Immigration information: Studying in Canada

Your study permit allows you to study in Canada as a temporary resident. It’s your responsibility to understand the remarks and conditions on your study permit. If you break any of the conditions:

• You can lose your student status and study permit.
• Your future IRCC applications can be rejected (e.g. post-graduation work permit).
• You may also face enforcement actions such as removal from Canada.

In order to stay in compliance with your study permit conditions, you must:

• be (and remain) enrolled at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI), like UM.
• show you’re actively pursuing your studies, by:
  • being enrolled full-time or part-time during each academic term (excluding regularly scheduled breaks)
    • At a minimum, students must have part-time status to be considered to be actively pursuing their studies. However, part-time status may impact working on/off campus eligibility and PGWP application. Please review impact of part-time status for details.
  • making reasonable progress continuously towards completing your study program
    • If you are constantly failing or withdrawing from courses, IRCC may request additional information to ensure your intention in Canada is to study.
  • not taking authorized leaves longer than 150 days (as per IRCC) from your study program
    • The UM does not have an institutional leave of absence policy for undergraduate students. Please review taking time away from studies for detail information.
    • If a student does not resume studies within 150 days, they should change their status to visitor or worker, if not, they should leave Canada.
• respect any conditions listed on your study permit
• apply to extend your study permit to change post-secondary schools
• stop studying if you no longer meet the requirements, and
• leave Canada before the expiry date on the study permit or extend your study permit before your permit expires.
  • Your study permit will expire on whichever date comes first: the date marked on the permit or 90 days after the day you complete your studies.

The “conditions” listed on your study permit indicate any restrictions that have been placed on your study in Canada, including:

• the educational level or institutions at which you are permitted to study
• if you are allowed to work on or off campus in Canada
  • Students must be aware of their eligibility to work on or off campus as working without authorization is considered as non-compliance of your study permit.
• if you need to report for a medical procedure
• if your travel within Canada is restricted
• the date when you must stop studying

Post-graduation work permit (PGWP) eligibility requirements are different from the study permit conditions.

All Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs) at the post-secondary level, including UM, must submit compliance reports on the academic enrollment status of international students to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) twice a year. Information collected through these reports allows IRCC to assess if study permit holders are in compliance with the study permit conditions.

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Includes changing your school or program of studies.

If you wish to change any of the terms and conditions on your study permit, you must submit a completed Application to Change Conditions or Extend Your Stay in Canada as a Student.

If you are a post-secondary student with a valid study permit, you do not need to apply for a new study permit if you want to change your program of study, field of study or level of study (e.g. from the bachelor level to the master’s level), once you keep studying at the same institution. You may continue to use your study permit as long as it is valid and there is no condition imposed on your study permit limiting change of your study program.

New process for changing your school: Starting on November 8, 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has new requirements for post-secondary study permit holders who will change their Designated Learning Institution (DLI). Please visit IRCC’s website for more information.

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If your study permit is not valid for your entire stay in Canada, you will need to extend it. You must apply for the extension a minimum of 30 days before the expiry of your current study permit, shown by the “valid until” date. We recommend applying approximately 90 days prior to expiry. This timeframe does not include the time required to meet the biometric regulations prior to applying. Study permit processing times vary throughout the year – you can check current processing times. 

The International Centre offers regular information sessions on study permit extension. If you would like information, book an appointment with an international student advisor by calling 204-474-8501 or dropping by 541 UMSU University Centre.

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Important Things for International Students to Consider Before Taking Time Away from Their Studies:

Although some University of Manitoba (UM) programs may have existing leave of absence policies in place, as international students in Canada it’s important for you to consider other potential impacts of taking a leave from your studies.
Prior to making a decision to take a leave of absence from your program, it is highly recommended to schedule an appointment with an International Student Advisor to be directed to information on the following:

1) IRCC’s rules for international students, including:
•    Your study permit conditions,
•    eligibility to work during studies, and
•    eligibility for a post-graduation work permit after you complete your program.

