canada, we service the needs of both levels of students around the world. Today though, I want to focus on the younger students that seek these experiences across Alberta. Some key points for them are...
Most of them do not plan on graduating in Canada. For the most part, they are coming only for one or two semesters and then going home. Immigration doesn't even factor into the experience.
When there is a question of them taking up school resources, it should be mentioned that Alberta secondary schools only accept international students into their school if they have space to accommodate them. The children of resident Albertans come first!
Minor international students coming to Alberta schools go through considerable vetting to come into the program. International students have to provide valid passports for the time they wish to come to Canada. Students must show their educational transcripts going at least three years back.
International secondary students need references from their school principals and also their English teacher.
Student parents need to show the IRCC bank statements proving that they can afford their 5 to 10 months in Canada. This often includes advance payments of their tuition, homestay fees, and administration fees. (Typically $18,000 to $28,000 CDN)
Minor international students must have a legal custodian (Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident) assigned to them to support them while they are in the country. While some stay with extended family or family friends during their time here, the majority stay with screened, warm, caring host families that are in the program to enrich their families' lives as well as the students'.
The student is also vetted in terms of their understanding of the English language. The majority of school divisions often require advance live interviews with the students and their parents to help assess their level of English. These same students are also tested by schools on arrival to ensure they have the correct grade and class placement for their abilities. Though the system in Alberta schools is slowly changing, the majority of our rural schools do not have ESL programming, and for those that do, those programs are typically for newcomer students, not international students.
The goal of young international students is to come to Canada, live with Canadian families, attend Canadian schools, and immerse in our unique Canadian culture and also in the English language.
How do young international students benefit your family, schools, and community? Young international K-12 and post-secondary students bring profound cultural, academic, and social value to Canada. Here are 10 major ways international students benefit their Canadian host families, schools, and local communities during their studies:
Young international K-12 and post-secondary students bring profound cultural, academic, and social value to Canada. Here are 10 major ways young international students benefit their Canadian host families, schools, and local communities during their studies:
🏠 Benefits to Host & Local Families
Promoting Intercultural Competence: Living with international students allows Canadian homestay families to develop global competence and broadens their worldviews directly from their own homes. [2]
Building Lifelong Global Networks: Host families and local peers form tight, enduring bonds, with research from the Government of Alberta showing that 66% of students actively maintain these friendships long after returning home. [1, 2]
Inspiring Local Youth to Travel: The presence of international students creates a tangible curiosity about the world, directly increasing Canadian children's desire to travel and explore other countries.
🏫 Benefits to Canadian Schools
Increasing Cultural Tolerance: According to institutional data, 82% of Alberta school representatives noted that international students significantly increased tolerance towards other cultures and ethnicities among local students.
Enriching the Classroom Experience: Incorporating diverse life experiences into daily discussions enriches class environments, drives creative innovation, and builds classroom-wide intercultural awareness.
Supporting Global Competency Frameworks: International students play a vital role in executing structured provincial programs, such as the International Certificate Programs used by the Ottawa-Carleton and Calgary School Boards.
Encouraging Parent Engagement: Multi-cultural student orientations empower families to actively participate in school councils, neighborhood events, and local parent-teacher networks.
🤝 Benefits to Local Communities
Bridging Language and Translation Barriers: Many multi-lingual international students volunteer their native language skills to help local non-profits and community organizations bridge critical communication gaps.
Enlivening the Local Volunteer Sector: Immersive community volunteering allows students to refine their English or French skills while actively contributing to animal shelters, conservation efforts, and local arts festivals.
Fostering Long-Term Bilateral Relations: Over 65% of young international scholars choose to bring elements of Canadian culture and customs back to their home nations, establishing harmonious, long-term cultural ties with Canada.
Financial Benefits: While financial gain to the community is not a typical goal factor, it is important to keep in mind that each international student contributes roughly $45,000 to $55,000 CDN dollars to their community through school tuition, homestay fees, and general spending.
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