Training and research interns

a) You must meet the criteria for this exemption and know its limits:

• You must be outside of Canada to apply
• The length of the research stay must be 120 consecutive days or less from the time the exemption is granted (initial entry into Canada)
  • If you wish to arrive a few days early to settle in, that time counts against your 120-day total.
  • As you will see in the instructions on going through Canadian customs, you will need a visitor record to get a Social Insurance Number, which you must have in order to receive a salary or grant from Université Laval.
  • The visitor record will limit the length of your stay in Canada.
  • If you need a visitor record and you want to stay longer than the period indicated on your invitation or the 120-day maximum, you will have to explain this to the customs officer, using supporting documents (e.g., return plane ticket if you already have it). If he refuses, once you are in Canada, you can try to extend your status as a visitor before your initial status expires.
  • The officer makes the final decision.
  • If you don’t require a visitor record, you can stay in Canada up to 6 months, unless the customs officer decides otherwise, but you must complete your research within 120 days of your date of entry into Canada.
• At least 12 months have passed since the beginning of the previous use of this exemption.
• The main reason for the stay is research in a Canadian university, which excludes teaching.
• You must play an important role or add value to a research project.
• This role or value must be justified by your academic excellence or expertise.
• This role must be proportional to your experience or expertise.
• Undergraduate and graduate students can benefit from this exemption if they meet all the criteria.
• You must have received an invitation letter to this effect (length, description of the research work, and justification that the exemption criteria are met)
• The exemption cannot be extended: if there’s a chance your research stay will last longer than 120 days, you must apply for a work permit before you come.

Read the official description of this work permit exemption, as it takes precedence over any other description.

b) If required, take the Canadian immigration medical exam

c) If required, obtain permission from a professional order

d) Determine which document you need to enter Canada (an electronic travel authorization or a visa) and apply for it

1. Procedure for an electronic travel authorization (eTA)
2. Applying for a visa

a) You must meet the criteria for this exemption and know its limits:

• Be enrolled as a student in a foreign university’s human healthcare program that, in Quebec, would lead to a profession regulated by a professional order
• Be invited for a period of approximately one term for a clinical or practical internship (including direct interaction with patients), and not for research
• The internship is part of the foreign university’s curriculum
• The intern will return abroad to complete his or her study program after the internship 
• Medical students who have completed their doctorate (MD) and medical residents are excluded
• The student must have a letter from his or her institution showing the duration of the internship and confirming that he or she is enrolled in a foreign program and that the internship in Quebec is part of the curriculum
• The student must have passed the Canadian immigration medical exam
• The student must have obtained permission from the professional order governing the profession in Quebec (or provide a no-objection letter) 
• The student must have sufficient funds for the duration of his or her stay 

Read the official description of the work permit exemption, as it takes precedence over any other description.

b) Take the Canadian immigration medical exam

c) Obtain permission from a professional order

d) Determine which document you need to enter Canada (an electronic travel authorization or a visa) and apply for it

1. Procedure for an electronic travel authorization (eTA)

• Request a facilitation letter from the Canadian visa office serving your country of residence that confirms you have passed the medical exam and qualify for a work permit exemption as a healthcare student. To obtain the facilitation letter, send an email with the following information:
  • Copy of the identity page(s) from your passport
  • Copy of the eMedical “Information Sheet” or a copy of the first page of the “Upfront Medical Report, Client Biodata and Summary (Copy to Client)” form (IMM-1017B-UPFRONT)
  • Copy of the invitation letter
  • In the email, write your full name as it appears in your passport, your date of birth, and your contact information, including your phone number and mailing address.
• Apply for an eTA

2. Applying for a visa. Do not forget to mention and provide proof of your medical examination.

a) You must meet the criteria for this exemption and know its limits:

• You hold a university research grant or scholarship from a foreign institution.

or

• You hold a university research grant or scholarship from a Canadian institution to perform research based on the following criteria:
  • The award is the result of a selection process based on academic excellence, which must be provable upon request (eligibility criteria, application, selection criteria or selection process, etc.).
  • The grant must be paid directly to you as a form of compensation.
  • You must play an important role in a Canadian research project.
  • The importance of your role is justified by and proportional to your academic excellence and expertise.
  • It is unlikely that an undergraduate student could meet these criteria and in such cases, justification must be strong.
  • Eligible awards include Global Affairs Canada grants like the Emerging Leaders in America Program (ELAP), Canada-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and Mitacs grants.
  • Recruitment must not be the main purpose of the grant.
  • These criteria do not include a professor offering you money out of their own funds.

