(Be)Longing
Sarah Green, EdD Student
University of Calgary
A form of documentary theatre, verbatim theatre is constructed using the spoken words of real people (Cantrell, 2013). The dramatist, then, has the privilege of curating the myriad voices into a throughline to share the collective story with an audience. Malleable in form, verbatim theatre can extend beyond the spoken word to include excerpts from news sources and journal entries (Cantrell, 2013). The following is a verbatim vignette highlighting three factual, raw, and intensely personal perspectives on Canada’s international student cap.
The Players:
GOVERNMENT is stoic, maintaining an eyes forward, shoulders back, direct address posture.
STUDENT is casual and slightly, but visibly, nervous.
INSTITUTION is cool and collected.
The stage is bare with the exception of three stools. Upon the centre stool sits GOVERNMENT. To the left, STUDENT. On the far right, INSTITUTION. The Players address the audience directly, never looking at one another.
MOMENT: True Patriot Love
GOVERNMENT: International students enrich our communities and are a critical part of Canada’s social, cultural, and economic fabric. We have an obligation to ensure that they have access to the resources they need for an enriching academic experience. In Canada, today, this isn’t always the case.
STUDENT: How did we get to this point in the first place?
GOVERNMENT: Today, we are announcing additional measures to protect a system that has become so lucrative that it has opened a path for its abuse. Enough is enough. We are striking the right balance for Canada and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system while setting students up for the success they hope for.
INSTITUTION: It’s pretty unfair to use students as scapegoats to explain the wrong decisions that our political actors took in the past.
STUDENT: Most of us have a goal to immigrate to Canada. The living quality is generally higher than a lot of our home countries.
GOVERNMENT: In the spirit of fairness, individual provincial and territorial caps have been established, weighted by population, which will result in much more significant decreases in provinces where the international student population has seen the most unsustainable growth.
INSTITUTION: Some bad actors are taking advantage of these students with false promises of guaranteed employment, residency, and Canadian citizenship.
GOVERNMENT: Studying abroad is a stepping stone to carving a permanent future in a country that promises a better quality of life.
STUDENT: If you want to come here, be prepared.
Beat.
MOMENT: With Glowing Hearts We See Thee Rise
GOVERNMENT: It is expected that approximately 360,000 new study permits will be issued to international students in 2024-25. A 35 percent decrease compared to 2023.
INSTITUTION: We see these measures as quite reactionary.
GOVERNMENT: These important measures aim to ensure genuine students receive the support they require and have the resources they need for an enriching study experience in Canada.
STUDENT: I’m lucky to have got in before the cap.
INSTITUTION: Canada’s new policy may create positive shifts. It could also harm many students and add uncertainty to their journey.
GOVERNMENT: The infrastructure required to support the influx of international students has not kept pace, creating pressure on the housing and healthcare systems.
INSTITUTION: Reputable schools could be in for a financial hit. Universities are unfairly caught in the crossfire.
GOVERNMENT: As an international student, you may be concerned.
STUDENT: My friends at home are very sad because Canada has become more strict.
GOVERNMENT: You may find it harder to qualify for a study permit.
STUDENT: But they don’t know the struggle we face after coming here.
GOVERNMENT: You may face greater competition.
STUDENT: They don’t understand that they need lots of money to survive here.
Beat.
MOMENT: The True North Strong and Free
STUDENT: I dreamed of studying abroad as a child growing up. I was told that in a country like Canada, I could earn anything if I worked hard. I’m here now, and the reality is totally different. I work two part-time jobs. The cost of tuition is a source of constant stress. I don’t want to ask my family for more money. They’ve already spent a lot to send me here. I feel like I have to be independent.
INSTITUTION: Students worry if they complain, it will risk their student visa, and it will sacrifice all the effort their families have put into making sure they can get a quality education.
STUDENT: I don’t want my parents to know I’m not in good condition.
GOVERNMENT: The measure is to stabilize the number of international students who arrive without the proper supports they need to succeed.
INSTITUTION: I see young people knocking themselves out to try to make things work.
STUDENT: I struggled to find work when I first arrived. My friend let me stay in his basement.
