Last updated: August 25, 2021
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Studying at CNA
College of the North Atlantic (CNA) is excited that you have decided to join our College for your post-secondary education. Our 17 campuses have been pillars in training the dynamic and innovative workforce throughout the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition, our graduates have found career success nationally and internationally. More recently, there have been tremendous growth in international students seeking the top-notch education at one of the most affordable tuition rates in North America. Since 2017, hundreds of students from around the globe including countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas graduated from our programs and are now working towards their career goals.
Important updates for International Students from IRCC:
Follow the updates on canada.ca
Flights from India and Pakistan
As of April 22, 2021, at 11:30 pm ET, Canada suspended flights from India and Pakistan. This has been extended until September 21, 2021. Travel restrictions may change with little warning.
Transport Canada extending restrictions on direct flights from India until September 21, 2021 - Canada.ca
Submitting your complete study permit application
If you intend to study in Newfoundland & Labrador during Fall 2021 but are experiencing delays with booking flights or obtaining your visa, please contact Natasha Hillier (Natasha.Hillier@cna.nl.ca), as soon as possible. Most CNA programs start September 7, 2021, and special permission will be required for later start dates. In some cases, it may not be possible state after this date and reapplication for a subsequent year will be necessary.
If you are applying for Fall 2022, please be aware you can apply as early as October 2021. CNA Global strongly encourages you to apply as early as possible since due to the global pandemic, IRCC visa processing are experiencing significant delays. Please note that your local Visa Application Centre (VAC) times may vary from other countries. You can find out more information on your local VAC, follow this link: Visa offices outside Canada - Canada.ca
Pandemic response at CNA
As Newfoundland & Labrador’s public college, CNA is committed to meeting student’s educational needs while adhering to provincial and national pandemic protocols and guidelines. You may have a few questions regarding your studies at CNA, including some of the changes as we respond to what is happening in our communities around COVID-19. We do not have all the answers right now. However, we are working to support you with the information that we currently have. In addition, you may also contact a CNA counsellor from your respective campus for support and guidance.
- What changes in travel have been made for international students?
College of the North Atlantic Requirements:
As updated on the
IRCC website, starting October 20, 2020, Designated Learning Institutions (DLI) with a COVID-19 readiness plan approved by their province or territory will be able to reopen to international students who are currently outside Canada.
To travel to Newfoundland and Labrador you must follow these steps:
- You must have a valid study permit.
- You must email Natasha Hillier (Natasha.Hillier@cna.nl.ca) and Samantha Haines (Samantha.Haines@cna.nl.ca) with the following information:
- A copy of your travel itinerary,
- Your preferred isolation location, if applicable,
- Confirmation of permanent residence in Newfoundland and Labrador,
- The full names of any family members who will be travelling with you,
- Campus, program, and student number.
*After these steps have been completed, international students must complete the Newfoundland & Labrador
NL travel form. Servers in some countries may have difficulty accessing the electronic form. If you find yourself in this situation,
Natasha Hillier, to set up a meeting to complete the form together. If you can complete the form on your own, please send the reference number generated to
Natasha Hillier.
Effective August 9, 2021 mandatory hotel stays entering Canada are no longer required.
Effective August 9, 2021, the Government of Canada states that all travelers entering Canada follow the requirements below:
International students may be excepted from quarantine if they qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller. This includes:
- Have the documentation to enter on the specific date
- Have no signs or symptoms of COVID-19
- Have received full series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine or a combination of accepted vaccines
- Have received their last dose at least 14 days prior to the day they enter Canada
- Upload proof of vaccination in ArriveCAN
- Meet all other entry requirements
As of August 25, 2021 only the following COVID-19 vaccines are approved in Canada:
- Pfizer-BioNTECH (Comirnaty, tozinameran, BNT162b2)
- Moderna (mRNA-1273)
- AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD (ChAdOx1-S, Vaxzevria, AZD1222)
- Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (Ad26.COV2.S)
Please note that above list may be expanded in the future. For most up-to-date information, please check on the
Government of Canada website.