2) MISHP Health Coverage: MISHP health coverage is linked to your enrolment in courses at UM. If you are taking time away from your studies, it can affect your health coverage through the MISHP plan.

If a current UM student is taking a fall or winter term off from their studies for medical reasons, they may be able to extend their MISHP coverage for that academic term.  To be eligible, the student must be under appropriate treatment and care of a medical physician who is a registered medical specialist or health care practitioner in the field of medicine which is applicable to the student’s condition.  The request and supportive medical information must be submitted to Studentcare. The deadline to submit a request to extend MISHP coverage is prior to the end of the academic term the student was unable to complete.  Please contact the Studentcare coordinator to find out more about eligibility to extend coverage.  
If you are going on maternity/paternity leave, you can extend your coverage for up to 12 months during your leave from studies.  For details on maternity/paternity leave coverage, contact the Studentcare coordinator.
If a student cannot opt-in to MISHP, we recommend that students explore private health coverage options through an insurance broker for the time they will not be covered by MISHP. They may only be eligible for emergency coverage and have to pay out of pocket for any regular visits to a doctor, but please explore the specifics with the broker/insurance company.

3) Access to on-campus resources: Access to other resources and services provided on campus may be impacted, such as services provided by the Student Counselling Centre; if you are living on campus your stay in Student Residence; access to a UPass; coverage through UMSU Health & Dental; access to the Active Living Centre; and access to health services provided by University Health Services. We encourage you to check with these services to see how a leave would impact your eligibility.

5) Impact on funding, awards, and financial assistance: Taking time away from your studies could impact eligibility for bursaries, awards, scholarships, and access to the UM Food Bank for the period that you are not enrolled. Graduate students are encouraged to discuss with their department if any funding may be impacted during time away from studies.

6) Changing registration in a previous term: If you are considering retroactively changing your registration in a previous term (for example, seeking Authorized Withdrawals, etc.), it is important to discuss your situation with an International Student Advisor and an Academic Advisor.

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What you need to re-enter Canada as an international student.

Ensure you have the proper documents to travel to and enter Canada.

In addition to the information on IRCC’s website about travelling outside Canada and then re-entering, the following information is also important.

Assessment of compliance with Study Permit conditions on your return to Canada:

A Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer may assess whether you are in compliance with your Study Permit conditions on your return to Canada.

As a Study Permit holder in Canada, you may be asked to provide documents to demonstrate that you meet the following conditions:

• You are currently enrolled at a designated learning institution (DLI) and intend to continue to remain enrolled at a DLI until you complete your studies; and 
• You have actively pursued your course or program of study at all times while you held a Study Permit.

These documents may include:

• Enrollment verification (proof of enrolment);
• Transcripts for all previous academic years you held a Study Permit;
• Copies of certificates, diplomas and/or degrees for any program of studies you have completed in Canada;
• Letters of completion for any program of studies you have completed in Canada;
• Letters of acceptance if you are in a process of switching DLIs.

The above is not an all-exhaustive list.  You may wish to refer to IRCC’s page: Study permits: Assessing study permit conditions guidelines for additional information

Important:  Study Permit holders that are not able to demonstrate by way of documentation to the CBSA officer on request that they meet the above-noted conditions should consult the International Centre and/or a qualified Canadian immigration professional before travelling outside of Canada. 

Failure to demonstrate compliance with conditions of your existing Study Permit on arrival in Canada may result in an enforcement action being commenced by the CBSA which may include detention, cancellation of the Study Permit and removal from Canada.

If you are a Study Permit holder who is currently on academic suspension and you decided to travel outside of Canada, you may be found not in compliance by the CBSA officer when you are examined on return and ordered to leave Canada.

Note: all policies related to entering Manitoba and Canada, including the requirement to quarantine, can be changed at any time and without notice by the Provincial and Federal governments. It is your responsibility to stay up-to-date on these policies at both the provincial and federal levels.

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