Why do so many international students in B.C. end up stuck in service jobs?

In a two-storey laneway house in East Vancouver's Killarney neighbourhood, packaged spices, pickle jars, and other ingredients and cutlery used to make Himalayan-style dumplings fill the kitchen and living room.

"My wife and I are gearing to start a business to sell traditional Nepali delicacies here," said 31-year-old Santosh Acharya.

But selling Nepalese food wasn't what Acharya had in mind when he first arrived in Vancouver in May 2018.

"I came as an international student to get a Master's degree in HR administration," he said, which he earned in Dec. 2019. "After completing my studies, I found it very tough to get a job in HR administration."

Acharya says he sent many applications but after being unable to land a job in his area of study, he had to contend with working in a restaurant where he has been working as a manager for the last three years.

Acharya is one of thousands of international students in B.C. who find themselves working low-paying service-sector jobs after spending up to four times more in undergraduate or postgraduate tuition fees compared to domestic students, says Jenny Francis, a faculty member at Langara College's department of Geography. 

Over the last three years, Francis's research has captured the immigration, education, and employment experiences of about 1,300 international undergraduate students in the province. Among the people she surveyed, only 10 per cent said they earned more than $20 per hour.

In 2017, the most recent year for which data is available, international students contributed $22.3 billion to the Canadian economy and almost $4.7 billion to B.C.

With the number of study permit applications more than doubling since 2017 from about 313,000 to about 715,000 in 2022, according to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Francis estimates international students' contribution to be even more.

"They invest so much, come with high expectations but end up in this cycle of working for retail, warehouse, fast food, which aren't even enough to help them meet their needs," Francis said.

Francis says most international students lack necessary soft skills like communication. This is especially true for undergraduate students who have come to Canada without prior experience.

"They do not have the level of written or spoken English that employers are looking for," says Francis.

While Francis believes that it is easier for Master's degree holders to get a better job than undergraduate international students, a lack of Canadian work experience and professional networks can be limiting.

They also don't have access to services like WorkBC, which helps job seekers improve their skills and connect with employers, Francis adds.