Submitted by Jammie Bannon, International Student Advisor
With the fall semester underway, SLC is ready to support all new and returning international students with dedicated support, services, and programming.
International students on all campuses benefit from:
Pre-departure Sessions
Pre-departure sessions are offered to incoming students before they leave their home country, including both virtual and in-person (currently, India only) sessions, to prepare students for their arrival and cover a broad selection of topics, including immigration documentation, housing, airport arrivals, and more.
International Welcome Sessions + Orientation Day
In advance of Orientation Day for ALL new students, international students are also provided with international student-specific orientation events tri-campus. These mandatory sessions cover a variety of important topics to support student transitions into life in Canada, SLC and living in our tri-campus cities. For instance, topics include Canadian culture, safety in Canada, immigration, health insurance, and more.
Community Welcome Initiatives (NEW/Upcoming)
As part of SLC’s Global Engagement Community Development (GECD) program, community welcome events are beginning to be planned across our campuses to further support international student transitions and integration into their new communities.
Ongoing Support Services
International Student Advisors
International students have access to a wide variety of services and support, similar to domestic students. In particular, international students on each campus have access to an International Student Advisor (ISA). ISAs help to support international student transitions and integration (similar to many employees across the College), with a particular focus on immigration support. ISAs are Regulated International Student Immigration Advisors (RISIA), certified by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, which qualifies them to provide students and their dependents with immigration advice about study permits, temporary resident visas, etc. – of utmost importance to international students. ISAs also run a variety of workshops for international students at strategic points throughout the year.
Housing Services
Finding off-campus housing can be challenging and time-consuming for students. SLC’s Off-Campus Housing & Outreach Coordinator helps students with their housing search, runs information sessions and offers resources, guides and tips to further support students’ off-campus housing needs. Information on all other housing supports, including on-campus housing and Homestay options for international students can be found here.
Transitions Programming
As each student inches closer to their graduation, a number of supports and programming are available to them to further support their social, professional and community transitions. For example, new this spring, the “Ready to Launch” series was piloted tri-campus, offering information sessions and webinars on various topics such as immigration, tax preparation, Career Services, Alumni Services, housing transitions, and community programming.
While the above is only a snapshot of available supports, many other exciting initiatives are underway to further support our students while also building global learning and intercultural opportunities for all.
If you have new and innovative ideas on improving the student experience, have an interest in integrating coursework with events, suggestions on how to better communicate our varied services and supports to students, we’d love to hear from you!
If you have any questions, concerns, suggestions or want to work together in the year ahead, please contact Jammie Bannon at jbannon@sl.on.ca.