COVID-19 and study permits for Canada: What international students need to know

Last update: 10:17am EST, July 28, 2020.

In a normal year, hundreds of thousands of international students come to Canada to pursue their studies. But, as you know, 2020 is not a normal year. 

Here’s a comprehensive guide to everything international students need to know about study permits and studying in Canada during COVID-19. From travel restrictions, to study permit applications, to post-graduation work permit eligibility. We’ve got you covered. 

Moving2Canada is committed to providing up-to-date accurate information amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Please refer to the end of this article for our list of sources.

Jump ahead to find the answer to your question:

If you have a valid study permit or you received your study permit approval letter prior to 12pm EDT on March 18, 2020, you may be able to travel to Canada as long as you are travelling for a non-optional / non-discretionary reason (see below). 

If you do choose to travel to Canada, you must respect the public health requirements that have been put in place. This includes the wearing of masks while in transit and a mandatory 14-day quarantine period upon arrival. 

Unfortunately, if you were approved for your study permit after 12pm EDT on March 18, 2020, you are not eligible to travel to Canada at this time (unless you meet one of the other exemptions to Canada’s travel restrictions). 

Take note: Canada’s travel restrictions will be updated in response to the progression of COVID-19, both in Canada and around the world. Stay tuned to our COVID Newsfeed for the latest updates.

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International students who hold a valid study permit, those who were approved for a study permit prior to 12pm EDT on March 18, 2020, as well as those coming from the United States may be eligible to travel to Canada if they are travelling for a non-optional / non-discretionary reason. 

The final decision as to whether or not an international student’s travel is non-discretionary will rest with the border officer with whom they speak. However, border officers will consider the following: 

• Is the student established, residing, and studying in Canada? If the student is established in Canada, their return is non-discretionary.
• Is the student expected to begin studying upon arrival after completing their quarantine?
• Is the student’s presence in Canada necessary for their continued participation in the program (for labs, workshops, etc.)?
• Is pursuing online studies not an option for their school or program or not possible from their home country (for example, due to internet restrictions or bandwidth limitation)?
• Has the student’s semester been cancelled or will the person begin studying later in the year?

A border officer will make the final decision about a student’s admission to Canada at the Canadian port of entry.

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Yes. Canada is still processing study permit applications. However, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has indicated that many immigration applications are experiencing processing delays due to the impact of COVID-19 on the immigration department. 

Canada has adopted a new two-step process for study permit applicants which will enable some international students to begin their Canadian studies without a final approval on their study permit (refer below).

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Normally, an international student living outside Canada has to submit a complete study permit application and receive an approval letter before they can travel to Canada and begin their studies. After receiving their approval letter, the student may travel to Canada where they activate their study permit at the Canadian port of entry (POE). 

The new two-step process enables students to begin their studies remotely, via distance learning, while receiving a sort of halfway-approval on their study permit. This is because, as many of Canada’s immigration offices around the world are closed or offering reduced services, many study permit applicants are unable to obtain and submit some of the documents required for their study permit applications, including biometrics, medical examination results, and their original travel documents.

The new two-step process is as follows:

Step One: Approval-in-principle & distance learning

Study permit applicants must begin by submitting their application for a study permit, even if they are unable to obtain some of the normally-required documents.  Under the new two-step system, study permit applicants may submit their study permit applications without their:

• Biometrics,
• Medical exam, 
• Police certificates, and/or
• Original travel documents. 

However, study permit applicants will still need to submit:

• Letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution (DLI) in Canada,
• Proof of funds,
• Proof of eligibility for a study permit aside from documents unavailable due to COVID, and
• Only for Quebec schools: Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ).

If a study permit applicant submits an application that would be deemed eligible aside from missing any of the above-mentioned documents, immigration officers will issue the applicant an “approval-in-principle.” With the approval-in-principle, the study permit applicant is authorized to begin their Canadian studies from abroad. 

