How international student policy, process have changed since the 1940s: Editorial

With the brunt of the housing crisis blame being placed on international students, Vanessa Balintec of reports on the history of international students and related policies in Canada. Balintec interviews Dale M McCartney (University of the Fraser Valley) about how Canada began opening its doors to international students in the 1940s as part of the country’s post-war foreign affairs agenda. McCartney highlights the shifts in regulations, public funding, and the federal government’s perspective on international students through the 1980s and 2000s. Isaac Garcia-Sitton (Toronto Metropolitan University), Natalia Tola (Canadian Federation of Students), and Binny Joseph (International Student Services Organization) comment on the difficulties international students face today, the impacts of a lack of dedicated resources on students and Canada, and what is needed to move forward.