Training and research interns

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 university 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 your academic excellence and expertise.
  • It is unlikely that an undergraduate student could meet these criteria.
  • Eligible awards include Global Affairs Canada grants like the Emerging Leaders in America Program 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

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 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, visiting researcher, postdoctoral fellow, medical fellow, or training or research intern), 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). No university credits will be awarded by Université Laval to students registered under this arrangement.

When you arrive at Université Laval

Your first step on arrival is to go to the Registrar’s Office to complete admission and enrolment formalities and get the information you will need for your stay. Once you are enrolled, the Registrar’s Office will issue you a student card, an official email address, an ID number, and a card proving you have paid for and are a member of Université Laval’s mandatory health and hospitalization insurance plan.

Documents to provide to the Registrar’s Office

• Your admission and enrolment form (Fiche d'admission et inscription) (PDF) (FRA) or Research internship enrolment form
• A passport valid for the entire length of your stay
• Your temporary resident visa
• Your invitation letter (sent by the professor who is inviting you)
• A work permit or residence permit issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• 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.).