Immigration advising is a regulated profession. Only a regulated advisor can answer questions related to Canadian immigration.

• Questions related to international students and their Canadian immigration status are managed by the Internationalization Office.
• Questions related to faculty and staff (including post-docs) and their Canadian immigration status is managed by the Office of Faculty Relations

The Immigration Advising Team at the IO advises on issues related to an international students' temporary residence stay (study permits, work permits and visas). We do not advise on permanent residency, citizenship or refugee issue, however, we can connect students with Provincial Immigration Officers, external immigration lawyers and consultants; and we regularly host regular information sessions on the topic of permanent residency.

1. If you wish to refer a student to get immigration advice:
1. You can refer them to this link which identifies the 3 points of service.
2. You can copy or refer emails to immigrationadvising@mun.ca.
3. You can contact us and invite us to a meeting with the student. 
2. If you are inviting a visiting student to Memorial, you and the student can consult with the team to determine what Canadian immigration document the student should apply for. To do this, email us at immigrationadvising@mun.ca. 
3. Attend an Open Meeting for Faculty and Staff on International Students Immigration Regulations in Canada. To register, click here. 
1. Wednesday September 25, 2024 10am - 11am NLT
4. Invite us to present or consult with your team. Please email us with all relevant details. 
5. Email us at immigrationadvising@mun.ca

In order for a student to apply for a study permit, they will need a letter of admission and/or an enrollment letter that states their anticipated graduation date. It is the Registrar’s Office that issues these letters for undergraduate students and the School of Graduate Studies that issues these letters for graduate students.

Outside of proof of admission/enrollment, some international students may require:

• Proof of fees payment- issued by Cashier’s office
• Proof of coop work term/placement- issued by co-op/placement officer for faculty
• Student Exchange letter- issued by outbound mobility coordinator at the Internationalization Office

As a faculty member, a letter from you is not required for a student to apply for a study permit. However, if you know the student and their work, a letter of reference from you could be very valuable to the student in their study permit application. We have prepared Guidelines for Faculty on Immigration Support Letters.  If you have any questions about providing a letter, you can connect with the IAT by emailing immigrationadvising@mun.ca

All designated learning institutions (DLI) who host international students have a reporting requirement to Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). IRCC along with Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) work together to ensure study permit compliance. DLIs must respond to IRCC or CBSA requests to confirm the enrollment status of a student. Confirmation of enrollment is managed through the DLI Compliance Reporting process. There are two kinds of DLI Compliance reports- periodic and ad-hoc. DLIs must also confirm the authenticity of the letters it issues to students. 

Memorial’s reporting requirement is facilitated by the DLI-Representative. At Memorial University of Newfoundland, the DLI-R is Natasha Clark, International Student Advisor, Internationalization Office. The DLI-R works in collaboration with various units on campus, including the Privacy Office, Registrar’s Office and the School of Graduate Studies, to meet its reporting requirement. 

If you have a question or concern about Memorial’s reporting to IRCC or CBSA, you can connect directly with Natasha Clark. 

International students are often authorized as part of their study permit to engage in employment while they are full time students. If their program of study has a mandatory work component, international students need to obtain the proper work authorization through a Coop Work Permit.  Work authorization for international students depends on a number of factors and can  be challenging to navigate. IAT can advise students through email, one on one appointments or our regularly held information sessions. If you have a question about a students’ work authorization you would like to clarify with the IAT,  you can connect with us as per the means identified above.

In order to study at Memorial as a visiting student, students must  be admitted to Memorial University as a visiting student. For information about applying as a visiting student, click here. 

If the visiting student is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, then they will need authorization to come to Canada and study. Most often this would be a study permit. But there are cases where an individual may be exempt from the requirement of a study permit. And there are some rare cases where the student’s visit may be classified as work and they may need a work  permit. The Immigration Advising Team (IAT) can provide advice on what a visiting student should apply for in order to complete their visiting stay at Memorial.  

If the individual you are inviting is not a student, consult the Office of Faculty Relations for information on inviting foreign academics.