Notably, international students who begin their studies from abroad can count their time spent studying abroad towards their eligibility for a post-graduation work permit, as long as 50 percent of their studies are eventually completed inside Canada. However, an international student cannot begin their Canadian studies until they receive an approval-in-principle on their study permit application.

Step Two: Submit missing documentation & full approval

Once a student is able to obtain and submit the missing documents for their study permit application, they must do so. At this point, immigration officers will assess the final study permit application and decide whether to approve or refuse the application. Receiving an ‘approval-in-principle’ in Step One does not guarantee that a study permit will be issued. 

In normal circumstances, once a study permit applicant receives the approval letter for their study permit, they can travel to Canada and activate the permit at a port of entry. However, due to Canada’s COVID-19 travel restrictions, only study permit applicants approved prior to March 18, 2020, are eligible to travel to Canada. Applicants approved after this date must monitor Canada’s travel restrictions for updates to see when they’ll be eligible for travel. 

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As described in the above question, study permit applicants may submit an incomplete application is they are unable to obtain or submit one of the following documents due to COVID-19:

• Biometrics,
• Medical exam, 
• Police certificates, and/or
• Original travel documents. 

No study permit application will be refused if those documents are missing as a result of COVID-19. Instead, study permit applicants may be able use the new two-step application process to begin their studies from abroad via distance learning until they can obtain the necessary documents and safely travel to Canada.

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Unless you held a study permit or were approved for a study permit prior to March 18, 2020, you cannot travel to Canada at this time. Even if you held a study permit or were approved for one before March 18, 2020, you can only travel if your travel is deemed non-discretionary (refer to above question). 

Thankfully, Canada has put in place options to accommodate you. 

If you are stuck outside Canada but you have a study permit, an approval for a study permit, or an approval-in-principle for a study permit, then you can begin or continue your studies from abroad without this impacting your eligibility for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP). Under these special COVID-19 measures, you can complete up to 50 percent of your study from abroad and count this time towards your PGWP eligibility. 

Canada’s COVID-19 travel restrictions are constantly evolving. Follow our COVID-19 Newsfeed for the latest updates to travel restrictions for international students. 

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You can only submit an application through the Student Direct Stream (SDS) if your application is complete without any missing documents. While Canada is allowing regular study permit applicants to submit applications with documents missing due to COVID-19, the Student Direct Stream is not allowing incomplete applications at this time. 

If you are applying as a resident of an SDS-participating country but you cannot obtain all the required documents, you must apply through the regular study permit stream.

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Canada has introduced special measures due to COVID-19 which allow international students to complete up to 50 percent of their studies from abroad and still count this time towards their eligibility for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP). You will still have to meet all other eligibility requirements for a PGWP.

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If your school has cancelled your classes, your program, or closed down entirely, an immigration officer should issue a request for a new letter of acceptance, giving you an opportunity to apply for a study permit under a different program.

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Only if you are a worker in an essential service or function, such as health care, critical infrastructure, or the supply of food or other critical goods. If you are working in an eligible position, you can exceed the weekly limit on working hours as indicated on your study permit. This is a temporary measure in place until August 31, 2020. Please check after this date to see if the measure has been extended.

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Yes. International students who were forced to drop to part-time studies or pause their studies are still eligible to work on- or off-campus during their period of reduced study. However, students must still abide by the conditions of their study permits, including those regarding how many hours they can work per week. 

Students eligible for on-campus work may continue working for their on-campus employer remotely. The on-campus employer should provide a teleworking agreement as evidence of such an arrangement.

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International students studying at institutions in the province of Quebec are likely aware that Quebec’s process for study permit applicants is different from the rest of Canada. The province of Quebec has introduced its own set of special measures to assist international students during COVID-19. Please refer here for more information.

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Information for this article was obtained from the following pages of the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website:

• Study permit: COVID-19 program delivery
• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Visitors, foreign workers and students
• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Apply for a visitor visa, eTA, or study or work permit from outside Canada
• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Who can travel to Canada – citizens, permanent residents, foreign nationals and refugees 
• Minister Mendicino announces changes to facilitate online learning for international students

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