International Student Information

Please Note: International applicants for the Seminary Formation Program must first apply and be accepted to Seminary Formation before they can apply to the academic program.

The Registrar (registrar@staugustines.on.ca) at St. Augustine's Seminary is the point of contact for international students. All changes to contact information and immigration status must be reported to the Registrar immediately. All students are required to attend the annual Orientation in September.

Anyone wishing to study in Canada who is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident must obtain a study permit and, in some cases, a Temporary Resident Visa (Entry Visa) before entering Canada. Prospective students should contact the nearest Canadian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate as soon as they receive their offer of admission. Delays at Embassies and Consulates are now common and should be considered when seeking student visas and study permits. Please click on the following URL link for a list of Foreign Consulates in Toronto: https://www.embassypages.com/city/toronto.

Application information and guidelines for the initial study permit can be found on the Government of Canada’s Immigration and Citizenship website.

Although St. Augustine's international students do not have access to the full services of the University of Toronto’s Centre for International Experience, the following website is a good resource: https://internationalexperience.utoronto.ca.

St. Augustine’s Seminary is required to submit attendance and/or proof of advancing in the program for all international students to the federal government, subject to any applicable privacy legislation requirements.

Accepted applicants are required to complete and return to the Registrar ‘Schedule C’ and the ‘Student Contract’. Receipt of this documentation by the Registrar is required to proceed and retain a student's enrolment. International students must provide the Registrar with a copy of their study permit before the end of the first week of classes.

Student

Required Academic Documents:

All students must have official transcripts sent directly to the Registrar at St. Augustine’s Seminary. International students should know it is to their advantage to contact their post-secondary institutions while they are still in their home country.

In addition, international students may be required to provide further documentation about their post-secondary institutions. In most cases, international students who receive Bachelor degrees from Universities and/or Colleges outside of North America are required to present supporting documentation about the faculty and course curriculum. The credentials of the teaching faculty should include the degrees obtained and courses taught. Detailed course descriptions and the number of credit semester hours are valuable; a prospectus or bulletin of the institution should contain this necessary information.

The supporting documentation as well as the official transcripts should be signed and/or sealed by the institution and sent directly to the Registrar at St. Augustine’s Seminary.

Employment:

Please note that your employment opportunities on a student visa are strictly regulated by the government. You may only be authorized to accept on-campus employment or employment related to your field of study. It is up to the student to understand regulations around employment while on a student visa/study permit. Additional information can be found by clicking on the following URL link: https://ircc.canada.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=495&top=15.

Health Insurance:

UHIP: Every person living in Canada must have coverage for primary healthcare services, such as hospital, physician, surgery, and medical testing. Ontario residents have OHIP, the mandatory government health insurance plan. International students access comparable coverage through the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP). As an international student, you are therefore required to be registered for UHIP. Students are automatically enrolled in UHIP for a 12-month period, starting September 1 and ending August 31. Please click on the following URL link for a list of UHIP’s FAQs: https://uhip.ca/help-faq. Additional information is available from the Registrar.

UTSU Extended Health and Dental Plan: UTSU administers an Extended Health and Dental Plan for all full-time University of Toronto undergraduate and Toronto School of Theology students. The plan provides full or partial coverage for many services not covered by provincial health care/UHIP. Part-time international students have the option of registering for this plan. Please click on the following URL link for plan information: https://www.studentcare.ca/rte/en/IHaveAPlan_UTSU_Home. Additional information is available from the Registrar.

Student Visa/Study Permit Expiry:

If your student visa/study permit is due to expire before you have finished your program, do the following:

  1. At least three months prior to the expiration date, you should complete an application form available from the Government of Canada’s Immigration and Citizenship website.

  2. Request a letter from the Registrar that states you are a student at St. Augustine’s Seminary and estimates the time you will need to complete your studies.

  3. Provide proof that you have sufficient funds available to support yourself for the remainder of your stay in Canada (e.g., bank statements, student loan documents, scholarship and bursary awards, or pledges of support from other organizations).