COVID-19 Information for International Students
We hope that this message finds you well, considering the challenges we are facing around the globe due to the ongoing pandemic.
Canada has recently announced a 30-day flight suspension from India and Pakistan as of April 22, 2021. Because of this, Northern College is not able to issue any travel support documents including quarantine letters to students who planned to travel to Canada after April 22 due to this travel ban.
To keep your spot in your programs, we immediately deferred all students who had not yet arrived in Canada but were registered to study with us but could not travel due to this ban. We know that this is disruptive, and we apologize that you cannot join us at this time. We will keep monitoring the situation and keep you informed once the ban is removed.
Please be advised that for Winter 2021 intake students, most of you could study your program online in Canada or outside Canada as long as you had submitted your visa application before the start of your program study.
International students who are currently enrolled in Electrical Engineering Technician and Environmental Technician – Water and Wastewater Systems Operation programs are asked to please check with your program coordinators about your course study pathway in May 2021 to see if you must come to Canada on-site for your study.
If you are enrolled in these two programs and must be on-site in May semester, please work with your Northern College program coordinator for a different way to learn instead of in-person and send this information to us at international@northern.on.ca.
Please see the below table that has more information to help guide you.
Winter 2021 Intake
Program | May 2021 Semester Study Format |
Business General | Online |
Business Marketing | Online |
Computer Engineering Technician | Online (first two semesters) |
General Arts & Science (Business Focus) | Online |
Global Business Entrepreneurship Technology (GBET) | Online |
Information Systems Business Analysis | Online |
Electrical Engineering Technician | Please check with your program coordinator |
Environmental Technician – Water & Wastewater Systems Operations | Please check with your program coordinator |
For May 2021 intake, students who are admitted into the three programs: Pre-health Science, Healthcare Management and Computer Engineering Technician can study online outside of Canada by the end of December 31, 2021 as long as you have submitted your visa application before the start of the May semester on May 5, 2021. Please refer to the information in the table below for your reference.
May 2021 New Intake
Program | May 2021 Semester Study Format |
Pre-Health Science | Online |
Healthcare Management | Online |
Computer Science | Online |
Please contact international@northern.on.ca if you have any further questions.
This pandemic has caused many disruptions, and we realize how difficult this is, as education is very important to your future. We are thinking of you and your families and countries and thank you for your understanding of these adjustments to your learning in Canada.
We at Northern College understands that this is a difficult time for everyone, including you, our students.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please go to Northern’s COVID-19 page and contact your Campus Specific Point of Contact.
Additional Information from the Government of Canada & the Government of Ontario
Previous Messages to our International Students
- February 19, 2021 – Government of Canada and Restrictions on International Travel
- February 2021 – Additional Info on Government of Canada and Restrictions on International Travel
- Fall 2020 & Winter 2021 – Quarantine Procedure
- Fall 2020 & Winter 2021 – Travel Support Letter Information
- Fall 2020 & Winter 2021 – Flight Information Form
- November 17, 2020 – Update of DLI with Approved Covid-19 Readiness Plan – November 17
- Information for International Students who paid tuition but have not obtained their study visa.
- Information for International Students who have already reported their visas to us.
There are few packages available to post-secondary students, but not all of them will be accessible to international students. Please see the below list of options for International Students:
Canada Emergency Respond Benefit (CERB) International students may be able to apply if they can meet the requirements of the program. For more information, visit Canada Emergency Response Benefit.
The mortgage relief measures announced by the Federal Government exclusively apply to those who have purchased and are actively paying for a home. At this point in time there is no clear indication that the same level of relief measures being made available to students with rent. For more information on the funds you may qualify for, visit Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan
Always follow your employer’s instructions and safety policies. If you think you’ve had contact with someone suffering from COVID-19, visit COVID-19 Self-Assessment and conduct a self-assessment.
If you meet some of the criteria or have a concern for your health, please contact the Porcupine Health Unit at 705-267-1181 or the Temiskaming Health Unit at either (705) 567-9355 (Kirkland Lake) or at (705) 647-4305 (Haileybury) and ask for the COVID-19 line for further assistance.
No, an employer cannot fire an employee due to an unforeseen illness. Please check with your employer, union representative or coworkers to gain a better understanding of your workplaces policies around sick leave, sick pay and job security.
No, an employer cannot fire an employee due to an unforeseen illness. Please check with your employer, union representative or coworkers to gain a better understanding of your workplaces policies around sick leave, sick pay and job security.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, international students who had obtained their visas before March 23rd when the Canadian border was closed can still travel to Canada. However, they must practice self-isolation for 14 days once they arrive Canada. For any international students who were admitted to May 2020 semester at Northern college, our May intake programs have been cancelled and deferred to Fall 2020, we recommend that students admitted into this intake do not travel to Canada at this point and wait until late August to come to Canada for the Fall 2020 semester. For more information, visit Study Permit: About the Process.
The college’s withdrawal and refund policy has not changed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has stated that disruptions due to the COVID-19 outbreak have slowed down processing times and will likely make the issuing of visas a longer process than normal. According to IRCC’s twitter on April 2nd, “Service disruption and restrictions due to #COVID19 may have an impact on processing times. Current processing times may not be accurate. No application in progress will be closed or refused due to lack of documentation or inability to complete the process in time; COVID19 will not be a factor of your application refusal.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, “If your in-class courses are being moved to an online-only format because of COVID-19, your eligibility for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program won’t be affected. This includes students who have a study permit or who have been approved for a study permit for a program starting in May or June but who are unable to travel to Canada at this time due to travel restrictions. International students in this situation may begin their classes while outside Canada and may complete up to 50% of their program while outside Canada if they cannot travel to Canada sooner.” For more information, visit Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Visitors, foreign workers and students.
Please refer to the answers provided to the first question in this document, it will provide you with more information about what benefits you may qualify for.
Please refer to the answers provided for both questions 8 and question 9, they will provide more insight into how this change may affect you.
As First year international students are expected to have paid their tuition in advance of their first semester start date to assure the Government of Canada that they have the resources required to support themselves during that first year. With this in mind, no special payment consideration is being made for incoming first year international students. However, returning international students who have successfully completed their first year and have experienced employment or income shortfalls can apply to in-term tuition payment plans in order to assist with covering tuition costs.