Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): International students

To be able to enter Canada as a student, you must meet 2 requirements:

1. You must have a valid study permit or a letter of introduction that shows you were approved for a study permit.
2. You must be attending a designated learning institution (DLI) with a COVID-19 readiness plan approved by its province or territory.

Your travel to Canada will be considered essential (non-discretionary) if you have all of the required documents and your DLI is on the approved list.

As a student, your travel to Canada won’t be considered essential (non-discretionary) if

• your study program has been cancelled or suspended
• you’re entering Canada for any reason other than to study

When you travel to Canada

Make sure your school is on the list of DLIs with COVID-19 readiness plans approved by their province or territory.

When the border services officer greets you, they look at several factors, including

• your reason for travelling to Canada
• your ability to complete a 14-day quarantine period as soon as you arrive at your final destination
• if you either
  • have time to complete your quarantine before you physically attend classes, or
  • can study online during your quarantine

You must bring

• a valid study permit or a port of entry letter of introduction that shows you were approved for a study permit
• a valid letter of acceptance from a DLI with a COVID-19 readiness plan approved by its province or territory
• proof that you have enough money to support yourself and any family members who come with you to Canada

Before you travel, you can contact the Border Information Service for more information.

A border services officer will make the final decision on whether you’re eligible to enter Canada when you arrive.

If immediate family members want to be with you in Canada

Your immediate family members may be able to come with you to Canada.

If they travel with you

They don’t need a written authorization from IRCC to travel with you. However, they must show that their reasons for travel are non-discretionary (non-optional). For example, they’ll help you get established and support you in Canada.

If your immediate family member will study or work in Canada

You must submit all of your applications together when you apply online.

If they won’t study or work

They may still need an electronic travel authorization (eTA) or a visitor visa to travel to Canada.

If they need a visitor visa, you should include their application when you apply online for your study permit.

If they need an eTA, they must apply for one separately. Make sure they follow the special instructions on how to apply for an eTA at this time.

If they join you later

If you’re already in Canada, or will travel to Canada by yourself first and your family will join you later, what they need to travel to Canada depends on where they’re travelling from. Find out what they need to join you in Canada. They may also need an eTA or a visitor visa to travel to Canada.

Immediate family member

An immediate family member is defined as a

• spouse or common-law partner
• dependent child
• parent or step-parent
• guardian or tutor

Health requirements for travellers to Canada

To travel to Canada, you must

• follow all public health measures for travellers
• have a plan to quarantine for 14 days

Apply for a study permit

Due to the impacts of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), we can’t

• process applications normally
• provide accurate processing times

We’re prioritizing some applications, including

• Canadians trying to return to Canada
• vulnerable people
• people who perform or support essential services such as those related to agriculture, agri-food and health care

We’re temporarily changing how you apply to study in Canada. This is to make sure that we can keep processing applications from people who meet the requirements to enter Canada.

Apply online

If you’re applying for a study permit, you should apply online, whether you’re outside of Canada or already in Canada.

When you apply, you should

• submit as many of the documents needed for a complete application as possible
• include a letter of explanation for any documents that are missing due to COVID-19

If you can’t apply online because of a disability or because there’s a problem with the online application, you can apply on paper.

Problem with the online application

You may not be able to apply for your study permit online. For example, if you currently have visitor status in Canada and your spouse or common-law partner is a NOC C or D worker, you may need to submit your application on paper.

If you plan to study in Quebec, you must provide a valid Quebec Acceptance Certificate or proof that you applied for one.

How we process applications submitted from outside Canada

If you’re outside of Canada and you apply for a study permit, we’ll process your application in 2 stages. We’ll process complete applications first.

