Viral video highlights Canada’s international student job crisis

A viral video showing over 100 international students queuing for a job at a Canadian coffee chain highlights the difficulty of finding part-time work. The video, shared by Mohammad Nishat, a postgraduate student at York University, has garnered nearly 1.6 million views on Instagram. It depicts students waiting outside a Tim Hortons job fair, with Nishat explaining the high cost of living in Toronto and his struggle to find a job despite making a GIC investment before coming to Canada. Many students in the comments section shared their similar frustrations. However, immigration consultant Earl Blaney downplayed the crisis, stating employers often prefer hiring foreign nationals over Canadians for hospitality jobs due to better retention rates. The Canadian government has raised the cost-of-living threshold for study permit approval and allows international students to work 20 hours per week, with plans to increase this to 24 hours in the autumn. Similar work restrictions exist in the UK and Australia.