You require a valid passport or travel document issued by your country of citizenship in order to travel.
After you have been admitted to the University of Waterloo, you will be provided with an official Offer of Admission and Letter of Acceptance form that can be downloaded from Quest.
Two-term exchange student
Two term exchange is not an option for 2024-2025.
The Government of Canada recently imposed a significant limit on the number of available international study permits for incoming students. As a result, Waterloo has made the difficult decision to only accept exchange nominations for one term exchange students for the 2024-2025 academic year. We are unable to make any exceptions.
One-term exchange student
If you are an exchange student studying in Canada for less than six months, you may come to Canada and study with a valid Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) depending on your country of citizenship.
Please note:
- One term students should not apply for a study permit. It will not be granted.
- You will not be eligible to work during your exchange term.
What is a TRV/eTA?
A TRV/eTA is an entry document which allows you to visit Canada for six months at a time, unless a Border Services Officer decides otherwise. As a visitor in Canada, you are not authorized to work.
The majority of countries can apply for a TRV. However, only certain countries may apply for an eTA. The benefit of an eTA is that it is a low-cost application ($7 CAD) which usually takes less than 24 hours to be approved. Apply for an eTA here.
Review the list of eTA eligible countries.
An additional list of eligible countries added under the eTA expansion program can be found here. Applicants applying from one of these countries would still need to have a visitor visa if traveling to Canada by car, bus, train or boat and would have to:
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have held a Canadian visitor visa (TRV) in the past 10 years, or
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currently hold a valid United States nonimmigrant visa.
Please note: citizens and permanent residents of the United States do not require a TRV or eTA.
For instructions on how to apply for a TRV, please visit the Immigration Consulting page.
Please check out the immigration applications webpage for additional resources.
Contact one of UWaterloo's immigration consultants for free if you have questions.