From our news desk, Benin
HYDERABAD: Foreign Students in Canada now are exposed to crunchy hard times following food banks across the country facing crisis in supplies.
Also, the recent decision to restrict their services to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, not helping the situation.
Consequently, thousands of foreign students and recent graduates have been left scrambling for alternatives to meet basic food needs, ‘The Times of India’ reports.
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For many, food banks were not just a convenience; they were a necessity as Students say the food banks saved them CAD 300 to CAD 400 every month, the report said.
“It’s a significant sum when balancing tuition fees, rent, and utilities in a country where the cost of living continues to rise,” a 27 year old from Hyderabad living in Vancouver and working in a restaurant was quoted to have said.
Grocery price inflation
“I came here with some savings but I didn’t expect food to be this expensive” another student currently pursuing masters in business management in Surrey, lamented according to the report.
“Food banks really helped me stretch my budget. Now, that option is gone, and I have started skipping meals to make things work.”
Continuing, the report says; the new restrictions which are quietly implemented by several food bank networks in recent weeks, have shocked the foreign students community.
As the reasoning cited by some providers – that international students must demonstrate financial self sufficiency; for their visas have been met with frustration with students who argue that paper based declarations rarely reflect reality once they arrive.
“I took a loan just to study here. That loan doesn’t account for grocery inflation or the fact that part-time jobs are impossible to find right now” said a graduate student from Hyderabad working in a coffee shop in Toronto.
“We are not looking for charity, we are trying to survive,” he added.
Part-time jobs hard to come by
Foreign students are legally allowed to work 24 hours per week part- time during their studies, but many lament finding those jobs has become increasingly difficult.
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Retail stores and cafes which were once a reliable source of students income; are hiring less and offering fewer hours. Meanwhile grocery bills continued to surge, it was disclosed.
“It used to be possible to pick up two shifts and manage basic expenses. Now, those jobs are going to locals who are also struggling.
“We are stuck, no food bank, no job, no help,” the student from Toronto added.
Source: The Times of India
