The New Brunswick International Student Program allows students from around the world to study in high schools and middle schools in New Brunswick while staying with host families. The program offers choices of eight weeks, six months or a year of studies. Host families receive a stipend of $800 a month to help with expenses. The program is beneficial to the local economy, as students spend money in the community, and some families immigrate to Canada after their children have gone through the program and many stay in New Brunswick to attend university.

Two students from the program, Natalia Moreno from Mexico and Kate Hruba from Czech Republic, paid a visit to the CHCO Television studio in Saint Andrews to discuss their experiences moving to Southwest New Brunswick for the full 2022-2023 school year.  Both students attend Harborview High School in Grade 11 and live with the same host family. They have found the accent and language in New Brunswick a little difficult at first, but they have adjusted and are enjoying learning new things. The students have had the chance to travel around the province and experience Canadian activities, such as whale watching, curling, and axe throwing. They have made new friends from all over the world and now consider New Brunswick to be a home away from home.

Wendy Brooks, the homestay coordinator of the New Brunswick International Student Program in Southwest New Brunswick, said there are many benefits of the international student program locally, including increased diversity and exposure to different languages and cultures. The program also provides financial benefits for the schools, with money from the program going directly to the schools to use as they see fit. One of the challenges of the program is finding enough host families to accommodate the students. Brooks emphasized the importance of host families and note that without more of them, the program cannot accept more students.

"I have one lady who's had 30 students. I have quite a few that have done it for 10 years plus," said Brooks. "And so they love it, it extends their family, they learn so much from it and they get to see our community, their own community, where they've lived their whole lives, in a different view, in someone else's eyes." 

 Those interested in the program can visit their website for more information.