Some parents prefer that their child live in a private homestay arrangement while they study in Victoria. In order to ensure students are well supported, private homestay/custodians need to follow the requirements below.

Private Homestay Requirements

Administrative Expectations:

• Must be a Canadian Citizen and/or a Permanent Resident in Canada and over 25 years old
• Must live within one hour’s driving distance to the student’s school
• Must provide copies of notarized custodianship forms to the VIE office
• If there is any change in custodianship and/or homestay, must update the information with the VIE office

Overall Expectations as a Custodian:

• Provide guidance, supervision and support to the student
• Have regular contact with the student and be available to the student, parents and homestay family
• Be the main contact with VIE and school.
• Handle all the emergency situations and report to the student’s parents and VIE staff after all incidents
• Ensure student’s regular attendance and satisfactory academic performance.

Other considerations

It is recommended that students live in an English speaking environment as this will help them in their language development both in school and interacting in Canadian society.  Private homestay arrangements are expected to follow the BC K-12 International Student Homestay Guidelines put out by the British Columbia Ministry of Education.