Travelers must still provide proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular test taken up to 72 hours before their scheduled departure time.
At this time, there are no exceptions for partially vaccinated travellers.
If you do not qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller, you will be required to follow a quarantine plan for 14 days. A suitable quarantine plan must be entered into ArriveCAN in case you do not qualify for the exemption. You may be asked to explain your quarantine at the border and this plan must also be submitted to
Natasha Hillier to be filed at CNA.
If you are required to isolate and cannot do so away from others, who do not require to isolate, you may also be required to
pay for the cost of the hotel stay, as well as all associated costs for food, transportation and infection prevention and control measures. Travellers must present proof of having reserved and pre-paid for their isolation location through
ArriveCAN.
- I am an international student and I have misplaced my contacts for questions and information with CNA. Where would I find this information?
- I am an international student who is planning on studying at CNA in Fall 2021. If my study permit is delayed in my home country, how will this affect my studies and who should I alert at the College of this delay?
If your study permit from your home country is delayed, you should let International Student Coordinator,
Chanda Jordan know of these delays.
- My study permit will expire prior to the end of my program; therefore, I am wondering when I should apply for an extension?
For information regarding eligibility, when and how to apply, required fees, and processing time, please visit the IRCC website. A link to this website can be found
here. It is important to visit the IRCC website frequently, as it is updated daily.
If you have questions about your study permit or Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) please contact Ying Zhang at
ying.zhang@cna.nl.ca.
For any specific questions regarding pathways to permanent residency, please contact Kamrul Islam at the Provincial Office of Immigration;
kamrulislam@gov.nl.ca.
Furthermore, for more information on implied status for Study Permit extensions, please go
here.
- What are the associated risks if I travel back to my home country?
Advising students on whether or not they can leave the country right now is difficult. It ultimately is the decision of the student involved based on the information available to them. We would suggest that you look at the current restrictions in place in your destination country, the countries that you would need to travel through, as well as the regulations of departures leaving Canada.
Some great resources to use include:
- Are work-term placements impacted due to the pandemic?
For work-terms, CNA continues to assess all relevant courses to determine options for graduation requirements. Please continue to monitor your emails, our website and social media accounts for updates regarding your work-term placements.
- How does COVID-19 affect my Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP)?
- your in-person classes in Canada have been moved to an online-only format and you had to begin or will continue your classes online because of COVID-19, or
- you had to put your studies on hold or study part-time during the Winter 2020, Intersession 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Intersession 2021 or Fall 2021 semesters due to COVID-19.
If you’re outside of Canada
You’re still eligible for a PGWP if you can’t travel to Canada at this time and
- you have a study permit
- you’ve been approved for a study permit
- you applied for a study permit before starting your study program in the spring, summer or fall 2020 semester, or
- you will apply for a study permit before starting your study program in the January 2021 semester
If you’re in this situation, you can begin your classes while outside Canada.
If you applied for your study permit before starting your program
Any time spent studying online from outside Canada since Intersession 2020 semester now counts toward the length of a PGWP. (Before, only the time spent studying online after you were approved for a study permit counted.)
You won’t have time deducted from the length of your PGWP for studies you complete outside Canada until December 31, 2021.
- How much of your program you can complete online?
How much of your program you can complete online depends on when you started studying and the length of your study program.
You completed a short-term program that started between May and September 2020
You were able to complete 100% of your program online. Your program must have be between 8 and 12 months long, and you must have started your studies between May and September 2020.
You’re taking a program that is 12 months or longer, or you started a short-term program before May 2020
You can complete up to 50% of your program online (until December 31, 2021). You must complete the other 50% of your program in Canada on campus.
You’re completing 2 study programs
You can complete up to 50% of your total studies online (until December 31, 2021). To be able to do this you must:
- complete both study programs from an eligible DLI within 2 years
- have started one of the programs between May and September 2020, and
- be in two programs that meet all PGWP eligibility requirements and be at least 8 months long
You must complete at least 50% of the combined length of the 2 programs in Canada.
