US to Canada

[history110]

Anyone other Americans considering offers from Canadian schools? I live in a state next to the border and am considering two Canadian school offers - the border closure definitely has me nervous but neither of the schools seem concerned, so I'm going to try to set that worry aside.

[KinoCat]

I'm in the same boat!  I'm pretty close to accepting their offer, but I haven't heard anything from them about border closures, etc.  I'm definitely nervous about how moving would work during all of this, and if the start of the program would be delayed and/or start online.  Reading some news about this, it looks like the Canadian government is working on exemptions for international students with Visas, so we'll see how it works out in the fall?

Everything seems so up the in the air right now, but I'm glad you made this thread for others in a similar position!

[history110]

@KinoCat Hi! Good to see someone else interested in Canada  

What school are you considering? I have offers from UBC and Simon Fraser. I haven't got anything official from them on border closure, just the professors not seeming concerned (though I talked to them last week and things are changing rapidly).

And I saw they just posted that there will be exemptions for students who already hold a student visa -- while that doesn't include me, as I still need to get mine, that's reassuring and makes me think they'll probably get one for those people with a Fall 2020 offer as well.

[KinoCat]

I just accepted the offer to University of Toronto today!  They told me they "hope to have more information in May," so we'll see.

[history110]

 

2 hours ago, KinoCat said:

I just accepted the offer to University of Toronto today!  They told me they "hope to have more information in May," so we'll see.

Congratulations!

[KinoCat]

Thank you!!!  Best of luck on your choices!

[history110]

I accepted UBC! I also got to chat with a current American student attending there and she had some great tips. Get a Canadian banking account early - she says you'll likely need it for paying for housing if off-campus since a lot of places require a Canadian bank. At least at UBC, tuition and fees can be paid with a US bank account however. And apply for NEXUS early if you will be driving back and forth across the border at all.

Edited March 30, 2020 by starshiphistory

[Findingapurpose]

Got an offer from the University of Alberta and McGill University and still waiting on UBC decision. I'm still deciding which one I want to attend. I was planning on visiting each campus in May but with the COVID-19 situation, I can only refer to Youtube as my tour guide. 

The visa process can take up to 4 months, depending on where you are from. As an international student who graduated from a US college, I do have this worry. 

On 3/30/2020 at 12:12 PM, starshiphistory said:

I accepted UBC! I also got to chat with a current American student attending there and she had some great tips. Get a Canadian banking account early - she says you'll likely need it for paying for housing if off-campus since a lot of places require a Canadian bank. At least at UBC, tuition and fees can be paid with a US bank account however. And apply for NEXUS early if you will be driving back and forth across the border at all.

What's a NEXUS?

[history110]

@Findingapurpose it's sort of like TSA precheck, except for crossing the US-Canada border by car (I live in a border state, so it's useful for me when visiting home). It's a card you get that enables you get in the specific NEXUS lane which is quicker (shorter lane and barely any questions, if any). From my understanding, you apply online and then the first time you cross after getting the online portion approved, undergo an interview at the border crossing and after that you should get the card.

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/nexus/how-apply

and congrats on your acceptances!

Edited April 7, 2020 by starshiphistory

[KinoCat]

Anyone else having website problems filling out the student visa application on the Canadian Government website?  I filled out part of the application last week, and then have been getting error messages ever since, saying "Our Online Services Are Currently Down." 

[tater tot]

Hello all! I am a fellow American who will be starting at UBC next fall. I appreciate the advice in this column and also have questions about the student visa/ study permit process.

Regarding study permits--from what I've seen online, US citizens can apply either beforehand online or at the border upon arriving to Canada. I am curious if one method is better than the other? I think it might be easier to do it at the border but I want to make sure I'm not messing anything up...

[Panther96]

Congratulations on UBC! I recently attended an immigration webinar from McGill and they highly recommended that US citizens apply online this year as opposed to at the border due to COVID concerns. Always better to get those things out of the way anyways!

[history110]

Has anyone heard anything on fall 2020, in terms of the semester being in person/international students? From UBC I haven't and I'm assuming they, like most schools, simply won't know until at least June...

Edited April 21, 2020 by starshiphistory