Student Support & Success

Supporting Students Every Step of the Way

Western International supports student success by helping international students thrive at Western while preparing Western students for global learning opportunities. Through advising, immigration support, transition programming, workshops, safety abroad resources and individualized guidance, Western International helps students navigate new experiences, overcome challenges and achieve their academic, personal and professional goals.

As student demand continued to grow, Western International strengthened its capacity to deliver accessible, student-centred support through advising, programming, digital resources and operational excellence.

While many staff work directly with students, others contribute behind the scenes by developing partnerships, coordinating programs, administering scholarships, managing communications, supporting international visitors and creating the systems, services and resources that make student success and global engagement possible. By continually refining programs, services and internal processes, the team adapts to evolving student and institutional needs while ensuring support remains timely, accessible and effective.

Accessible Advising & Student Support

• Supported students through 5,267 visits, advising appointments and interactions across International Student Services and International Learning.
• Maintained accessible support through in-person, virtual and telephone advising, so students could connect with guidance in the format that worked best for them.
• Provided individualized advising on immigration, global learning opportunities, work authorization, travel, academic planning and more to help students make informed decisions throughout their journeys.
• Offered weekly Career Coach drop-ins (45 sessions supporting 51 students) and Ask an Advisor sessions (44 sessions supporting 85 students), providing additional opportunities to access specialized support and guidance.
• Responded to evolving immigration policies through updated resources, targeted communications and personalized advising support.

One of the most meaningful experiences for me was discovering Western International. It was the first place where I really connected with other international students and realized there was a welcoming community for newcomers.

Koami

International graduate student

Welcoming Students & Supporting Successful Transitions

• International Student Orientation programming was delivered across Fall, Winter and Summer terms, helping new international undergraduate and graduate and exchange students build confidence, understand university expectations and connect with available supports.
• Month-long arrival and orientation programming provided opportunities for new students to build friendships and develop a sense of belonging during their first weeks on campus.
• Nearly 50% of all new students visited the Welcome Centre, a one-stop destination to get settled, access support and begin building connections.
• Eight community partners participated in orientation programming, and a pilot partnership with CIBC enabled newly arrived students to set up bank accounts at the Welcome Centre.
• Pre-arrival communications, webinars and onboarding resources helped students prepare for travel, immigration requirements, housing, health coverage and life in Canada before arriving at Western.
• A new graduate applicant email series was launched to provide timely information and support to international graduate students before arrival.

Meeting students from so many different backgrounds helped me build meaningful friendships and learn from other people's experiences and perspectives.

Manpreet

International student

Building Knowledge, Confidence & Student Success

Learning, Information & Outreach

50+ workshops, presentations and information sessions delivered.

Students accessed information and support related to:

• Delivered immigration workshops on study permits, post-graduation work permits, working in Canada and other key topics so students understand their rights, responsibilities and options.
• Delivered educational programming for international and outbound students, spanning immigration, career development, pre-departure preparation and student success, in collaboration with Western Career Services, faculties and campus partners.
• Partnered with faculties and departments to deliver presentations and programming within students' own academic communities.
• Connected with more than 1,000 students through outreach booths in the UCC and at campus fairs and events.

Enhancing Access Through Information & Digital Resources

Digital Support & Resources

With roughly 600,000 website views over the year, digital resources let students access timely, accurate information and engage with stories from students across the world and at Western.

• Updated immigration resources and developed new Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) communications to help students and the broader Western community navigate changing requirements.
• Expanded online resources supporting both international student success and outbound global learning.
• Developed videos, guides and digital resources so students can access information on demand.
• Used analytics and student feedback to identify information gaps and continuously improve online resources.