Prabhjot Chauhan was trying to manage his living expenses while saving for his tuition but like all international students during the school year, was limited to 20 hours of work per week. The second-year Data Analytics student at Mohawk College was featured in a media report about the federal government's temporary policy that allows full-time international students to work unlimited hours.
Prabhjot Chauhan was dreading the upcoming winter semester.
It was the hefty international tuition fees due in January usually double the amount for domestic students. Chauhan, who arrived in 2021 as a postgraduate student from India, said that he worked two jobs during the summer break to save for the current school year.
Despite that, he could only make a partial payment of $2,800 in the fall, leaving a larger amount of about $9,000 due in the coming months.
Chauhan, who is in his second and final year in a data analytics program at Mohawk College, was trying to manage his living expenses while saving for his tuition but like all international students during the school year, was limited to 20 hours of work per week.
"I can't manage (the fees)," he said. "It's a lot."
Much to the relief of Chauhan and other international students, the 20-hour cap on working hours was lifted Nov. 15 as part of a federal pilot program aimed at addressing the shortage of workers in Canada.
"I was really happy when the news came out I started believing in God," Chauhan said.
Read the full article in The Hamilton Spectator - Pilot program for international students a positive change'
