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.

We are excited to welcome all our new International Students to Northern! Please read the following carefully to ensure you receive your documents and are prepared for your travel to Canada for your studies with us.

For information on whether your program will by face-to-face on campus, online, or a hybrid combination of both online and in-person, please visit https://www.northernc.on.ca/program-methods/.

How to Request Travel Support Letter and Documentation

Email international@northern.on.ca with the following completed documents to request your travel documents and travel support letter.

  1. Copy Study Visa
  2. Pre-Travel Form with Quarantine Plan (whether to request quarantine at the college or if you have your own arrangements)
  3. Flight Details
  4. Full vaccination records if you’ve received your vaccines with a translated English copy (if the original is not in English).
  5. Other required documents (eg, hotel and flight booking, quarantine plan etc.)

Contact the International Department as early as possible to avoid travel delay. Please be advised that it will usually take 2 to 5 business days to process these letters due to the high volume requests we are receiving.

Travel Information

Public Health Agency Canada (PHAC) announced the government’s first phase to easing border measures for travellers to enter Canada. 

See below for more information and visit the Government of Canada’s website to read PHAC’s announcement.

Beginning July 5, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EDT, fully vaccinated travellers who are permitted to enter Canada will not be subject to the federal requirement to quarantine or take a COVID-19 test on day-8. Fully vaccinated travellers arriving by air will not be required to stay at a government-authorized hotel.

To be considered fully vaccinated, a traveller must have received the full series of a vaccine — or combination of vaccines — accepted by the Government of Canada at least 14 days prior to entering Canada. Currently, those vaccines are manufactured by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca / COVISHIELD, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).

Travellers can receive their vaccine in any country, and must provide documentation supporting their vaccination in English, French or with a certified translation.

As of 12:01 A.M. EDT on August 9, the three-night government authorized hotel stay requirement will be eliminated for all travellers arriving by air. Fully vaccinated travellers who meet the requirements will be exempt from quarantine; however, all travellers must still provide a quarantine plan and be prepared to quarantine, in case it is determined at the border that they do not meet the necessary requirements.

 

International students who have not been fully vaccinated or who were fully vaccinated but their vaccines are not products of the above manufacturers, or who were vaccinated within 14 days when they arrive in Canada, will be required to

  1. take a COVID-19 molecular test when they arrive in Canada before exiting the airport, and
  2. reserve, prior to departure to Canada, a 3-night stay in a government-authorized hotel and complete the remaining 11 mandatory quarantine in compliance with the college’s quarantine procedures. 

Please refer to the Flying to Canada Requirements Checklist at travel.gc.ca for more information.

Preparing For Your Flight & Arrival

Please familiarize yourself with travel policies, arrival procedures, and the mandatory quarantine.

Send any travel updates to international@northern.on.ca immediately if your arrival time changed so that we can be well prepared for your arrival.

Please familiarize with international flight guidelines and requirements by visiting https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/flying. 

Before boarding your flight, airline officials will be conducting a health check, and anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19 will not be able to board their flight to Canada.

Before you travel, you can contact the Border Information Service for more information. A border services officer will make a final decision on your eligibility to enter Canada when you arrive.

The following documents must accompany your flight:

  1. Documentation of a negative COVID-19 test. Effective January 7, 2021, at 12:01 a.m. EST, all air passengers five years of age or older will be required to test negative for COVID-19 before travelling from another country to Canada. This implementation date provides all airlines, both foreign and domestic, adequate time to comply with the new requirements.
  2. Documentation of a negative laboratory test result must be presented to the airline prior to boarding a flight to Canada. The test must be performed using a COVID-19 molecular polymerase chain reaction (or PCR) test and must be taken within 72 hours prior to the traveller’s scheduled departure to Canada.
  3. Passport
  4. A valid student visa or study permit, or a port of entry letter of introduction that shows that you were approved for a study permit
  5. Travel Guidance and Quarantine Letter (if you want to be quarantine on college campus) from the College
  6. Original Letter of Acceptance (or offer letter) and fee payment receipt
  7. Your remaining 11-day quarantine plan (for students who will participate the College quarantine plan, you can provide the quarantine letter the College provides you) and Your flight information
  8. Your incomplete or complete vaccination records in your country. A certified English translation should be accompanied with the original vaccination records if the original is not in English. Fully vaccinated international travellers may be exempted to the 14 days quarantine requirements.
  9. ArriveCAN App. All travellers, whether arriving by land or air will be required to submit their travel and contact information, including a suitable quarantine plan, and their vaccination records electronically via ArriveCAN before crossing the border or boarding a flight.
  10. Adaptor(adapter) and/or Voltage Converter Transformer (if necessary) in order to charge your laptop, cellphone or other electrical appliances when you arrive in Canada. In Canada, the voltage is 110V while the wall plug.

