Homestay

Your Home away from Home!

The VIU Homestay & Off-Campus Housing Office is working remotely! See how to contact us!

Homestay is a program designed to promote friendship, language learning and provide opportunities for cultural exchange between Canadian families and international students who attend Vancouver Island University or the High School at VIU. Local Nanaimo residents open their homes to students in order to welcome them into their families, homes and communities while the student is studying at VIU.

Experience living with a host family through the VIU Homestay Program. Our office carefully vets host families who are participating in our program through a number of methods and maintains an ongoing relationship with our host families. We regularly hear of life-long friendships that develop from these homestay experiences. In fact, many host families have traveled to their students' home countries to visit or for special occasions, such as weddings!