COVID-19 Information for University of Toronto Students

The University has paused the requirement to be fully vaccinated. Please note this requirement may be reinstated on short notice should public health conditions or guidance change.

Students who are not fully vaccinated may enrol in classes with in-person components as of May 1, however vaccination requirements may be reinstated with little notice, which could result in de-enrolment.

Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations is strongly encouraged, and UCheck continues to be available for uploading proof of vaccination. Those seeking vaccination appointments can refer to the provincial vaccination portal or visit the UTogether vaccine site.

For details on COVID-19 vaccines in Ontario, please visit the Ontario COVID-19 vaccine site. 

The University’s vaccine mandate is currently paused. We recommend that all students   be vaccinated to ensure they are in compliance and not be impacted if this requirement is reinstated.

Students should be prepared to be vaccinated if they are in courses with an in-person component. Please speak to your registrar for further information.

Please visit our COVID-19 Vaccinations page and the UTogether FAQ.

The COVID-19 vaccine is free for everyone in Ontario. For information on where to obtain a mRNA vaccine, including on-campus locations, please visit the UTogether vaccine site. Information on registering your out-of-province vaccines is also available on this site. You may need to register your previous vaccines with your local Public Health Unit before obtaining any vaccines in Ontario.

The Ontario Ministry of Health and Health Canada has released guidelines  for those individuals who have received a non-Health Canada approved vaccine. Students who receive a non-Health Canada approved vaccine (one or two doses) should receive a dose of an mRNA vaccine (Moderna, Pfizer)

Students should register the first and/or second dose(s) received outside Ontario via their local Public Health Office (see also: Toronto Public Health’s online portal and Peel Public Health.

Be sure to ask for a printout no matter where you go. You can use this to upload for proof of verification.

* As per NACI recommendations, an interval of at least 28 days should be observed between receipt of the last vaccine and the administration of a Health Canada approved COVID-19 vaccine. 

For information on where to obtain a mRNA vaccine, including on-campus locations, please visit the UTogether vaccine site.   

You may wish to speak to your local health care provider for guidance if you have questions. 

Please stay home if you are not well. Take the Coronavirus (COVID-19) self-assessment (ontario.ca) to determine what to do next. Note your absence through the Student Absence Declaration Tool on ACORN (see Question #2 below) or follow the instructions provided by your faculty or department. Also refer to: Procedures in the Event of Confirmed/Symptomatic Case or Exposure to COVID-19 – Environmental Health & Safety (utoronto.ca).

Yes.  If you miss a test or assignment deadline because of an absence, you should declare it using the absence declaration tool on ACORN.  Note that the maximum period for which you can declare an absence using the ACORN declaration will change from fourteen days to seven days in the future, as of January 2.

If a student living off-campus must self-isolate and cannot do so where they are living, the University may be able to arrange self-isolation accommodation at cost. This would include a room with private washroom and three meals delivered daily. Spaces are limited, so please contact residence.selfisolation@utoronto.ca.

Students will be required to sign self-isolation protocols aligned with relevant government guidance and remain in their rooms for the self-isolation period. Guests will not be allowed during this time.

The University is committed to helping you maintain academic continuity. Your academic units can provide options to help resolve any concerns regarding transfer credits, academics, etc. If you have questions, undergraduate students should contact their registrar, and graduate students should contact their program.

• St. George Campus Health & Wellness Centre: 416-978-8030
• UTM Health & Counselling Centre: 905-828-5255
• UTSC Health & Wellness Centre: 416-287-7065

Academic accommodations may be available to UofT students with a diagnosed disability. To learn more about the registration process, please contact your campus Accessibility Office:

UTSC: https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/ability/welcome-accessability-services

UTM: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/accessibility/welcome-accessibility-services

St. George: https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/department/accessibility-services

If you are already registered and require support, email your Accessibility Advisor directly.

U of T My Student Support Program (U of T MySSP) provides University of Toronto students with immediate and/or ongoing confidential, 24-hour support for any school, health, or general life concern at no cost to students. You can call or chat with a counsellor directly from your phone in over 35 languages whenever, wherever you are, to address a range of concerns.

Download the MySSP app: Apple App Store | Google Play and keep reading so that you understand what to expect.

You can also access the service 24/7 by calling 1-844-451-9700. Outside of North America, call 001-416-380-6578.

Navi is a Student Mental Health Virtual Agent to help students navigate mental health supports at the University of Toronto. Navi is an anonymous tool providing information on 48 broad topics related to mental health including: stress, anxiety, loneliness, harassment, discrimination, bullying, academics, career, sleep issues, accessibility, coping techniques, abuse, eating disorders, how to get involved, health care access, and more.

