international students

3 min 0 1446

Returning to in-person classes may be more difficult to plan for than anticipated

Alea Mohamed May 26, 2021

Back in March, SFU announced they’re working towards a full return to campus for the Fall 2021 semester, per BC Public Health guidelines. There are still so many unknowns with how this return to campus will work, including the additional cost of international students returning to Canada, vaccine availability, and the everchanging COVID-19 situation. For there to be a safe return to campus, all of these concerns need to be addressed by SFU, with plenty of notice before the fall semester, so that students can be informed in advance. International students make up a large and important component of the SFU…

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7 min 0 2920

Tuition Breakdown: Summer 2021

Kelly Chia May 10, 2021

In November 2020, students received an email from vice president, academic and provost pro tem Jonathan Driver and vice president, finance and administration Martin Porchuko regarding tuition. In the email, they said SFU’s Board of Governors “approved a 2% increase…

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3 min 1 1920

SFU’s CARES program provides students in isolation with accommodation and food at a discount

Charlene Aviles January 27, 2021

Upon arrival to Canada, the Quarantine Act mandates that international travellers isolate for 14 days, regardless of the new requirement of a negative COVID-19 test before travelling. For SFU or Fraser International College (FIC) students following these requirements, SFU is…

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4 min 0 2303

SFSS and GSS aid in extending post-graduate work permits for international students

Jaymee Salisi January 26, 2021

On January 8, 2021 the Government of Canada announced that former international students who hold, or held, a post-graduate work permit (PGWP) will now be able to renew their permit for 18 months. This will assist PGWP holders who have…

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4 min 0 6558

Students learn better through assignments, not exams

Lubaba Mahmud November 24, 2020

The fact that I see so many posts with some variant of “course suggestions with no exams? TIA” on the Facebook group “Must Knows for SFU Courses” says something about the way SFU students want to learn. The comments, which…

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4 min 0 2213

Being an international student during the pandemic — to stay or to not stay?

My Huyen Le October 31, 2020

On March 12, 2020, four group members and I spent Thursday night discussing our projects over shared tuna stacks at Cactus Club Cafe. That night was the last time we got to see each other in-person, as none of us…

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3 min 0 1777

International students needed more financial support in the past, and they need support now

Devana Petrovic July 11, 2020

Although another remote semester in the fall is a bummer for everyone, it's especially difficult for the international students who are still paying the same outrageous tuition fees as they did for in-person classes. These students are being hit particularly…

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4 min 1 2414

Senate Report

Michelle Gomez June 1, 2020

Student senators inquire about SFU’s COVID-19 policies during the question period Beginning the question period of Tuesday’s Senate meeting, Senator Colin Fowler started by asking: “Will SFU commit today to do a thorough, independent, and unbiased survey of all students…

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4 min 0 1741

Covid relief for students doesn’t guarantee all student needs are met

Nicole Magas May 10, 2020

On April 22, Prime Minister Trudeau proposed legislation that would grant post-secondary students and recent graduates access to their own pool of COVID emergency relief funding. The Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) would provide students with $1,250 per month until…

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3 min 1 1910

Canada announces funding to assist post-secondary students during COVID-19 pandemic

Paige Riding May 10, 2020

On April 22, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) action plan to provide approximately $9 billion to domestic post-secondary students during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the months of May to August, students may apply for…

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