COVID-19 Notice
Policies and procedures may change during COVID-19. For up-to-date information, please view Homestay requirements during COVID-19.
Information for students in English Language Centre programs
Welcome to the University of Victoria's award-winning Homestay Program! Our staff are dedicated professionals who work hard to ensure that international students and Canadian host families enjoy cultural exchanges.
What is Homestay?
UVic Homestay provides an opportunity for you to live with a local family while enrolled in classes at the University of Victoria. Homestay families will welcome you into their home and provide you with a safe, comfortable and friendly place to live within easy travelling distance of the university. You will eat meals with your host family, participate in their weekend activities and become part of their daily lives.
The benefits of Homestay
- gives students who speak English as an additional language an opportunity to use their English language skills in an informal setting
- provides you with an automatic base of support in Canada
- places you with a family that will provide all your meals and snacks
- ensures that you will live within a 60-minute commute to UVic, on convenient bus routes
- provides you with affordable accommodations in a city where housing can be hard to find
- provides you with a Homestay placement for your program dates