You can access Navi here.

Telehealth Ontario is a free, confidential service you can call to get health advice or information. A Registered Nurse will take your call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Phone: 1-866-797-0000 or TTY: 1-866-797-0007

Toronto Public Health Hotline

8:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Translation is available in multiple languages.

Telephone: 416-338-7600
TTY: 416-392-0658
Email: PublicHealth@toronto.ca

Peel Public Health

8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Telephone: 905-799-7700

Please review the following carefully before making your travel plans:

• • Have a valid study permit or study permit approval letter (“port of entry letter of introduction”) issued by Immigration Canada. Persons travelling to Canada for less than six months of study are not technically required to have a study permit, but the there are situations where they may prefer to have one.
  • Have either an eTA or TRV (“entry visa”) if applicable, along with your passport. USA citizens are exempt from the eTA/TRV requirement.
  • Show evidence of active attendance at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI). The University of Toronto, including all campuses and colleges, is an approved DLI. It is strongly recommended that you bring an updated confirmation of enrolment letter to support your entry to Canada. Arts & Science students can download this directly from ACORN, while others can request the letter from their registrar’s office. Graduate students can request an updated confirmation of enrolment letter (also referred to as confirmation of registration) from the School of Graduate Studies.
  • Show proof that you have enough funds to support yourself and any family members who come with you to Canada. We recommend that you use up-to-date versions of the financial documents that supported your study permit application. If you have paid tuition or other fees to the university, you can get a receipt from your registrar’s office.

Dependents/immediate family members may be permitted to come live with the international student in Canada. It is recommended that you apply for that permission at the same time that you apply for your study permit; however, this can also be done after the student has travelled ahead and settled in Canada for their studies first.

If you have further questions about your right to enter Canada after reviewing the information above, each campus has a team of advisors that can answer your questions.

Mississauga        international.utm@utoronto.ca
Scarborough     isc.utsc@utoronto.ca
St. George           isa.cie@utoronto.ca

2. Waiting for your study permit can be stressful, but it’s important to wait until you have all your documents ready before coming to Canada. While the University cannot directly intervene in the processing of individual study permit applications we share your concern regarding long processing times and University officials are reaching out to Visa Offices and the IRCC to continue to advocate for rapid processing of study permits. While you wait for a response, please follow the instructions below.
   1. If your study permit application was submitted and complete (including medical exams and/or biometrics, if required), AND has exceeded the current estimated processing time, you can send a request for information and urgent processing through an IRCC web form. You should include:
   • a simple explanation that your application has taken longer than their estimated processing time and that your studies are scheduled to start soon; along with, documents supporting your request for urgent consideration, like:
     • confirmation of enrollment (available from ACORN or your Registrar’s Office);
     • confirmation of course start dates (available from your faculty’s academic calendar); and,
     • flight tickets or rental contacts (only if already booked).

   Please note: We do not recommend booking a flight if you have not already done so. If you feel it is necessary to do so before your study permit has been approved, we recommend that you book a refundable ticket.

   It is important to wait until your study permit application has been approved before entering Canada. We do not recommend that you enter Canada as a visitor as you cannot begin your studies in Canada until you have a study permit. Only citizens and permanent residents of the United States or residents of Greenland or St. Pierre and Miquelon are eligible to apply for a study permit upon entry to Canada.

   2. Reach out to your Registrar’s Office (or your academic department, if you are a grad student) to discuss your academic options in case of a delayed arrival. They will be best able to advise on what is possible for students in your program who may not be able to be in Toronto in time for the start of classes.
   3. If you have been offered a place at U of T Residence, please contact the your residence to speak with them about the potential of a delayed arrival.
3. If you have further questions regarding your immigration status and ability to enter Canada, you can consult your campus’ immigration advising resources:
4. U of T Mississauga
   U of T Scarborough
   U of T St. George

If you have been living outside of Canada for 6 months or longer you might be required to show evidence that they have completed a valid Immigration Medical Exam. You may be required to do so if you:

• • Have been living in a designated country for at least 6 of the past 12 months;
  • Or, regardless of the country where you have been living, you are:
    • A medical student;
    • A student in a health sciences field who will have work placements in health-care or home-care settings;
    • An education student who will have work placements in primary or secondary schools; or teaching small children.

To check whether you need a valid Immigration Medical Exam and for more information on how to book a medical exam, please visit this Immigration Canada website about medical exams.

All students are strongly advised to apply online for a study permit, regardless of whether they are currently inside or outside Canada.