Read the official description of this LMIA exemption (Exemption C-44 for “Award recipients paid by foreign institutions” or “Award recipients paid by Canadian institutions”), which takes precedence.

b) If required, take the Canadian immigration medical exam

c) If required, obtain permission from a professional order

d) Apply for an LMIA-exempt work permit

This is a program for young people from some 20 countries who are carrying out an internship in Canada as part of their studies:
1.    Meet the requirements for your country
2.    Check the processing times (select “Temporary residence (visiting, studying, working),” then “International Experience Canada (IEC)”)
3.    Obtain a letter of invitation from a professor, without an LMIA-exempt offer of employment number
4.    Enter the programs “pool”
5.    Candidates are selected randomly from within the pool. If you are selected, you will receive an “invitation to apply.” Learn more about the rounds of invitations. Once you have received an invitation to apply for a work permit, you may be exempt from an LMIA. You must notify the inviting professor, who will in turn provide you with an updated letter of invitation with an LMIA-exempt offer of employment number.
6.    Submit your work permit application following the instructions specific to EIC programs. Also note the following:

• Your job title is “training or research intern.”
• Your National Occupational Classification code is “4012,” unless you are in an exchange program with a CEGEP.
• Université Laval has paid the “compliance fee.”
• Some of our instructions on LMIA-exempt work permit applications may help you with your application.
• You may be required to undergo a medical exam or obtain permission from a professional order.
• Electronic travel authorizations (eTAs) and visas are included in the application. Your eTA will be sent to you with the letter approving your work permit.
• You must wait until your work permit has been approved before booking your flight.
• Coming to Canada before your work permit has been approved will cause problems and may even result in your removal from the country.

IMPORTANT: You must provide proof of your scholarship or grant in the “Client Information” section of your work permit application.

Please print this document and follow the instructions to prepare for going through Canadian customs.

You will go through customs at the first Canadian airport you arrive at.

Please note that you should keep the following documents with you rather than in your checked baggage:

• A valid passport
• A valid electronic travel authorization or visa
• A letter approving your work permit: follow the instructions on it and show it to the customs officer so they can print out your work permit
• Your invitation letter with the host professor’s phone number
• Proof that you meet the criteria for the LMIA exemption you used (e.g., a letter confirming a grant, your doctoral degree, proof that you are a professor in another country, etc.)
• If required, proof that you have passed a medical exam
• If required, permission from a professional order
• Any other document Canadian immigration might require before entering Canada, according to the following requirements:
  • Requirements for visitors
  • Requirements for workers
  • Arrival in Canada

The customs officer has the final say on your entry to Canada. If everything is in order, the officer will issue your work permit. Before leaving customs, check that all the information on your work permit is accurate, including your identity, employer (Université Laval), the city (Québec City), the status under which you were invited (visiting professor or researcher, postdoctoral or medical fellow, training or research intern, research professional or other), the expiry date (same length as the invitation unless your passport expires first), the LMIA-exempt job offer number and the conditions listed (e.g., if you have taken the medical exam, there should be no restrictions on working with patients, children, or the elderly). A mistake in any of this information could prevent you from working in Canada for several weeks and it’s much easier to correct any errors directly at customs.

All training and research interns must be officially registered full time at Université Laval. They will be enrolled for 0 credit, but will have full-time status. Depending on the length of stay, enrolment is renewable each term up to a maximum of one year (12 months). The Université Laval's group health insurance paln is also reneable each term, depending on the duration of your stay. No university credits will be awarded by Université Laval to students registered under this arrangement.

When you arrive at Université Laval

The first thing to do when you arrive is email the documents required for your enrolment to sfr@reg.ulaval.ca or drop them off at the Registrar’s Office. Once you are enrolled (3 to 5 working days), the Registrar’s Office will send you a confirmation email with your official student email address, identification number (NI) and login ID (IDUL) as well as instructions on how to access your virtual ID card. You will be able to begin your internship once you have received the confirmation email. Arriving a few days before the starting date for your internship is important as it will give you time to deal with this initial administrative procedure. Since Université Laval’s health and hospitalization insurance plan is mandatory for all foreign students and interns, in the weeks following your registration at Université Laval, the Registrar’s Office will send you an email providing the insurance contract number and personal certificate number assigned to you by our insurer (Desjardins). This information will allow you to access your virtual membership card (called “payment card”) through Desjardins Insurance’s plan member zone or via their mobile application.

Documents to provide to the Registrar’s Office

• Your admission and enrolment form (Fiche d'admission et inscription) (FRA) or Research internship enrolment form (ENG)
• A passport valid for the entire length of your stay
• Your temporary resident visa (if applicable)
• Your invitation letter (sent by the professor who is inviting you)
• A work permit or visitor record (if applicable)
• Your temporary address in Québec
• The dates of your stay

In case of changes to your stay

• You must inform the Registrar’s Office (sfr@reg.ulaval.ca) of any changes to your file (e.g., contact information, duration of stay, etc.).