Immigration Information & Requirements
As an international student, it is very important that you know about the necessary visas and permits to study and live in Canada. It is your responsibility to ensure that you apply for, obtain and maintain all documentation required as an international student in Canada.
IMPORTANT: The content included on this webpage is information only, it is not immigration advice. Students need to review Canadian Immigration requirements regularly as Immigration rules change frequently.
Required Visas & Permits
Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)
Depending on your citizenship, to enter Canada you will need to have an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) or a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV - also known as a student or visitor visa), in addition to a valid study permit.
Your eTA or Visa will be issued to you upon your study permit application approval. You do not need to apply separately or to pay any additional fees.
If you are a visa-exempt national, except for US citizens, you will require an eTA instead of a TRV when you enter Canada by air.
Note: If you are applying for an extension, you may need to apply for this document in a separate application.
Study Permit
When you arrive in Canada, you must show your port of entry letter of introduction, along with other supporting documents, to a border services officer. They will verify that you meet the requirements and issue you a study permit. This document will allow you to stay in Canada and study at Red Deer Polytechnic (DLI #O19391056880).
Study permit processing times vary, so you should apply as soon as you receive your Letter of Acceptance from Red Deer Polytechnic.
Visit the Government of Canada for more information about applying for a study permit.
Study Permit Rules
As a study permit holder, there are rules that you need to follow. If you don’t, you may lose your student status and study permit, and you may be required to leave Canada.
As a Study Permit holder, you must:
Be enrolled at a designated learning institution (DLI)
Show you are actively pursuing your studies by:
Being enrolled full-time during each academic semester (excluding regularly scheduled breaks)
Making progress towards completing your program’s courses and not taking authorized leaves longer than 150 days from your study program
Tell IRCC any time you change post-secondary schools
End your studies if you no longer meet the requirements of being a student and leave Canada when your permit expires
Follow all other conditions listed on your study permit.
Visit the Government of Canada for more information about applying for a study permit.
Co-op Work Permit
Refer to your RDP Letter of Acceptance (see Box 24) to learn if you need a co-op work permit for a practicum, placement, field experience or preceptorship component of your program. If required, you should request a co-op work permit at the same time you apply for your study permit. You cannot begin your practicum without a co-op work permit.
If you did not receive your co-op work permit when you were issued your study permit, you can apply online through the Government of Canada at no cost once you’re in Canada
Your Spouse Working in Canada While You Study
Visit the Government of Canada for information on ways in which your spouse and/or dependents can accompany you to Canada.
Working in Canada While You Study
It is important to remember that when you come to Canada as an international student, your first priority is your studies. You should be prepared to financially support yourself even if you are not able to work.
Not everyone will be eligible to work while studying in Canada, but if you are able to work during your studies, it will say so in the conditions on your study permit. If eligible, you can only start working when you start your study program and meet the eligibility requirements for the work authorization.
Note: If you decide to change your program of study without completing your original program, please contact the International team to check your eligibility to work. In most cases, because you have not yet started the new program, you do not meet the requirements to work on or off campus.
Check out the resources below for more information on working as an international student, including the work authorizations international students may be eligible for and the eligibility requirements they must meet.
Work Authorization - Resources
If you decide to change your program of studies without completing your original program, you will not be eligible to begin working until you have started your new study program and meet the eligibility requirements (i.e. you cannot work during the gap between your programs).
Check out the resources below to learn more about the work authorizations international students may be eligible for.
Working During Scheduled Breaks at RDP
If your program has a scheduled break and if you continue to meet the eligibility criteria, you will likely be able to work full-time during those breaks (Reading Break, December Break).
To be eligible, you need to be a full-time student before and after the break and must be in the same program or starting a new program, within 150 days, after graduating.
Spring and Summer Terms may be considered a scheduled break depending on the program or intake.
Contact the Student Connect Centre to determine if Spring and/or Summer are mandatory terms for your program.
If applicable, the start date for this break will be the day after students write their final deferred exams.
Please Note:
Refer to Red Deer Polytechnic’s Academic Schedule for specific start and end dates.
Eligible international students with back-to-back scheduled breaks (e.g. Spring and Summer for certain programs) are only eligible to work off campus during the first 150 consecutive days.
Taking into account all regularly scheduled breaks for your program, eligible international students may only work off campus on a full-time basis for a total of 180 days during each calendar year.
Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Eligibility
We understand that PGWP eligibility is very important to many of our international students. As a public post-secondary institution, Red Deer Polytechnic's programs available to International Students are PGWP eligible, except for Academic Upgrading and Open Studies.
Visit the Government of Canada for more information on PGWP eligibility requirements.