As of October 20, 2020, Canadian designated learning institutions (DLIs) with a government-approved COVID-19 readiness plan can begin welcoming back international students who are not currently in Canada. To be eligible to come to Canada, students must:
- Be studying at a DLI with an approved readiness plan
- Have a, or have been approved for, a valid study permit
- Be coming to Canada for a non-discretionary or non-optional purpose
If a student is enrolled at a school without an approved COVID-19 readiness plan, the student cannot travel to Canada at this time.
What Is a COVID-19 Readiness Plan?
A COVID-19 readiness plan outlines how a DLI will:
- Protect the health and safety of all students and the community
- Manage the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for international students, including arrangements for transportation to where students will quarantine
- Provide information and support to international students on:
- o How they can obtain necessities during quarantine, such as food and medications
- o Health insurance
- o Staying healthy while in Canada
How Do I Know Whether a School Has Been Approved?
To find out if a DLI has a government-approved readiness plan, you can:
- Visit Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
- Select the school level (Primary or secondary or Post-secondary school) from the dropdown list
- Choose the province or territory where the DLI is located to find out whether the primary or secondary school is approved to welcome international students not currently in Canada
The IRCC will update the list regularly as more COVID-19 readiness plans are approved and encourage students to check back frequently.
Do Students Need a Letter of Support?
A letter of support is not currently included among the required documentation for international students to enter Canada. However, some schools are still providing them.
What is Non-Discretionary Travel?
International students studying at a school with an approved readiness plan and with the appropriate documents to come to Canada will be considered non-discretionary and non-optional, unless there is evidence to the contrary that the student is entering Canada for a discretionary or optional purpose, such as tourism.
Can Immediate Family Members Travel With a Student to Canada?
Immediate family members, such as a spouse or common-law partner, a dependant, or parent or legal guardian (if the student is a minor) may be allowed to accompany the student to Canada, granted their reason for travel is non-optional or non-discretionary. Please note, these individuals can’t enter Canada prior to the student.
Any accompanying family members will also have to abide by the mandatory 14-day quarantine period on entering Canada, as well as all other public health measures.
The Visa Centre – ApplyBoard Partner Schools
Below is a list of The Visa Centre – ApplyBoard partner schools with approved COVID-19 readiness plans. This list will be updated as more schools’ readiness plans are approved.
Primary and secondary schools in Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Yukon are not approved to reopen to international students at this time.
All public and independent (private) primary and secondary schools in British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec can reopen to international students.
Alberta – Post-Secondary Schools
Bow Valley College
Concordia University of Edmonton
Keyano College
Lakeland College
Lethbridge College
MacEwan University
Medicine Hat College
Mount Royal University
NorQuest College
Olds College
Red Deer College
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
University of Lethbridge
British Columbia – Post-Secondary Schools
British Columbia Institute of Technology
Camosun College
Capilano University
Centre for Arts and Technology
Coast Mountain College
College of New Caledonia
College of the Rockies
Coquitlam College
Douglas College
Greystone College of Business and Technology
ILSC Language Schools – Vancouver
Justice Institute of British Columbia
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Langara College
North Island College
Northern Lights College
Okanagan College
Royal Roads University
Selkirk College
Thompson Rivers University
Trinity Western University
University Canada West
University of Northern British Columbia
University of Victoria
University of the Fraser Valley
Vancouver Community College
Vancouver Island University
Yorkville University
Manitoba – Post-Secondary Schools
Assiniboine Community College
Heartland International English School
International College of Manitoba
Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology
Red River College
University of Manitoba
New Brunswick – Post-Secondary Schools
Crandall University
Mount Allison University
New Brunswick Community College (NBCC)
St. Thomas University
University of New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador – Post-Secondary Schools
College of the North Atlantic
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Ontario – Post-Secondary Schools
Algoma University
Brock University
Centennial College
Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology
Queen’s University
Seneca College
Trent University
Prince Edward Island – Post-Secondary Schools
Holland College
Study Abroad Canada Language Institute
University of Prince Edward Island
Saskatchewan – Post-Secondary Schools
Parkland College
Saskatchewan Polytechnic
University of Regina
University of Saskatchewan
Yukon – Post-Secondary Schools
Yukon University
Source: ApplyBoard