Getting started

If you are an international postdoc, you can begin application for your work permit once you receive the proof of submission for the Offer of Employment/LMIA exemption (IMM5802 submission e-receipt). If this is a subsequent contract (sometimes referred to by staff or faculty as a “reappointment”), new documentation to support your work permit application will be required.

If you are coming to the University of Waterloo from another country, Legal and Immigration Services provides expert legal advice and consultation to members of the University of Waterloo community, including information for international postdocs. They can help with guidance on things like applying for work permit or securing a work permit extension.

If you have questions about visas or immigration, contact Legal and Immigration Services at lis-imm@uwaterloo.ca. Please note that information about immigration requirements cannot be provided until you have received an offer, as details of the appointment (duration, funding type, etc.) are required to advise appropriately.

If you’re an international postdoc, and especially if you’re coming to Canada for the first time, you may wish to review our information on Coming to Canada, which includes overviews of essential aspects of living in Canada, such as weather, finances, languages and food! 

If you are moving to the Waterloo region for your postdoctoral appointment explore our resource for finding housing and settling into the Waterloo Region

We look forward to formally welcoming you to the postdoc community when your contract starts and hope to see you at the events we regularly host for postdocs. In the meantime, once you have formally received an offer, we invite you to join our University of Waterloo LinkedIn Community to begin connecting with other UWaterloo postdocs.

If you are relocating to the Waterloo Region with children or are thinking of starting a family during your time in Waterloo, explore our resources for families to learn about schools and childcare in the Region.

In Canada, publicly funded health care is supported through provincial or territorial health care insurance plans. As such, postdocs relocating from another province or arriving internationally will need to apply for provincial coverage through the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).

Postdocs who are not eligible for OHIP must instead enroll in the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP). If you are not eligible for OHIP, you can find information about UHIP on the Human Resources (HR) website.

In order to receive your salary from the University, you will need a social insurance number (SIN). Learn more and apply for a SIN online or in person at a Service Canada Centre.

In order to receive your pay from the University of Waterloo, you will need to open a Canadian bank account. The International Student Guide provides helpful information on major banks in Waterloo, to support you in choosing a bank and opening a bank account.

If you have arrived in Waterloo with school aged children, or children who will require childcare, explore our resources for families to learn about schools and childcare in the Region and how to enroll.

If you are appointed as a postdoctoral scholar associate, you will not receive automatic access request to UWaterloo systems such as email or the library. Your supervisor will need to fill out a WatIAM sponsorship form, where they can specify what systems or services you will need access to, such as Library, VPN, email and Microsoft 365.

Please contact your supervisor to ensure the WatIAM sponsorship form is completed prior to your start date to avoid delays in getting set up in the UWaterloo systems. Additionally, we recommend asking your supervisor to confirm which systems they have requested access to. If at any point during your postdoc, you require access to additional systems, your supervisor can submit an updated sponsorship form.

After your appointment is processed by Human Resources (typically shortly before your appointment begins) or after your supervisor's WatIAM sponsorship form is processed (postdoctoral scholar associates only), you should receive a personalized “Invitation Email” from watiam@uwaterloo.ca. Follow the instructions to activate your Waterloo WatIAM credentials. If you are a former University of Waterloo student or employee, your WatIAM credentials will remain the same and you will not be required to complete this step.

If there is a delay in your contract being processed by Human Resources, you may need to wait until your contract begins to complete this step.

Log into Workday and complete the onboarding items in your inbox. This will include: setting up direct deposit, completing tax forms, updating your employee profile, and enrolling in benefits (if eligible). If enrolling in benefits, new postdocs should receive information about their benefits from GreenShield within 4-6 weeks and benefits are effective as of eligibility date. View the benefits ID card web page for more information.  

If you have questions about these steps, please contact Human Resources at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca.

Email accounts for all new postdoctoral scholar employees are auto-created once the human resource system recognizes the individual as an employee – this should take place on your first day of employment, or as soon as your contract has been processed by Human Resources if this is not processed before your first day. For postdoctoral scholar associates, you will be able to access your email based on the date provided by your supervisor in their WatIAM sponsorship request form.

Follow the instructions on accessing your Microsoft 365 account to activate and access your email.

Please note, if you are a former UWaterloo student or employee, your UWaterloo email address will remain the same, and you will not need to complete this step.

All University of Waterloo employees are required to complete mandatory training. If you recently were employed by the University of Waterloo, you may have already completed these training requirements, and are not required to complete them again.

