COVID-19 Updates & Information

Absolutely! Upon confirming your offer of admission to Toronto Metropolitan University, we recommend that you apply for your study permit as soon as possible. Due to COVID-19, many of the Visa Application Centres are temporarily closed, so at this time, you will need to apply online. To start the study permit application process, please create an online secure IRCC account (external link) , free of charge. IRCC stands for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, which is the government entity that processes applications to work, study, visit and/or move to Canada. You will proceed to answer a questionnaire that determines which application forms and documents are required based on your unique situation. Please complete the application forms, upload the required documents and finalize your application by making the study permit fee payment by credit or debit card within your online secure IRCC account. Upon paying the application fee, the application is complete and submitted for processing.

Beginning October 20th, 2020, international students are able to enter Canada only once their designated learning institution (DLI) has an approved COVID-19 readiness plan in place. 

Ryerson's readiness plan was approved by the federal and provincial governments and we were added to the list of approved designated learning institutions (DLIs) on November 17th, 2020. In addition to Ryerson having an approved COVID-19 readiness plan, you must be eligible to enter Canada through the following:

• Possession of a valid study permit or letter of introduction issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and valid Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), if applicable
• Enrolment in a DLI with an approved COVID-19 readiness plan 
• Possession of an immigration medical exam (IME) has not expired (external link)  if you have lived in one or more of the countries listed on this Government of Canada link (external link)  for more than 6 months in the past year. For more information related to travel to Canada please visit this webpage (external link) .
• Qualify as a fully vaccinated traveler (external link)  if you are 18 years of age or older.

For all travellers entering Canada by air, land or marine mode on or after October 1, 2022:

• Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is not required
• COVID-19 pre-entry and arrival tests are not required
• Quarantine after you enter Canada is not required
• Using ArriveCAN (external link)  is not required
  • if you’re flying into Toronto Pearson, Vancouver or Montréal-Trudeau international airports, you can still use ArriveCAN to complete your Advance CBSA Declaration (external link)  to save time upon arrival
• Pre-boarding tests for cruise passengers are not required
• As always, travel documents  (external link) are required
• Health checks to board planes and trains are not required
• Wearing masks on planes and trains is not required
  • It's still strongly recommended that you wear a high quality and well-fitted mask or respirator (external link)  while you travel

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 (external link) , you shouldn't travel to Canada.

In order to prepare for your travels to Canada, please ensure to take action on the points listed below:

• Download the Government of Canada’s ArriveCAN app (external link)  and complete the information required. You and each member of your co-arriving immediate family (if applicable) needs to have this app with you on your devices.
  
• Check-in via the ArriveCAN app within 72 hours in advance of your arrival in Canada.
• Review the Pre-Arrival Checklist.
• Ensure you have a non-medical mask or face covering that can be worn for the duration of your travel in the event that it is required.

If you did not apply to extend your study permit before leaving Canada, you should apply for a new study permit, (external link) , as study permit extensions can only be requested from inside of Canada. At this time, study permit applications must be submitted online through your secure IRCC account (external link) . This account is also referred to as a MyCIC account or GC Key. You will need to request a status letter from ISS to confirm your enrolment as this is a mandatory document for your application. Please apply for your new study permit as soon as possible to get your application in the queue for processing.

Toronto Metropolitan University will do whatever we can to support your access to our educational platforms. More information regarding global access to Toronto Metropolitan University systems. Please keep in mind that you may need to use a Google authenticator to log into D2L.

International students studying online from abroad or who submit a study permit application no later than August 31, 2022, will continue to be able to complete up to 100% of their program online without affecting their PGWP eligibility. However, study time completed from abroad starting on September 1, 2023, will be deducted from the length of their post-graduation work permit, regardless of when a student began their studies.

Any time spent studying outside of Canada after December 31, 2021 may be deducted from the length of the post-graduation work permit.

At this time, applications for PGWP made outside of Canada must be submitted online through an online IRCC account (external link) . View instructions explaining how to complete an online application (external link) . To submit an online application, you will need a scanner or camera to make digital copies of your required documents and a debit or credit card to pay the application fee. You have up to 180 days (external link)  to submit your application for a PGWP after receiving official confirmation that you have satisfied all of your program requirements and are eligible to graduate.

Supporting documents for your PGWP application include a PGWP letter from ISS confirming the completion of your study and your final transcripts from your RAMSS account. To request a PGWP letter from the ISS, please log on to my.torontomu.ca and select eForms Centre, followed by International Student Status Letters. Please request the “PGWP” status letter.

Effective June 30, 2020, Toronto Metropolitan University is issuing official digital transcripts. Please order an e-transcript through your RAMSS account under “My Academics” to include in your PGWP application.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) allows some situations in which international students may take an authorized leave (external link)  from their studies for a maximum of 150 days and continue to comply with the conditions of their study permit. You do not need to inform IRCC of your authorized leave, however, you will be required to show proof that your leave was authorized and no longer than 150 days if they ask for it in the future. Due to IRCC regulations, you cannot work on or off-campus during an authorized leave from your study program, even if your study permit says you’re allowed to work in Canada. If you take a leave of absence for any of the reasons approved by IRCC and you continue to comply with the conditions of your study permit, you may still be eligible for a PGWP (external link) . We do not anticipate that you will obtain a longer PGWP as a result of taking an authorized leave. Please ensure to follow the procedure on the Short-Term Withdrawal page and connect with your program administrator or departmental assistant.

If you are an international student at Toronto Metropolitan University and would like to request a Letter of Permission (LOP) to study at a post-secondary institution outside of Canada, please note that there are some immigration considerations to keep in mind.

As a study permit holder, it is important that you maintain continuous enrolment at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI). If your LOP is granted, you will not be considered as enrolled at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Undergraduate students, continuous enrolment means:

• you must be enrolled in the fall and winter semesters;
• enrolment during the spring/summer is optional (depending on your program of study).

Graduate students, continuous enrolment means:

• you must be enrolled during the spring/summer semesters to maintain continuous enrolment.  

If you proceed to enrol at a post-secondary institution abroad through a granted LOP, you will not be enrolled at Toronto Metropolitan University during the semester(s) that you are studying at the institution in your home country. This could impact your eligibility for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) (external link) .

In order to maintain eligibility for the PGWP, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) confirms that you must maintain a full-time student status in Canada during each academic session of the program of study you have completed. As a result, if you are not enrolled in a regularly scheduled academic session at Toronto Metropolitan University as a full-time student, you may not qualify to apply for the PGWP upon the successful completion of your program of studies.