This 2-stage process only applies to study permit applications

• submitted by September 15, 2020, and
• for programs that start, or started, in spring, summer or fall 2020

Stage 1: We check your eligibility

In this stage, an officer reviews your application for

• a letter of acceptance from a DLI
• a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (if you’ll be studying in Quebec)
• proof that you have enough money for
  • tuition fees
  • living expenses for yourself and any family members who come with you to Canada, and
  • return transportation for yourself and any family members who come with you to Canada
• any family ties you may have to Canada
• evidence that you’ll leave Canada when you no longer have legal status

If your application passes this first stage, we’ll let you know in your online account. This doesn’t guarantee that we’ll approve your application and issue you a study permit.

Our aim is to pass most applications through stage 1 as soon as possible.

Stage 2: We check your application for admissibility and any changes to your eligibility

In this stage, an officer reviews your application for

• a medical exam, if needed
• police certificates, if needed
• your biometrics
• any information that changed after we reviewed your application for eligibility

If your application passes this second stage, we’ll approve it. If you applied for a co-op work permit, we’ll now assess your co-op work permit application.

At this point, if you meet the requirements to travel to Canada, you’ll be

• ready to travel to Canada and begin your studies, or
• able to continue your studies in Canada, if you’ve already started studying online

Applying at the port of entry

In general, you should not apply for a study permit at a Canadian port of entry at this time. You should apply online for a study permit before you travel to Canada.

If you’re already in Canada and you try to apply at the port of entry, you will likely need to quarantine for 14 days if the border services officer approves you to re-enter Canada.

Only certain people can apply at the port of entry at this time. You may be able to apply at the port of entry if you’re a

• U.S. citizen
• lawful permanent resident of the U.S.
• resident of Greenland
• resident of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon

If you meet one of these requirements, you must have all the documents required to apply for a study permit with you when you arrive at the border. The border services officer who greets you will determine if you’re eligible to enter Canada as a student.

What to do if you can’t provide required documents

Upload a letter of explanation explaining why you can’t submit the required documents (like your biometrics, proof of enrolment, final transcripts, or others). For example, you may not be able to get these documents because offices are closed.

You must provide a letter of acceptance from a DLI when you apply. We won’t process applications that are submitted without this document.

We won’t reject your application if you can’t submit the required documents, other than your letter of acceptance, because of COVID-19.

When we start processing your application, we’ll ask for the missing documents and give you an extension to provide them, if needed.

If you want to stay in Canada longer

You must apply online to extend your stay in Canada.

If your study permit is going to expire soon

If you’re a student, you have 3 options:

1. You may be able to extend your study permit, if you want to continue studying.
2. You may be eligible to apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP), if you completed your study program.
3. You can apply to change your status to visitor, if you’re not studying or applying for a PGWP.

You must submit an application for 1 of these options before your study permit expires, or you may need to leave Canada.

If your study permit has expired

If your study permit expires before you apply to extend it, you’ve lost your status as a student in Canada. You may be able to restore your status.

If you’re a visitor who needs a study permit

You can apply online for a study permit if you’re already in Canada as a visitor.

When you apply, you must follow the instructions for applying from outside of Canada. We’ll process your application in the same amount of time as though you’d applied from your home country, outside of Canada.

If we approve your application and send you a port of entry letter of introduction, you need to contact us to have your study permit sent to you in Canada.

You can’t start studying until you receive your study permit.

Studying in Quebec

The Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) is extending the validity of Quebec Acceptance Certificates (CAQs) until December 31, 2020 for all certificates expiring between April 30 and December 31, 2020.

If you submit a CAQ that expires between April 30 and December 31, 2020, with your study permit application, your new study permit expiry date will be December 31, 2020, unless your passport expires before this date.

This doesn’t apply if your CAQ expired before April 30, 2020.

You should apply for a CAQ if

• you never had a CAQ
• your CAQ expired before April 30, 2020
• you plan to continue studying after December 31, 2020

Submit proof that you applied for a new CAQ when we ask you to upload your CAQ. If you receive a new CAQ before we’re ready to process your application, you can submit it using our Web form.

