International Student living under a bridge in Toronto helped by foreigners

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A group of international students have gone viral on TikTok after helping another international student who was found sleeping under a bridge.

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In a series of videos posted by Chirag Gondi, the group helps the unidentified student find shelter for the night at what appears to be a local Salvation Army shelter after discovering the student near Scarborough’s Victoria Park.

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According to Gondi, after stopping to talk to the student, he told the group that he had to make a phone call to his home in India.

“We said’ Let’s go, we can take you to your house’ and he said he (doesn’t) have a house,” Gondi wrote, adding that the student told the group he’d been living under the bridge for the last four days.

In a longer video posted on YouTube, the group takes the student to a shelter, where he explains to a staff member that he is studying at Conestoga College in Kitchener. He only carries a small bag of belongings, including a blanket and some food.

The group then tries to arrange a way to transfer the student $ 20 so that he has money to travel to class. As the group discusses the situation in the shelter lobby, two other individuals can be seen sleeping on the floor.

“He is safe now. But (the second guy on the floor (in) the blue hoodie was also (South Asian),” wrote Gondi, who moved to Canada from India in 2021 and is studying business at Niagara College in Toronto. “Man, I don’t know what’s going on.”

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According to information from the federal government, international students contribute more than $ 22.3 billion annually to the Canadian economy.

“International graduates are also a source of key talent to help support Canada’s future economic growth and combat the country’s aging demographics,” notes a 2023 statement from Citizenship and Immigration.

According to immigration sources E-Visa, International students can expect to spend between $ 15,000 to $ 30,000 a year on undergraduate programs in Canada and between $ 10,000 to $ 25,000 a year on graduate programs. He notes that tuition fees can increase every year and students should be prepared to pay higher costs year-on-year.

In terms of housing, transportation and other personal expenses, international students need to budget up to $ 15,000 to cover those costs, and possibly more in larger city centers like Toronto and Vancouver.

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Earlier this year, Ericsibbeissman, an assistant professor at the University of Neflix Brunssibick in Saint John, told Global Neporbs that students across Canada are increasingly relying on temporary housing solutions, including sofa surfing and sleeping in cars, to get by.

According to research by Zimbeissman, four to five percent of students at universities are finding themselves in homeless situations.

“Students start courses or semesters and leave and get two or three jobs, and they don’t do as well as they wanted. This is very common now, ” he said.

A 2020 report by Global Affairs Canada noted that the number of intonational long-term students in Canada increased by 16.3 percent from 2017 to 2018, with students from India contributing the most to the overall growth. Ontario saw the largest increase in the total number of international students.

Since posting the videos, Gondi said she has received many offers from people willing to help the student, while others have commented on offering advice and even accommodation in their own homes.

“Greetings to you guys for such an act (of) kindness,” one comment reads. “South Asians struggle more here and no one knows the reality at home. We really need to step up to help people when needed.”

The National Post has contacted Gondin for comment and will update this story if we hear back.

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