Welcome Home in Calgary

We are a small, but very well-known and well-established homestay service operating in Calgary since 1999. Homestay Calgary provides friendly, personalized service and has hosted hundreds of visitors from 60 different countries all across the globe. Technically, we are not an agent, since we receive no fees from schools, other agencies, or from our families. We do charge students a nominal, non-refundable placement fee (see Our Services: Fees) which includes a wide range of services from airport pick up to assistance in getting you settled in your new environment. We are basically a non-profit organization operated by Canadians and an ever-changing host of international student volunteers.

Our mandate is to ensure that every student we facilitate has a positive, upbuilding experience for studying or working in Canada. We choose our families carefully, and we like to think that our families are the best at providing a safe, warm stable environment for learning and adjusting to life in a different country.

The Team

Arie van Vliet

Volunteer Vice-President Communications and Chauffeur

It is always exciting to receive a new application. I am a Canadian originally from the Netherlands. I send the e-mails and chauffer for Homestay Calgary. I enjoy meeting new arrivals at the airport and introducing them to their host families.

Carrie van Vliet

Homestay Coordinator

Hello, I'm Carrie, the Homestay Co-ordinator, and everyone's "mom". I'm a "native Canadian" and almost a native Calgarian, having lived in Calgary for more than 40 years. Arie and I have been hosting students ourselves for almost 20 years, even longer if you count many years of hosting just summer students from Japan and Mexico. The experience has greatly enriched our lives, and we've made many wonderful friends in different countries.

We like to think of Homestay Calgary as an extension of our own home and family, and our goal is to make sure that every student gets a warm welcome, a kind family, and has an amazing, fun-filled experience here in our friendly city. When problems arise, as they do on occasion in any family situation, we hope both our students and our families feel free to contact us at any time. Even if we cannot solve the problem, we always provide a listening ear, and sometimes that's all it takes.

Our students/workers/immigrants often keep in touch, even after they've moved on from homestay to apartments or share houses, and we continue to include them in the many activities we arrange to enrich their Canadian cultural experience. We think of each and every one of you as "our kids", no matter what your age is, marital status, or purpose in coming to Canada, you're all most welcome at Homestay Calgary!