Complying with your study permit conditions

You’ll still be complying with your study permit conditions if your in-class courses are temporarily moved to an online-only format or suspended completely because of COVID-19. To stay compliant you must

• stay enrolled in your DLI, and
• participate in your studies online, if your DLI offers them

If your DLI closes permanently due to COVID-19, you have 150 days to

• enrol in a study program at a new DLI
• change your status to a worker or visitor, or
• leave Canada

Letter of support for future applications

If, on a future application, an officer asks you for more information about your time studying in Canada, your DLI should provide you with a letter of support to explain how your studies were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Working as a student

You can continue to work, even if COVID-19 has forced you to become a part-time student or to take a break in your studies, as long as

• you’re registered as a full-time student, and
• your study permit says you’re allowed to work while you study

If you work off campus, you can work up to 20 hours per week during an academic session. You can work full time during scheduled breaks in the academic year.

If you worked in an essential service or function

Between April 22 and August 31, 2020, you were temporarily allowed to work more than 20 hours per week during an academic session if

• you worked in an essential service or function, and
• you had a valid study permit that allowed you to work off campus

This change no longer applies.

If, on a future application, an officer asks you about work you performed during this time, let them know what essential service or function you worked in. You could ask your employer for a letter of support to confirm this.

Find out if your work was considered an essential service or function.

Co-op work permits

During the COVID-19 outbreak, many international students are studying online from abroad. If your school and employer agree, you can either

• accept a Canadian work placement and begin working remotely from your home country
• work for a company in your home country

If you’re working outside Canada, you can work while we process your study permit and co-op work permit applications.

How to apply for a co-op work permit

How your post-graduation work permit (PGWP) eligibility is affected

If you’re eligible for the post-graduation work permit program, you’ll still be able to get a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) if

• your in-person classes in Canada have been moved to an online-only format and you had to begin or will continue your classes online because of COVID-19, or
• you had to put your studies on hold or study part-time during the winter, spring or summer 2020 semesters because of COVID-19

If you’re outside of Canada

You’re still eligible for a PGWP if you can’t travel to Canada at this time and

• you have a study permit
• you’ve been approved for a study permit
• you applied for a study permit before starting your study program in the spring, summer or fall 2020 semester, or
• you will apply for a study permit before starting your study program in the January 2021 semester

If you’re in this situation, you can begin your classes while outside Canada.

If you applied for your study permit before starting your program

Any time spent studying online from outside Canada since spring 2020 now counts toward the length of a PGWP. (Before, only the time spent studying online after you were approved for a study permit counted.)

You won’t have time deducted from the length of your PGWP for studies you complete outside Canada until April 30, 2021.

How much of your program you can complete online

How much of your program you can complete online depends on when you started studying and how long your study program is.

1. You’re taking a short-term program that started between May and September 2020

   You can complete 100% of your program online. Your program must be between 8 and 12 months long, and you must have started your studies between May and September 2020.

   If you’re studying in a Quebec vocational program, your program must be between 900 and 1,348 hours.

2. You’re taking a program that is 12 months or longer, or you started a short-term program before May 2020

   You can complete up to 50% of your program online (until April 30, 2021). You must complete the other 50% of your program in Canada.

3. You’re completing 2 study programs

   You can complete up to 50% of your total studies online (until April 30, 2021). To be able to do this

   • you must complete both study programs from an eligible DLI within 2 years
   • one of the programs must have started between May and September 2020, and
   • each program must meet all PGWP eligibility requirements and be at least 8 months long

   You must complete at least 50% of the combined length of the 2 programs in Canada.

   If you’re studying in a Quebec vocational program

   • a diploma (DVS program) must be at least 900 hours long
   • an attestation of vocational studies (AVS) can be less than 900 hours if it’s combined with a DVS

Apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP)

To apply for a PGWP, you need to submit

• a letter of completion and/or
• your final transcript

Find out what to do if you’re unable to provide required documents because of COVID-19.

You can start working right away, until we make a decision on your application, if

• you submitted your PGWP application before your study permit expired, and
• you meet the other requirements

Updates and related links

• News release: Canada provides update on exemptions to travel restrictions
• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Outbreak update