Deferring enrollment as an International student in Canada is not uncommon.
The common reasons for wanting to do so usually involve family emergencies or a desire to acquire more funds to sponsor your studies.
Whichever the case is, this article highlights the major options you have when faced with a deferment situation.
Image source: icscareergps
3 Available Options You Have When You Defer Enrollment in Canada
Typically, three options are available to international students who defer their enrollment while in Canada.
Option #1: Resume Within the Allotted Time
After deferring enrollment at a Canadian Designated Learning Institution (DLI), you can resume your studies at the start of next semester.
Or, resume within 150 days of the time your deferred enrollment was confirmed.
This option is open to international students who will still be in Canada despite deferring their enrollment for an approved reason.
Option #2: Change Your Canadian Status
If you want to remain in Canada despite deferring enrollment, you can also apply to change your residency status.
You can either change from being an international student to a worker status or visitor status.
When applying to change to visitor record, you must take note of the following:
- You will be applying for a Canadian visitor record and not a visitor visa.
- A visitor record allows you to stay longer in Canada than a visitor visa.
- The Canadian visitor record is issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
- You must apply for the visitor record at least 30 days before the expiry of your international student status or study permit.
- The visitor record temporarily allows people to stay a little longer in Canada as students authorized to study without a permit or workers authorized to work without a permit.
- A Canadian visitor record does not guarantee that you can leave Canada and re-enter at anyhow you like.
When changing from student status to worker status, the following applies:
- You need an open work or employer-specific permit to transition from student to worker status.
- The open work permit allows you to work for any Canadian employer, while the employer-specific permit ties you to only one employer.
Option #3: Leave the Country
The last option available to students who defer their enrollment is to leave Canada completely.
This option is more suitable for students who know they won’t be able to resume studies within the 150-day grace period.
Leaving the country is also common for people who can’t tell when the circumstances behind their deferment will be resolved.
If you need further information on everything discussed in this post, click here to contact us, and we’ll be glad to answer your questions.
