If you're not a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada, you must have a valid study permit to attend university in Canada.
How to apply for your study permit
Visit Waterloo's Student Success Office website to learn about immigration documents and how to apply for them.
We encourage you to apply for your study permit as soon as possible after getting an Offer of Admission and Letter of Acceptance to Waterloo because application processing times can vary. You can check the estimated processing times on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website.
Information from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada continues to change. Please contact our immigration consultants if you have questions you'd like to discuss.
Co-op work permit
If you received an offer of admission to a co-op program, apply for a co-op work permit in your study permit application using your Letter of Acceptance from Waterloo. Highlight all components of the Letter of Acceptance that pertain to your co-op program.
If you're not issued a co-op work permit approval from a Canadian visa office or at the port-of-entry into Canada, you can still apply for a co-op work permit once you're in Canada. We recommend applying right away after arriving at Waterloo, as processing times from within Canada can be 6 months or longer. The current processing times are available on the Government of Canada website.
You need your co-op work permit for all co-op work terms and you must have it before starting your first one, which can be as early as January of your first year for some Engineering programs. If your program includes a degree-required internship, you can apply for your co-op work permit from within Canada after you arrive.
