The number of international students pursuing higher education has been rising in recent years all around the world, and is expected to continue (Rivas et. al., 2019). Canada is no different; it welcomes record numbers of international students to the country each year. This major paper contributes to the growing population of international students in the City of Vancouver by answering the research question, How can the Student Life program at Columbia College use recreation to help international students settle in Vancouver?. A literature review revealed that leisure and recreation, most particularly sports and intramurals, provide numerous benefits to international students, such as facilitate social integration, increase sense of belonging and decrease stress and anxiety. Language and cultural differences are repeatedly proven to be the prominent barriers to recreation and social integration. The review also revealed a notable gap in literature: while a majority of research is available on the use of and benefits of recreation on youth, young adults and their positive development, there is a relatively limited focus on its role in supporting international students settle in a new country.