INSTITUTION: It’s frustrating to see those who have taken cheap shots at the students, blaming them for a long list of problems. It’s not the international students’ fault.
STUDENT: I’m hopeful and frustrated.
INSTITUTION: The government should have acted sooner. What took them so long to look at this issue seriously?
STUDENT: I’m hopeful this will be a good thing for us, the students who are in Canada right now.
GOVERNMENT: The two-year cap will give governments time to tackle problems in the system that have allowed some bad actors to take advantage of high international student tuition.
INSTITUTION: Things are not in control right now.
STUDENT: As temporary residents, we are vulnerable to exploitation, yet we have limited recourse and representation.
GOVERNMENT: Some private colleges in Canada are the diploma equivalent of puppy mills that are just churning out diplomas. These puppy mill schools are often entirely dependent on international student tuition.
INSTITUTION: There are some really good private schools out there, but because of the few bad ones, everybody is getting penalized.
STUDENT: We are not just numbers.
GOVERNMENT: The problem is that the responsibility for regulating the industry lies with multiple levels of government. It allows for a lot of finger-pointing between orders of government.
INSTITUTION: The good schools are going to suffer.
STUDENT: We are people taking big risks at the start of our adult lives. Like any student, we are trying to plan our futures while navigating a complex, inequitable world.
INSTITUTION: Predatory private schools have become a mounting issue. If students can stay back at home, that would be a much better place for them right now.
Beat.
MOMENT: We Stand On Guard For Thee
STUDENT: A lot of students think we should go back to our home country as there is nothing for us in Canada. I wonder if the mood of the country is shifting?
GOVERNMENT: The integrity of the international student system has been threatened.
INSTITUTION: Long-term, a lot is at stake.
STUDENT: Five years ago, the attitude to international students was welcoming, and many jumped at the chance to come.
INSTITUTION: We face a reckoning.
STUDENT: Now the situation is upside down.
INSTITUTION: Do we, as a society, value higher education? If yes, are we willing to fund it ourselves?
STUDENT: Some people don’t like us. Every student should have someone here who can take care of them.
INSTITUTION: Maybe Canada isn’t as welcoming of a place.
The Players look straight ahead as the lights fade.
References
Arrive. (2024, January 31). How Canada’s new 2024 student visa rules will affect international students. https://arrivein.com/studying/how-canadas-new-2024-student-visa-rules-will-affect-internationalstudents/#:~:text=Students%20applying%20for%20a%20Canadian,IRCC%20or%20your%20academic%20institution
Baig, F. (2024, January 28). Here’s what international students in Canada think about new changes to the program. https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/here-s-what-international-students-in-canada-think-about-new-changes-to-the-program-1.6745546
Cantrell, T. (2013). Acting in documentary theatre. Red Globe Press.
Dhillon, A. (2024, January 26). What’s behind the problems with Canada’s international student program? https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/intl-student-program-1.7095990
Friesen, J., & Hui, A. (2024, January 31). ‘It will be a good thing for us’: International students living in Canada react to Ottawa’s visa cap. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-international-students-cap-visas-canada/
Government of Canada. (2024, January 22). Canada to stabilize growth and decrease number of new international student permits issued to approximately 360,000 for 2024. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2024/01/canada-to-stabilize-growth-and-decrease-number-of-new-international-student-permits-issued-to-approximately-360000-for-2024.html
Hammond, W., & Steward, D. (Eds.). (2008). verbatim verbatim. Oberon Books Ltd.
Hernandez, J. (2024, January 31). International student cap could help clean up post-secondary ‘mess,’ says B.C. advocates. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/international-student-cap-could-help-clean-up-post-secondary-mess-say-b-c-advocates-1.7099199
Packer, H. (2024, January 23). Messy, drastic, overdue — the reaction to Canada’s student cap. https://thepienews.com/reaction-to-canadas-student-cap/
Wickramasinghe, S. (2024, February 1). How the international student cap affects immigration to Canada. https://news.ubc.ca/2024/02/how-the-international-student-cap-affects-immigration-to-canada
