Can Sask. handle a potential influx of international students? Existing students say no

Shivangi Sharma, an international student at the University of Regina, says she is "fortunate" to work three part-time jobs while managing her undergraduate studies, since many of her friends are struggling to find employment.

With the federal government's January announcement of a two-year cap on international students, most of whom historically went to B.C. and Ontario, it's possible Saskatchewan could see a reverse effect of an uptick in enrolment. But existing students and recent graduates say infrastructure and economic affordability need to improve. 

"Many students are struggling to find jobs.… Right now, a lot of my friends don't even have a single job because of the inflation and job crisis," Sharma, 25, said.

"I really don't think Saskatchewan is prepared for having more students, because they don't have enough jobs at the moment."

CBC News accessed data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada that gives a breakdown of the intake of international students during the last nine years to different provinces, as well as the countries from where they moved.

From 2015 to 2023, students from India and China made up the largest share of international students. Last year, 278,860 international students came from India and 58,430 from China.

Saskatchewan's share of international students has been growing, but not when it's measured relative to the overall population.

In 2015, Saskatchewan saw 3,905 students coming in. Last year, 12,090 international students — one per cent of the province's population — made their way here. Other provinces have seen more growth.

The enrolment intake rates at the three major educational institutions in Saskatchewan — the University of Saskatchewan, University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic — show a steady increase in international student enrolment during the past five years, with the top countries of origin being India, China, the Philippines, Nigeria and Vietnam.

Mehdi Ebrahimpour, a recent graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, said while he was an international student, it was very difficult to find employment. 

"I needed part-time jobs, but it was very difficult to find one … but after graduation, the main reason I found was I lacked Canadian work experience," the 35-year-old said.

Ebrahimpour's prior work experience in Iran was not recognized by Canadian employers. He said the problem is worsening. Many international students CBC News spoke with said there is a scarcity of even minimum wage jobs in Regina and Saskatoon. Some say they are working cash jobs paying $10 per hour. The minimum wage in Saskatchewan is $14 per hour.

"If we have growing numbers, I'm afraid we'll have even more challenges to find a reasonable occupation," Ebrahimpour said. "But the international students are not the main source of the problem. We had this problem even before."

Though Ebrahimpour had a scholarship, he said he still struggled paying his rent even when he was "in the cheapest dormitory provided by the university."