You are also encouraged to connect with your supervisor to determine if you require any additional training, based on the nature of your research.

All postdocs are eligible for a WatCard, which allows you to load money to make purchases from campus (and select off-campus) vendors and is the preferred form of ID when picking up library resources. To obtain your WatCard, visit the WatCard service desk, located inside The Centre on the main floor of Needles Hall (NH). You will need your University of Waterloo offer letter or contract validating your employment, plus government issued photo identification.

Even if you already have a WatCard, it is recommended that you visit the WatCard service desk to receive an updated WatCard that properly identifies you as a postdoc. Remember to bring your current WatCard with you, so that you aren’t charged for a replacement!

Test your access to library resources by logging into the Library’s get access from anywhere page using your WatIAm credentials. You should have your library privileges automatically without no activation needed. If you have any issues logging in, please use the Library’s self-registration form.

If you are appointed as a postdoctoral scholar associate and are having difficulty accessing library resources, please confirm with your supervisor that they have requested library access as part of the WatIAM sponsorship request.

Test your access to WaterlooWorks by logging in during your first week to ensure you have been added as a postdoc in the system. Use WaterlooWorks to book appointments with the Centre for Career Development and keep an eye on the postdoc e-news to stay informed of workshops or services they (and other campus units) offer throughout the year.  

Set up your devices to connect to the eduroam wireless network. Information Systems and Technology (IST) provides specific connection guides available for many devices, as well as troubleshooting guides if you encounter any issues.

Did you know? Eduroam isn't just available at UWaterloo! More than 10,000 eduroam hotspots are available at universities, research centres, academies, many schools, and other research and education institutions in more than 100 territories around the world! This means if you are travelling to other universities, you can likely access Wi-Fi with your Waterloo credentials. Wherever you see 'eduroam' appear in your list of Wi-Fi networks, you can get online.

Onboarding happens differently in each department, and with each supervisor. As such, it’s important to ensure you’ve connected with your supervisor and department administrator regarding onboarding timelines and expectations to ensure your onboarding goes smoothly. Here are a few things you may wish to ask about, if your supervisor or department don't cover them automatically: 

• Access: How you can access relevant buildings, office or lab space? Will you need any keys or fobs to access these after regular business hours?
• Shared spaces: What shared spaces (offices, lunch rooms, etc.) are available to you as a postdoc in your department? 
• Communications: Are there any lab, department, field or faculty specific email lists that would be helpful for you to be subscribed to? 
• Computing resources: Are there computing resources (computers, printers, etc.) available to you as a postdoc? 
• Colleagues: Can your supervisor arrange for you to be introduced to other colleagues in the department, including faculty members, department staff, graduate students and other postdocs? 
• Helpful tips: Can your supervisor (or other postdocs) recommend where the best places are close by to grab a coffee, tea or bite to eat?
• Initial expectations: What are your supervisor's expectations for your first week and month as a postdoc? Are there specific project timelines and expectations you need to be aware of? 

Check your official UWaterloo email address regularly to ensure you stay up to date on news and invitations!

As a new postdoc, you will be automatically subscribed to the postdoc e-news, sent by Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs on the first and third Tuesday of the month. In the e-news, you will find information about news, events, and resources relevant to the postdoc community. Postdoctoral Scholar Employees will also be automatically subscribed to the university email list for all employees, to ensure you receive any important news or updates from the university.

At this time Postdoctoral Scholar Associates are not subscribed to the University of Waterloo employee email list, as they do not have an employment relationship with the university (salary comes from a third party). Staff in Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs are working to have Postdoctoral Scholar Associates automatically subscribed to this list. In the meantime, we recommend Postdoctoral Scholar Associates advise their supervisor or close colleagues of this and request that any relevant employee communications be forwarded to them.

The postdoc team in Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs organizes orientation events for new postdocs (or continuing postdocs who would like a refresher on resources and services available). Stay tuned for an invitation to the next orientation event!

Orientation events typically take place in October/November and May. Want more information before the next orientation event? Review our listing of resources and services for postdocs. 

As you complete your onboarding, you will likely have questions that arise. Your supervisor and department are a great point of contact for questions regarding your specific research area or department, and Human Resources (hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca) can answer any questions you have about payroll or benefits.

If you have questions about campus resources and services for postdocs, or if you’re not sure who to speak with about a particular question, reach out to the postdoc team at postdocs@uwaterloo.ca so we can put you in touch with the right people.