New Students

The Government of Canada has announced the following temporary border measures in response to the Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

• The suspension of immigration documents for residents of countries that have a high or very high risk of outbreak of Ebola disease for the next 90 days beginning May 27, 23:59 EDT. At this time, this measure applies to residents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan.
• Temporarily pausing decisions on immigration applications for residents from these countries.
• Quarantine measures effective May 30, at 23:59pm until August 29, 2026 for all travellers, including Canadian citizens, permanent residents, foreign nationals, and persons registered under the Indian Act who have been in these areas within the previous 21 days and do not have symptoms.

Immigration Canada is urging all travellers to check the latest information before travelling at travel.gc.ca.

What does this mean?

Residents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan with a previously approved temporary resident visa, electronic travel authorization (eTA) or permanent resident visa will not be allowed to travel to Canada while their immigration document is suspended.

Residents of the above mentioned countries who have a pending immigration application to Canada will have the decision on their applications temporarily paused.

Those who are already in Canada are not impacted by these measures and may continue to stay here for their authorized period of stay.

Any traveller who has been to the affected countries within the previous 21 days and does not have symptoms will have to quarantine for 21 days while quarantine measures are in effect. See Ebola disease: Travel health advice for more information.

What does this mean for you?

If you are a newly admitted student residing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan and:

• You have not yet applied for your study permit or your study permit application is pending, IRCC will not make a decision on your application while these measures are in effect. We recommend that you defer your admission to McGill if your study permit application has not been approved by August 31, 2026 and the temporary measures are still in effect after August 31, 2026. OR
• You have already have an approved temporary resident visa, electronic travel authorization (eTA), or permanent resident visa, your documents will be suspended and you will not be able to travel to Canada while the measures are in place. We recommend that you defer your admission to McGill if the temporary measures are still in effect after August 31, 2026.

If you are an incoming undergraduate student, refer to the Defer your Admissions webpage for more information.

If you are an incoming graduate student, contact your department directly for deferral instructions.

The situation is evolving and subject to change at any time. It is possible that these measures may be extended or expanded.

• No. As your purpose to come to Canada is to study and not to visit, you must have a valid CAQ, a Port of Entry “Letter of Introduction” (the letter from Immigration Canada confirming that your study permit has been approved), and an electronic travel authorization (eTA). Your electronic travel authorization (eTA), will be automatically issued to you once your study permit application is approved. You can verify if you are TRV-exempt (eTA eligible) by referring to the IRCC webpage.
• We do not recommend that you travel to Canada to gain admission as a student until you have all of the required immigration documents listed above. Exception: One term exchange students are exempt from requiring a CAQ and study permit.
• Furthermore, in order to start your classes, you must have both (1) a valid CAQ and (2) a valid study permit. Your study permit document will be issued to you only once you present your Letter of Introduction to the border agent upon arrival in Canada.
• NOTE: US citizens and permanent residents can apply for their study permit at the Port of Entry (POE) upon entering Canada but should have a valid CAQ when doing so.
• If, despite the above, you decide to travel to Canada without the required immigration documents, your entry into Canada will be at the discretion of the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) Agent. As an incoming student, you must explain your intention to enter Canada as a student and show proof that you have applied for your study permit and that it is being processed. The following scenarios are then possible:
  • You may be denied entry to Canada and have to return home immediately.
  • You may be allowed to enter as a visitor. If you are admitted as a visitor, you will not be authorized to start your studies until you have received both your CAQ and your study permit. Once you obtain your Letter of Introduction (from Immigration Canada) via your online account, you will have to exit and re-enter Canada by flight (not at US/Canada land border) to have your actual study permit document issued.
  • You may be allowed to enter Canada as a visitor, but your passport may be seized and you may be given a deadline by which you must present your Letter of Introduction at the border or depart Canada. Again, you will not be authorized to start your studies until you have received both your CAQ and your Study Permit. Once you obtain your Letter of Introduction (Immigration Canada) via your online account, you will have to exit and re-enter Canada by flight (not at US/Canada land border) to have your actual study permit document issued.
• In general, we do not recommend that students miss more than one or two weeks of classes as a late start may negatively impact your academic record. Please see information about key academic dates including the course add/drop deadline and withdrawal deadlines (with/without refunds).
• If it becomes increasingly evident that you will not be able to arrive within a reasonable amount of time after the start of class, you may decide to defer your admission to a future semester. You must make an official request for deferral before the deadline. 