International Student Immigration Advisors at our International Centres on each campus offer advice about study permit applications for newly admitted students. Follow the links below:

• University of Toronto St. George Campus – Visit the website of our Centre for International Experience for information about the application process and local resources for St. George, including study permit application instructional videos and live online Question & Answer (Q&A) sessions. As a newly admitted student you can use your U of T JOINid to register.
• University of Toronto Mississauga Campus – Visit the website of the International Education Centre forinformation about the application process and local resources for UTM.
• University of Toronto Scarborough Campus – Visit the website of the International Student Centre forinformation about the application process and local resources for UTSC.

Students from Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam are also eligible to use the expedited Student Direct Stream (SDS).

Students can direct questions to the University’s immigration advisors:

U of T Mississauga –international.utm@utoronto.ca
U of T Scarborough –isc.utsc@utoronto.ca
U of T St. George – isa.cie@utoronto.ca

This option is not currently recommended. We recommend that you apply for a study permit online as soon as you are able. Once you have received a response to your online study permit application, please review the documents and processes required to enter Canada.

Your study permit grants you legal status in Canada and controls what you can do and for how long. A temporary resident visa (TRV), or electronic travel authorization (eTA), is what allows you to enter Canada, depending on your citizenship. Make sure your study permit doesn’t expire while you’re still studying whether you’re in Canada or away temporarily.

Check the expiry date right now. The best thing to do is apply for a study permit extension several months before the expiry date. Learn how to apply by attending one of the CIE “apply online” webinars. Your temporary resident visa (TRV), or electronic travel authorization (eTA), may expire while you’re in Canada, but you must have a valid one for re-entry. Once a study permit has been extended, students from visa-required countries may then apply for a TRV to match their study permit’s new expiry in a separate application.

Yes. You can authenticate your TCard/UTORid and get your U of T email address before arriving. You can make an appointment with TCard Services now for the fall (September) semester.  Having these tools will make it easier for you to connect with U of T and access resources like email (UTmail+), course content on Quercus, webinars, library resources, Microsoft365 applications, network services for international students, WiFi once on campus, and more. For full information, visit U of T TCard. You can pick up your physical T-Card when you arrive on campus.

If you’re not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and plan to study in Canada for more than six months you will have to apply for a study permit. Apply for your study permit online as soon as you get your letter of acceptance.

All students are strongly advised to apply online for a study permit, regardless of whether they are currently inside or outside Canada.

International Student Immigration Advisors at our International Centres on each campus offer advice about study permit applications for newly admitted students. Follow the links below:

• • University of Toronto St. George Campus
    • information about the application process and local resources for St. George,
    • study permit application instructional videos and live online Question & Answer (Q&A) sessions. As a newly admitted student you can use your U of T JOINid to register.
  • University of Toronto Mississauga Campus
    • information about the application process and local resources for UTM.
  • University of Toronto Scarborough Campus
    • information about the application process and local resources for UTSC.

Students from Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam are also eligible to use the expedited Student Direct Stream (SDS).

Students can direct questions to the University’s immigration advisors:

U of T Mississauga –international.utm@utoronto.ca
U of T Scarborough –isc.utsc@utoronto.ca
U of T St. George – isa.cie@utoronto.ca

Please apply for a study permit as soon as possible so you will be ready to come to campus when you are able.

Please see Entry to Canada and Pre-Arrival

Yes, family may be able to accompany you for your travel to Canada, and help you get settled. Many visitors will also need to apply in advance for either an eTA or TRV “entry visa”, although USA citizens are not required to do so.

If you have an essential reason to leave Canada, please review your study permit and other immigration documents for the expiry date before you leave the country.

Should you have to travel, for your return to Canada OR if you have to cancel your travel and now remain in Canada, please see the related FAQ for entry to Canada and the Canadian Government Site for latest information.

We’ll continue to update this page with the most current information we have.

If you had a study permit while you were studying and you want to continue studying, you need to extend your study permit.

If you didn’t have a study permit while you were studying, and won’t continue studying, you should extend your stay as a visitor. As a visitor, your legal status usually expires six months from the date you entered Canada.

If you didn’t have a study permit while you were studying and would like to continue studying, you must apply for a study permit. First-time study permit applications can’t always be submitted within Canada. You may speak with the international student immigration advisors on your home campus to work out what you need to do in this situation.

The University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) is a mandatory health insurance plan for all international and exchange students enrolled in an Ontario university. UHIP helps to cover the cost of hospital and medical services you may need to maintain your health while in Canada.

Everything you need to know about UHIP is available online at www.uhip.ca.   Additional information specifically for international students at the University of Toronto can be found by visiting our UHIP page or by contacting uhip.information@utoronto.ca.

