Adara Maragos

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Research Project

Pre-migration Expectations and Post-migration Realities of International Students in Canada

Research Summary

This research proposal aims to explore how international students’ expectations of Canada contrast with the realities they face following arrival. Last year, Canada hosted over 800,000 international students, and that number is expected to continue to grow (Balintec, 2023). They have been heavily targeted by post-secondary institutions and immigration consultants worldwide, primarily for economic reasons. However, there has been a notable lack of resources and infrastructure to support the hundreds of thousands of immigrants arriving each year. Unfortunately, many international students are coming forward to share their experiences of being misled by deceptive and fraudulent recruiting practices that portrayed studying in Canada far differently from its reality (Baksh et al., 2022). The proposal outlines a qualitative approach, employing a thematic analysis of news articles and video transcripts covering the experiences of international students in Canada to gather a deeper understanding of the expectations they had pre-arrival and how they compare to their experiences post-arrival. The research hopes to understand the gap between expectations and realities, provide valuable insight for policymakers, inform decision-making for prospective students, and improve integration for current international students. 

Research Poster

A research poster with a green and teal gradient background, titled 'Expectations vs. Realities of International Students in Canada' by Adara Maragos. The top section contains text boxes detailing the research: 'Background' describes the increasing number of international students in Canada, often misled by fraudulent recruiting practices. 'Methodology' explains a qualitative thematic analysis of news articles and video transcripts. 'Research Questions' inquire about the origin of preconceptions, comparison of experiences with expectations, and integration challenges. The bottom section features an illustration of a person, likely female, with dark hair, wearing a yellow patterned top, holding their head in distress. White thought bubbles surround her: one titled 'Disillusionment' next to the quote 'In the end, I realized that I was a source of funding for their failed educational system. I was a commodity.' Another bubble simply states 'The Canadian Dream.' A third bubble, 'Barriers to Integration,' is near the quote 'We come seeking a better life and sometimes we have to live in closets.' A final quote reads 'You can have a Master's degree, you can have a doctorate degree, and yet you cannot find a suitable job.' The Toronto Metropolitan University logo is in the bottom right corner.

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