Immigration FAQ's

The IEC regularly offers workshops to students that explain the application process, and answer your questions. Please come by the IEC to find out the dates and times, and to register for a workshop.

No. You do not need to have a GIC. You need to have sufficient funds in your bank account (or in your parents’/sponsor’s bank account) to cover your tuition and living costs for the remainder of your study time (usually one year).

As a guide, plan on having the following available: $20,635 (CAD), plus cost of tuition for your remaining semesters (usually one year).

No. When you come back to Canada, your TRV (temporary resident visa) must still be valid. Your TRV is a stamp counterfoil in your passport, and it is not your study permit.

You should print your Confirmation of Enrolment Letter or graduation letter (if applicable) from your Banner account & request a copy of your most recent transcript from the Hub, and bring them with you.

Please refer to the IRCC website for instructions. You can access a template to write your own invitation letter from the IEC website here.

To qualify for a Post Graduation Work Permit, you must:

• have graduated from your program; and
• have studied full time continuously for all of your semesters; and
• have a valid study permit. 

You are only allowed to be a part-time student in the final semester of your program.

You can work part-time (20 hours per week) prior to receiving a congratulatory email or your graduation letter from our college to confirm the completion of your program. However, you cannot work after the date you receive this notification (i.e. notification of completion). You must then apply for your post-graduation work permit if you want to work after that date. You are permitted to work full-time after submitting your online application for the post-graduation work permit.

Yes. If you applied to extend your work permit before your initial work permit expires, you can keep working, even if your SIN is expired.
You can apply to renew your SIN as soon as you get a new permit. Renewing your SIN When you get your new permit, you can renew your SIN at the nearest Service Canada location.

You can work full-time until IRCC makes a decision on your work permit application if you

• had a valid study permit when you submitted your application
• completed your study program
• were eligible to work off-campus without a work permit while studying and you didn’t work more hours than you were allowed to

If these conditions apply to you and you need to prove to an employer that you’re eligible to work, provide them with a copy of all the required documents.

You can show a potential employer you’re allowed to work by giving them a copy of all of the following documents:

• Proof that you completed your program(s) of study, such as
  • the official letter from your school that confirms you’ve completed your study program or
  • an official transcript or a copy of your transcript from your school’s website
• A copy of your study permit
  • To be allowed to work right away, your permit should say: “May accept employment on or off-campus if meeting eligibility criteria per paragraph R186(f), (v) or (w); must cease working if no longer meeting these criteria”
• A copy of the acknowledgement of receipt from your post-graduation work permit (PGWP) application, if you applied online
  • To be allowed to work right away, the acknowledgement of receipt must have been received before your study permit expired

You can use these documents to work only until a decision is made on your application.

If your application for a post-graduation work permit is rejected or refused, you need to stop working as soon as we notify you.

If you don’t, any future work or study permits may not be approved, and you may be asked to leave the country.

Check current processing times for PGWPs.

If your SIN begins with a “9”, you must update your SIN record to ensure that the expiry date always corresponds with the expiry date on your document from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) authorizing you to work in Canada.

If you apply for renewal of your work or study permit and your permit expires before a decision is made, paragraph 186(u) and section 189 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations provides you the right to continue working or studying under the same conditions, pending a determination of your application for renewal, as long as you remain in Canada. This is referred to as “implied status”. You will have implied status until a decision is rendered by the IRCC, which means you are allowed to work even though your SIN has expired.

As soon as a decision has been rendered by the IRCC authorizing you to continue to work in Canada, you must apply with your new immigration document to Service Canada for your SIN record to be updated with the new expiry date.

When you get your new permit, you can renew your SIN at the nearest Service Canada location.

Please visit IRCC website for more information.

Yes, you can work full-time if you meet all of these requirements:

• were already able to work off-campus during your previous studies;
• have a valid study permit, or you applied to extend your study permit before it expired;
• received written confirmation from Confederation College that you completed your program;
• received a letter of acceptance to a new full-time study program at Confederation College; AND
• will start your new program within 150 calendar days of receiving the confirmation that you completed your previous program.

Students who have applied to extend their stay in Canada as a student are required to cease working if their study permit application is refused.

Only full-time students can work full time during regularly scheduled breaks between academic sessions.

If a program of study does not provide for a regularly scheduled break and a student creates their own break in a program, it is considered a leave from studies, rather than a regularly scheduled break. Students who create their own break in a program are not eligible to work on or off-campus during that break.

Students can work off-campus if:

They are a full-time student at a Designated Learning Institute (DLI) and studying, and the condition on their permit allows them. You cannot work before you start your studies. 

Students cannot work off-campus if:

• the condition on their permit does not permit them;
• they are taking programs less than six months;
• taking a pre-degree or pre-diploma program; and
• they do not meet the requirements to work off-campus.

You can work up to 20 hours per week during regular school terms/semesters and full-time during a scheduled break.

You are allowed to work off-campus for a maximum of 20 hours per week during your full-time studies. If you have two off-campus employers, you must split the 20 hours each week between them. You cannot work 20 hours per week for one employer and another 20 hours per week for another employer.

You can work on your school campus, without a work permit, if you:

• have a study permit listing a condition that says you’re allowed to work on- or off-campus;
• are a full-time post-secondary student at Confederation College;
• have a valid study permit, and
• have a Social Insurance Number (SIN).

There are no restrictions on the number of hours students can work on campus, provided you continue to meet the applicable eligibility requirements. 

Please check the CIC link for more information - click here. 

Students may work part-time while awaiting the result of their final semester. In other words, they may work until the first date they receive written confirmation of program completion.

Please check the CIC link for more information - click here.