You are automatically enrolled in UHIP starting September 1, 2022. Fees for coverage during the regular academic year will be listed on ACORN, your student account. If you are arriving in August and would like to apply for early coverage, please email uhip.information@utoronto.ca.

You need to show your UHIP card and carry a UHIP Claim Form every time you use health care services. Once you have added your U of T email address on your ACORN account, your UHIP card will be automatically sent to your U of T email within 72 hours. Please print your card as soon as you receive it. Review these instructions to learn how to print your UHIP card.

If you are visiting a preferred health services provider (i.e. a provider that accepts UHIP), they will record your information and bill Sun Life, the insurance provider, directly towards medical consultation fees. Please visit the Preferred Provider Network to locate a clinic or health care near you.

There are no changes to UHIP coverage due to COVID-19.  Please review https://uhip.ca/Help/FAQ and if you have specific questions you can email U of T UHIP staff at uhip.information@utoronto.ca.

UHIP is a basic health insurance plan that allows international students to access health care in Ontario and covers doctor visits, hospitalizations and other services. All students are also registered in supplementary health plans offered by their student unions. Supplementary plans cover prescription medications, corrective lenses, dental care and other medical needs. For more information, please visit Different Types of Health Insurance.

If you’re exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 and are unsure whether you have UHIP coverage, please follow the advice of public health authorities, take the self-assessment and then contact uhip.information@utoronto.ca. The Government of Ontario has confirmed that COVID-19 treatment will be available for all those currently in Ontario.

If you have active UHIP coverage as an international student, your coverage is not affected by COVID-19.

As of March 19, 2020, the provincial government continues to waive the three-month waiting period for Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) coverage and this continues to be the case. If you do not meet the criteria for OHIP coverage and are uninsured, the province will fund the cost of COVID-19 services.

If you are enrolled at U of T as an international student you will be automatically enrolled in UHIP. If you are enrolled at U of T as a Canadian citizen, you will not be automatically enrolled in UHIP. As a Canadian citizen who will be residing in Ontario, you are eligible for the Ontario Health Insurance Program (OHIP) and can apply directly for the Ontario Health Insurance Program via Services Ontario. Please note that as of March 19, 2020, Ontario continues to waive the three-month waiting period for OHIP coverage so you can apply and be enrolled immediately on successful completion of the application. You will need to complete the downloadable form and provide three types of health care identification documents. Please note that per the full list of documents for proof of Ontario residency, your U of T academic record or your off–campus lease or residence contract are considered valid documents. You must apply for OHIP in person at a Service Ontario centre.

If you are self-isolating and cannot go to Service Ontario to register for coverage, please contact ServiceOntario INFOline at 1-866-532-3161. INFOline staff will advise on next steps as appropriate.

Depending on when you start your program, your Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) eligibility might not be affected if your courses were moved online due to COVID-19 and if you pursued full time classes online while outside Canada.

If you started your academic program before August 31, 2022: you can complete up to 100% of your program online up until August 31, 2023 while maintaining your eligibility for the PGWP. Also, you won’t have time deducted from the length of a future PGWP for studies completed outside of Canada prior to August 31, 2023.

If you start your academic program after August 31, 2022: you can complete up to 50% of your program online up until August 31, 2023 while maintaining your eligibility for the PGWP. You won’t have time deducted from the length of a future PGWP for studies completed outside of Canada prior to August 31, 2023 (but keeping in mind the 50% eligibility rule stated above).

Please note that this only applies if:

• you have a study permit, or
• you’ve been approved for a study permit, or
• you applied for a study permit before starting your study program (your study permit must eventually be approved).

Studies completed online from outside Canada starting on September 1, 2023 will be deducted from the length of a future PGWP.

If you choose to defer your semester, this could impact your eligibility for the PGWP. Please book an appointment to speak to an immigration advisor on your home campus (UTM, UTSC or St. George) to work out what you need to do in this situation. You can book a phone or virtual appointment or email an advisor.

If you want to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), you have 180 days from completing your degree program to do so. The best option is to apply within 90 days of completing your degree program, so that you’re able to remain in Canada and start working while awaiting approval.

Your study permit automatically becomes invalid 90 days from the date you complete your degree requirements (I.e. get your final grades), despite any future expiry date printed on the permit. This means that you must apply to change your legal status to a visitor if you’re not planning to apply for the work permit within 90 days of degree program completion. You won’t be able to work during the processing time of your work permit if you don’t apply within 90 days from completing your degree requirements.

You may speak with the international student immigration advisors on your home campus (UTM, UTSC or St. George) to work out what you need to do in this situation. You can book a phone or virtual appointment or email an advisor.