You can try.

In order to be approved for the study permit, must demonstrate to Immigration Canada that you can pay for your tuition and fees and living expenses for your first year of studies and roundtrip transportation costs. 

If you have sufficient funds in a traditional checking and/or savings account to cover your costs, providing statements covering the past 4 months from these accounts is generally the easiest way to prove financial capacity.

If you plan to rely on a 529 College Savings Fund to prove that you can pay for your first year of studies, we recommend that you include the following information with your application:

• A cover letter briefly explaining how you will be paying for your first year of studies.
  • The letter should clearly indicate what program you have been admitted to, the estimated cost of your first year of studies and the source and amount of funds available.
  • If you are relying on a 529 College Savings Fund, indicate this.
  • If you are relying on multiple sources of funding, input this information in a table and/or use bullet points.
• Statements from the 529 College Savings Fund covering the past 4 months.
• (Ideally) A letter from the 529 College Savings Fund provider/company confirming the most recent balance in your 529 College Savings Fund, briefly explaining what a 529 College Savings Fund is, whether or not the funds can be withdrawn at any time, and what types of expenses the funds can be used to pay for (e.g., tuition and fees, room and board, schoolbooks, other living expenses, etc.). *If you are unable to get this, you can try to explain this information yourself in your cover letter.
• (If applicable) Bank statements from other account(s) covering the past 6 months
• A letter written and signed by anyone named on the statements you are providing, confirming their relation to you and that they will be financially supporting you during your studies.

Regardless of the option you choose (529 College Savings Fund or checking/savings accounts), we recommend that you include a cover letter indicating your program, the expected cost of your first year of studies (i.e., tuition and fees + living expenses + roundtrip travel), and an explanation of how you will be paying for these costs.

• Yes, international students must apply and be approved for a new study permit before* starting their studies at McGill. This includes international students who recently graduated from CEGEP in Canada and still hold a valid study permit.
• Please note, only international students in certain situations may be eligible to start their studies at their new institution while their study permit application is processing. Most students will not meet the criteria to study while their application is processing. For this reason, we encourage to you apply for your new study permit as soon as possible.
• Visit the IRCC website for more details.

1. It depends.
2. In order to start studying at McGill with your high school study permit, you must do all of the following:
   1. Apply for and obtain a CAQ for Bachelor level studies (premier cycle. Your CAQ will also act as your Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL).
   2. Submit an application to extend your study permit from inside Canada and include your CAQ/PAL. You must do this:
      1. Before you start your program at McGill; and
      2. Before your high school study permit becomes invalid. Your high school study permit will become invalid 90 days after you complete your high school studies or on the date it expires, whichever date comes first.
3. You may continue to study at McGill after the expiry of your high school study permit, while waiting for the approval of your study permit renewal, as long as you have maintained status and remain in Canada.

• Most study permit applicants from outside Canada will need to provide biometrics.
• US citizens are exempt from the requirement to provide their biometrics when applying to come to Canada to study.
• All other foreign nationals applying to extend their stay in Canada as a student must provide their biometrics unless they are exempt or have already provided their biometrics within the past ten years.
• There is a fee of $85 CAD to have your biometrics collected.
• If you are not exempt and have not provided your biometrics in the past 10 years, then you will be required to provide your biometrics when applying for your study permit and will receive a Biometrics Instructions Letter with more details from IRCC. Your study permit application cannot be finalized until IRCC receives your biometrics.

• It depends.
• You are required to have proof of valid immigration medical examination results when entering Canada if you have resided in a designated country or territory for more than 6 months within the past year, OR if you will work in a position in which public health must be protected, for example as:
  • a medical student
  • a student in a health sciences field who will have placements in health-care or home-care settings
  • an education student who will have placements in primary or secondary schools
• The requirement to have valid immigration examination results applies to ALL students, regardless if you are a returning student entering Canada with a valid study permit OR a new student entering Canada with a study permit approval letter (letter of introduction). If your medical exam will no longer be valid (i.e., the results are more than 12 months old) when you plan to enter Canada, you will need to complete another medical exam before travelling to Canada.
• IRCC may contact you to inform you that your medical exam is no longer valid, but in some cases, you may not receive a correspondence letter from IRCC. Should this be the case then you must follow the instructions for upfront medicals and submit proof of having done your medical via the IRCC Web Form.
• It is a student’s responsibility to ensure that they meet all the requirements to enter Canada. If you are unsure if you need to redo your medical exam, you should contact IRCC via their webform.

