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Immigration impacts of part time studies and withdrawing from courses
Overview
If you’re an international student thinking of dropping a course or withdrawing from an entire term, pay attention to the immigration impacts. Impacts are different for undergraduate students than for graduate students. Please see the bottom of this page for information specific to graduate students.
Impacts are different for undergraduate students than for graduate students. Please check the bottom of this page for information specific to graduate students.
As an undergraduate student, the number of credits you take determines your full-time or part-time status for immigration purposes. The regular academic session for undergraduate students is the Winter Session (September to April) which is divided into 2 terms, during which time you must be enrolled full-time to avoid immigration impacts. Undergraduate students are considered full-time for immigration purposes if you take 9 or more credits each winter term. To avoid immigration impacts you must be enrolled in:
- At least 9 credits in Winter Term 1 (September to December)
- At least 9 credits in Winter Term 2 (January to April)
The summer session (May to August) is a scheduled break for undergraduate students where taking courses is optional.
If you withdraw with a ‘W’, you are no longer considered enrolled in that course for the term. You will be considered part-time for immigration purposes if you remain enrolled but take fewer than 9 credits in a winter term.
If you might fail a course
Your grades do not directly impact your enrolment or immigration status for that term. For example, if you fail your courses, but remain enrolled in at least 9 credits, you are still considered full-time for immigration purposes.
However, if you have many failed courses over several terms, an officer may question if you are making reasonable progress towards completing your program. They could request additional information to ensure your intention in Canada is to study.
Contact an Academic & Career Advisor to understand the academic impact if you fail courses.
Withdrawing from one or more courses while still having at least 9 credits
If you are enrolled in a minimum of 9 credits in a winter term, you are considered full-time for immigration purposes. Therefore, if you withdraw from one or more courses but take a minimum of 9 credits, there are no immigration impacts.
Studying full-time allows you to:
- Maintain your student status and stay in Canada, if your study permit is valid.
- Work on and off campus during the current winter term, if eligible.
- Work full-time off-campus during scheduled breaks, if eligible, and you are enrolled full-time immediately before and after the break.
- Maintain eligibility for the Post-Graduation Work Permit after your studies.
Withdrawing from one or more courses while having fewer than 9 credits
If you remain enrolled but in fewer than 9 credits in a winter term, you will be considered part-time for immigration purposes.
If you are enrolled part-time, you are considered to be maintaining your student status. Therefore you can remain in Canada, so long as your study permit is valid.
There are a few exceptions. You can be enrolled in fewer than 9 credits but still be considered full-time for immigration purposes if you meet one of the following:
- You are in your final academic term and require fewer than 9 credits to complete program requirements
- You meet your approved reduced course load requirement with the Center for Accessibility
- You are enrolled in a co-op or in an outbound exchange
However, there are other impacts of part-time studies:
- You are not eligible to work on or off campus for the remainder of the term and must stop working immediately. You will not be able to resume working until you are enrolled full-time.
- You are not eligible to work during scheduled breaks. immediately before and after your part-time term. You can only work in the summer scheduled break if:
- You will enroll in at least 9 credits in the summer session, in which case you could work on campus unlimited hours and/or off-campus up to 20 hours a week, if eligible (or more if you are eligible during the temporary policy).
- You will be enrolled in a co-op in the summer and already have a valid co-op work permit (or you are eligible to be exempt from the co-op work permit during the temporary policy). Contact International Student Advising if you don’t have a co-op work permit and are not eligible for the temporary policy.
- Your eligibility for the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) after graduation will be impacted since you are required to study full-time continuously without unauthorized breaks in each winter term to be eligible for PGWP.
If you will study part-time, take action before withdrawing. Download your Confirmation of Enrolment letter and request an official transcript in Workday. These documents are proof that you were enrolled full-time before withdrawing and will indicate when you withdrew. View step-by-step instructions on how to download your Confirmation of Enrolment letter and order official transcripts.
Gather additional documents supporting your circumstances, and keep a timeline of important dates so that you could provide this in your PGWP application in the future.
There may be other impacts of studying part-time, such as eligibility to stay in residence or eligibility for loans or awards. Visit taking time away from studies for more information on other impacts to consider if you are not enrolled full-time.
If you have dependents in Canada and their documents are expiring soon, contact the Global Engagement Office for support.
Withdrawing from all courses in a term or having a failed year
If you do not register for courses, or if you drop all your courses in a given term, you are considered not enrolled for the entire term. If you are not enrolled in a current or future academic term(s), there are important impacts to note.
Taking time away from studies could affect:
- Your student status in Canada
- Your eligibility to work on and off campus during the current term, as well as scheduled breaks before and after the term
- Your future eligibility for the Post-Graduation Work Permit
Find more information on the impacts and next steps if you’re taking time away from your studies.
Before withdrawing, download your Confirmation of Enrolment letter and request an official transcript in Workday. These documents are proof that you were enrolled full-time before withdrawing and will indicate when you withdrew. View step-by-step instructions on how to download your Confirmation of Enrolment letter and order official transcripts.
Graduate students
As a graduate student, your immigration status is not impacted by the number of credits or courses you are enrolled in. So long as you have “registered” or “continuing” enrolment status, you are full-time for immigration purposes. If you are not sure about your enrolment status, contact your graduate program staff.
Regular academic terms for graduate students, during which time you must be enrolled full-time to avoid immigration impacts, are the Winter Session and the Summer Session. The Summer Session is not considered a scheduled break for graduate students and you must be enrolled throughout the year. To avoid impacts, you must have:
- “Registered” or “continuing” status in Winter Term 1 (September to December)
- “Registered” or “continuing” status in Winter Term 2 (January to April)
- “Registered” or “continuing” status in the Summer Session (May to August)
Check the impacts of taking time away from your studies if you might withdraw from a term.