Direct Flight Connections to Timmins
Please directly book and connect your flight from your point of entry Canadian airport to Timmins Victor M. Power Airport (YTS) if you will be quarantined on our Timmins campus.

Remember to send a copy of your flight tickets to international@northern.on.ca.

Taxi Booking from Timmins Airport to Northern College Timmins Campus
Please book your taxi (from the Timmins airport to Northern College Timmins Campus Residence) by downloading the App Vets Taxi Timmins before your departure. If you don’t book beforehand, you may not get a taxi when you arrive at the Timmins airport.

Please update international@northern.on.ca immediately if your arrival time changed so that we can be well prepared for your arrival.

Take your taxi to:
Northern College, Timmins Campus Residence, Office 4777, Highway 101 East, South Porcupine

When traveling from the airport to residence or your off-campus quarantine location, please wear a mask and do not share your taxi with any other passengers or carpool. Do not stop in any places of the city or visit their family or friends or have family or friends accompany you to the College residence. Due to close contact with you, they will be required to self-isolate for 14 days and be unable to work or attend studies or other activities they’ve have planned.

Keep your taxi receipt from Timmins airport to Timmins campus. The fee could be reimbursed to you later after day 10 of your program.

Timmins Campus residence contact information:
Carrie Ann Bettiol
bettiolc@northern.on.ca
705 235-3211 ext. 6800 – Monday to Friday work days
WhatsApp/Cell:  705 363 6598 – 24/7

Starting on February 22, 2021, all travellers, whether arriving by land or air are required to submit their travel and contact information, including a suitable quarantine plan and fully vaccination records (if applicable) in English or French or accompanied with a certified English translation, electronically via ArriveCAN before crossing the border or boarding a flight.

You will still be required to provide a pre-arrival COVID-19 test result, a quarantine plan and you will be tested for Covid-19 at your point of entry into Canada.

If you will participate the college quarantine:

  1. Send your 3-day hotel booking reservation and flight information (including from flight connection city to Timmins trip) to international@northern.on.ca for record
  2. Update us timely your arrival information (flight change/cancellation) so that we can prepare for your arrival
  3. Please upload your valid study visa/study permit to your account of Ontario College International Student Application Portal (where you submit your application to Northern College) if you have not yet done yet
  4. Your vaccinated records and translation copy (it must be accompanied with a certified English translation if the original is not in English) with a copy of your study permit

For your 14-day quarantine, there will be no charge for the residency and other services except the three meals provided to you and any other costs like personal laundry and day-8 self-test sample mailing.

Timmins Campus residence contact information:
Carrie Ann Bettiol
bettiolc@northern.on.ca
705 235-3211 ext. 6800 – Monday to Friday work days
WhatsApp/Cell:  705 363 6598 – 24/7

If you have your own quarantine plan and will not to be quarantined on Timmins campus:

  1. Provide your 3 days hotel reservation and the 11 days self-quarantine plan to us: Quarantine address, property owner, owner’s contact information should be included in the plan.
  2. Upload your valid study visa/study permit to your account of Ontario College International Student Application Portal (where you submit your application to Northern College) if you have not yet done yet
  3. Send the college your flight information for record and update us in time if your flight is cancelled or changed
  4. Your vaccinated records and translation copy (it must be accompanied with a certified English translation if the original is not in English) with a copy of your study permit

The above required information should be sent to international@northern.on.ca. Once we receive the all of the above required documents, we will issue you the travel guidance and travel support letter.

During quarantine you must conduct your own day-8 self test with the test kit which was issued to you at the airport and mail your negative report to international@northern.on.ca before you are released from your quarantine. You must also provide the college your negative test result to access any campuses of Northern College after your quarantine.

Fines and Consequences of Failing to Complete Your Arrival or Day-8 Test
All travellers will receive calls from a live agent or automated system and you may also be visited at your place of quarantine by a Screening Officer to verify your compliance. You are under a legal obligation to take the arrival and Day-8 tests. Failure to comply with the requirements of the Quarantine Act and emergency orders made under this Act is an offence and could lead to fines of up to $750,000 or imprisonment. If you do not take the tests, you may also be transferred to a designated quarantine facility.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

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.