Questions?
Please email coronavirus@uwaterloo.ca.
Public Health guidance and University of Waterloo operations may have changed. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our COVID-19 frequently asked questions.
University of Waterloo travel guidelines continue to be reviewed and updated. Please refer to our COVID-19 Travel Guidelines page for the most up-to-date information.
This message was originally sent to faculty by James W.E. Rush, Vice President, Academic & Provost and Charmaine B. Dean, Vice-President, Research and International.
As we emerge from the global pandemic, attention is being drawn to the prospect of a return to international travel for Waterloo members. This memo states Waterloo’s current position on international travel and a process for requesting international travel exemptions for exceptional circumstances.
The University of Waterloo, and other Canadian higher education institutions, consider guidance from the Canadian Government's Travel Advice and Advisories to determine the suitability of allowing travel to a particular international destination. The Canadian Government’s travel advisory level of ‘Avoid non-essential travel outside Canada until further notice’ is currently in place and therefore the University continues to restrict outbound international travel.
However, unique and exceptional cases may arise that will permit the consideration of international travel on rare occasions. The following details the steps required to put forth such cases.
To request an exemption to the current international travel suspension, depending on the traveler type (student, staff or faculty) and purpose of their travel, the following are the documents to be submitted and processed for consideration of such exemption:
Details on the process as well as the decision-makers can be found here.
If the travel is approved, Safety Abroad will work with the requester to develop a trip-specific Travel Safety and Security Plan. Depending on the destination and the nature of activities, this may be done in consultation with Legal and Immigration Services as appropriate and/or with the Anvil Group. The travel safety and security plan will include enhanced risk mitigation measures that the requester must complete to mitigate risk prior to, during, and after travel. This may include but not be limited to, the following:
To allow for sufficient time to gather information, assess and evaluate, please, where possible, submit the request for approval for exceptional travel several weeks in advance of travel dates. Please note that travel costs anticipated to be reimbursed using University administered funds must not to be incurred prior to travel being approved. In the case where travel costs are not incurred, for example, where an institution invites a researcher to visit and covers all travel related costs, the approval process described here still applies as the travel is considered to be official University business.
Please email coronavirus@uwaterloo.ca.
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.