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As an international student, you have many opportunities to gain valuable work experience while completing your degree.
If you are in a co-op program, you must receive your co-op work permit prior to undertaking employment at your first work placement in Canada. It is important to maintain your co-op work permit status during all of your co-op work terms.
If you are not issued co-op work permit approval with your initial study permit application you submitted outside of Canada or a co-op work permit at the port-of-entry into Canada, you can apply once you are in Canada. If you are waiting for this initial co-op work permit application submitted in Canada to be processed, normally you cannot begin your co-op job in Canada until the application is approved. However, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has made special provisions, where you can begin your co-op work term in Canada with limited hours, using your study permit, as long as your study permit has the R186(f) or (v) work condition, for on and off campus work, respectively. You would be limited to working a maximum 20 hours per week off campus (including hours for a separate part-time job) until a decision is made on the application, however you could work any number of hours per week on-campus if your employer is on-campus. If your co-op work permit application is refused, you must stop working on and off campus. The decision to take advantage of this provision would be at the discretion of your employer.
If you would like information about working on or off campus part-time, during breaks and/or off terms, review our working in Canada page.
If you have any concerns about the conditions or remarks on your co-op work permit, please speak with one of our immigration consultants. For information, regarding finding a co-op position and the Waterloo co-op experience, contact Co-operative Education (CE).
Our team of Immigration Consultants is here to help you with your application! Please book an appointment with our team for an application review to not risk a refusal on your application. You can book a same day appointment on Portal or contact us via webform requesting an appointment.
How to apply within Canada
Before you start the application
Key points:
- A co-op work permit is required for all work placements in Canada that are degree requirements, regardless if they're called a co-op, internship, practicum, capstone, milestone, or applied research project; paid or unpaid, and on campus or off campus.
- A valid study permit is required to apply for a co-op work permit unless both permits are being applied for or extended together.
- A Social Insurance Number is also required for all work in Canada.
- You don't need a job offer to apply for the co-op work permit.
- You cannot use your co-op work permit for work that is not degree-required.
- Approved co-op work permits are mailed to the Canadian mailing address that you provide in the application form.
- The co-op work permit application is free.
- If you apply for an extension before your current co-op permit (and therefore study permit as well) expires, you will have maintained status to continue working at your co-op job in Canada after your old co-op work permit expires until a decision is made on your application as long as you remain in Canada. If you leave Canada while your application is being processed and are outside of Canada with an expired co-op work permit, you will lose your maintained status to work at your co-op jobs. You must ensure that you have a valid entry visa (TRV) or eTA (electronic travel authorization) before re-entering Canada. If you then re-enter Canada, you cannot work on any co-op term until the co-op work permit extension application has been approved.
- University of Waterloo is listed as the employer on co-op work permits to indicate you can work for any employer that the University approves as a degree-required work placement.
- You can check estimated application processing times on the IRCC website.
How to start an online application
- Go to the Government of Canada’s website and create/sign into your IRCC account.
- Under 'start an application' in your online account, select 'apply to come to Canada'.
- Under 'determine your eligibility and apply online', select ‘visitor visa, study and/or work permit’, and answer the eligibility questions to generate the document checklist.
Watch our videos to have one of our immigration consultants walk you through the application process and required documents.
If you need to extend both your study permit and co-op work permit, review the study permit application instructions and video.
Document checklist
- Application form IMM5710
- You need to download the form from your online document checklist and open it with Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it for free.
- The application form is not signed when applying online. Make sure you re-validate and re-save the form after making any changes.
- If you are an undergraduate or graduate student in a co-op program, you can have your co-op work permit mailed to Co-operative Education on campus. Only co-op work permits (or both a co-op work permit and study permit extension together) can be mailed to Co-operative Education. Under 'current mailing address' you would provide the following information:
- Street no.: 200
- Street name: University Avenue West, c/o International, Tatham Centre
- City/Town: Waterloo
- Country or Territory: Canada
- Province: ON
- Postal code: N2L 3G1
- We recommend including an alternative secure mailing address if you are going to be moving from your current residential address within six months following your application submission or if you have issues receiving mail at your current address.
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Request a co-op letter in WaterlooWorks by following the instructions below IF you are:
- an undergrad student in a co-op program
- a graduate student in Economics, Econ Water, English, Political Science (MA/PhD), Public Service, Sociology, Architecture, ECE, MASc, MMSc, MEng (Chem. Eng.), Applied Math, Computational Math, Computer Science, or MDSAI, or unless otherwise informed by your department that your program is a co-op program
- Log into WaterlooWorks
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Select 'Submit a form'
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Under 'Category', select 'International'
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Select 'Letter of support’ - Canadian co-op work permit application/extension for international visa students' under 'Sub-category'
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Read the instructions, answer the questions under 'Details', then click 'Submit'
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Graduate student in any other program: request a university-produced proof of enrolment letter with co-op letter statements from The Centre
- Passport scans
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Include the biographical page and all pages that include content from Canada or another country: e.g. stamps, visas, or markings.
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Include your current study permit and co-op work permit (if applicable).
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If you have renewed a passport since beginning your studies in Canada, include the past passport(s) with the newest passport first in the file.
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All images will need to be merged into 1 file which must be less than 4MB.
- Digital photo of you taken in the last six months that meets the requirements.
- Proof of immigration medical exam
- Schedule 1 (only if you answered the IMM5710 Background Information questions 3-6 with yes)
- Letter of explanation or any additional documents (if applicable)
- Biometrics
- Biometrics collection is required for in-Canada temporary residence applications, if you have not completed biometrics in the past.
- If you have not provided biometrics before, you will need to select “no” when answering the questionnaire question regarding biometrics and pay the $85 biometrics fee. After submitting your application, you will receive a Biometrics Instruction Letter (BIL) in your online IRCC account with further information on how and where to provide your biometrics
- If you have provided biometrics to Canada in the past, use the check status tool to find out if your biometrics are still valid.
- NOTE: although biometrics is valid for 10 years, and although you had completed biometrics in the past, if the status tool indicates that your biometrics are NOT valid, we recommend that you still select “no” when answering the questionnaire question regarding biometrics and pay the $85 fee for biometrics and complete biometrics for your application.
- Your status documents will not be issued beyond a biometrics expiry date. If your biometrics is expiring in the near future, and the biometrics validity does not encompass the full duration of your temporary residence application, we recommend that you still pay for biometrics and complete biometrics for your application.
- Please book an appointment with us for assistance!
IRCC can ask for any other documents throughout the application process.