• You can apply for your documents under either nationality, however there are certain advantages to applying under your French nationality for your CAQ and your US nationality for your study permit.
• French citizens are exempt from the international tuition fee. Therefore, when applying for your immigration documents and providing proof of your financial capacity, you should include proof of your French citizenship in order to prove why you are exempt from the international tuition fee.
• If you are a US citizen or US permanent resident, you can apply for your study permit directly at the port of entry (land or air border between Canada and the US) and therefore should apply for your study permit with your US passport or US permanent resident card.
• While you may be applying under one nationality for your CAQ and another for your study permit, it is still recommended to include proof of your dual nationality in both applications for the reasons mentioned above.

• If you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident, you may apply for your study permit online or at a port of entry (POE). Note the issuance of the study permit at the POE will be at the discretion of the border officer, see our study permit guide for a list of documents you should bring when applying at the POE.
• NOTE: U.S. permanent residents applying for a study permit online or at a POE must provide biometrics. Those applying for their study permit at a POE will be able to provide their biometrics at the POE.

• No. In order to apply for your study permit, you must have a valid passport. If you have not yet applied for your passport, you should do so immediately and request expedited processing of your passport.
• IMPORTANT: The expiry of your study permit and temporary resident visa (TRV) or eTA is dependent on the expiry of your passport; these documents generally cannot be issued past the expiry of your passport.

• Starting November 8, 2024, you must be enrolled in the designated learning institution (DLI) named on your study permit.
• If you are currently outside of Canada and your study permit application has not yet been approved, you can submit your letter of admission from McGill and your CAQ approval letter via the IRCC Web form to inform Immigration Canada of the change. However, if your study permit application has already been approved, you must submit a new study permit application with your letter of admission from McGill and your CAQ approval letter. You must wait until your new study permit is approved before entering Canada to start your studies at McGill.
• If you are currently inside of Canada with a valid study permit and you are attending another post-secondary institution (including CEGEP), you must apply and be approved for a new study permit before* starting your program at McGill.
• *Please note, only international students in certain situations may be eligible to start their studies at their new institution while their study permit application is processing. Most students will not meet the criteria to study while their application is processing. For this reason, we encourage to you apply for your new study permit as soon as possible.
• NOTE: If your CAQ was issued to you for a different institution before December 6^th 2024, you may still use it for your studies at McGill if the CAQ is for the same level of studies as your new program at McGill. For example, if your CAQ is for Université - premier cycle, you may use it to complete your undergraduate studies at McGill. If it is for Université - deuxième or troisième cycle, you may not use it for your undergraduate studies as these are for Master’s and Doctorate studies, respectively.
• If your CAQ was issued to you for a different institution on or after December 6^th 2024, you may not use it for your studies at McGill, even if the CAQ is for the same level of studies as your program at McGill.

• It depends.
• Your study permit or Port of Introduction letter (i.e., your study permit approval letter) will remain valid until the date of its expiry. You will not need to apply for a new study permit and you can use your study permit approval letter to travel to Canada to begin your studies as long as you do so within the validity period indicated in the letter. Your actual study permit document will be issued to you at the Port of Entry upon arrival to Canada.

• Your study permit is not level specific. You may therefore use it to begin your graduate level studies (within the same designated learning institution) for as long as it remains valid. You will have to renew it before it expires as you must have a valid study permit for the entire duration of your studies in Canada. 
• IMPORTANT: Your CAQ is level specific, which means you will need a different CAQ for undergraduate, master and doctoral studies even if you have a valid study permit. You will therefore need to apply for and obtain a new CAQ before starting your graduate studies. When applying for your new CAQ, please follow the CAQ renewal guide as your application will be considered an extension and not a first CAQ application.

• It depends where you are applying for your Study Permit:
  • If you are applying for a Study Permit outside of Canada, your TRV is included in the same application and you are exempt from paying the TRV application fee. 
  • If you are applying to renew your Study Permit inside Canada, you will have to wait to receive the new Study Permit before you apply for your new TRV.  Read the TRV application guide for instructions.