- I will be graduating from my program and I am wondering what date CNA is going to send out diplomas and transcripts?
CNA will be sending out diplomas based on the mailing address on file. This process may take up to 6 weeks from the time of convocation, but if you have not received your diploma please contact your campus Student Development Officer or Counsellor.
- Are there any special measures taken by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in response to COVID-19?
- I have questions pertaining to my rights and responsibilities as a tenant and how they might have changed due to COVID - 19. Where can I find more information on this topic?
- My in-person classes continue to be offered via distance online and I am not sure about my student visa?
As College of the North Atlantic is working on plans for continuation of programming, many programs will transition to alternate delivery forms. An update is available on our website
www.cna.nl.ca.
If for some reason that you are unable to continue with your program due to the measures put in place regarding the COVID -19 (coronavirus), and you are worried about your current student visa and/or work visa, you may want to check with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on extending your student visa and work visa or email Ying Zhang at
ying.zhang@cna.nl.ca.
If your status has not yet expired, you can apply online to extend your stay in Canada. For more information please check out the links on the IRCC website concerning
work permit or
study permit. When you’re applying, make sure you include a note explaining the reason you need to extend your stay in Canada. Please note:
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- Apply to change your status to visitor, if your study or work permit has not expired
- Find out how to extend your stay in Canada as a visitor. For more information, see Guide 5551 – Applying to Change Conditions or Extend Your Stay in Canada – Online application.
- As a student, am I still covered by College of the North Atlantic’s Health and Dental program?
Yes. You are covered under the student health and dental plan through Greenshield as long as you are a registered student and all of your fees have been paid in full for the current semester. Your coverage will last until August 31 of the year that you complete your program.
If you have Foreign Health coverage by Guard.Me then the following applies to you:
- All students enrolled under Guard Me are still covered while in Canada until their coverage expiry, which is August 31 in the academic year you purchased coverage.
- If you require medical assistance during this time, or if you are feeling ill please contact the provinces public health line by completing a self-assessment online. If you do not have internet service, you can call 811 to receive further information on how to proceed as many medical facilities are reducing and/or eliminating walk-in clinics.
- How do I apply for provincial MCP (Medical Care Plan)?
First time applicants will need submit their
MCP application, a copy of your study permit, copy of your passport and a letter from CNA verifying full-time enrolment for at least one year. Individuals who are first-time MCP applicants are also asked to provide a photocopy of their MCP card, once received in the mail, to their campus general office. Applications may only be submitted by mail or fax. For individuals who may not have access to a fax machine, you can submit your completed application at the campus to be transmitted by fax.
- I am an international student that is worried about coverage through MCP. What can I do?
If you have MCP, your MCP is valid for coverage throughout Newfoundland & Labrador. You can apply for up to six months of out-of-province domestic Canadian coverage. To arrange for this coverage, you must apply for it through MCP prior to travel outside the province and provide the specific dates of exiting and re-entering the province.
- I am an international student who graduated in the Spring of 2021, what should I do about post-grad work permits?
If you are one of the many students that graduated this spring and have questions about your post-grad work permits you can contact Ying Zhang at
ying.zhang@cna.nl.ca .
- I am worried and feeling stressed due to COVID-19 and am looking for support, where can I turn?
If you are feeling stressed and anxious during this time, there are several supports available to you.
CNA Counselling Services – please check with your campus counsellor by
email to make an appointment to discuss your concerns. Note that these meetings may happen over the phone or in person. If meeting in person be sure to follow all social distancing and COVID-19 safety protocols. Due to jurisdictional restrictions on Counselling Services, Counsellors may be limited on the types or amount of support that can be provided to students residing outside of Newfoundland and Labrador.
If you are worried about your peers please check in on them by phone or text to minimize person to person contact. You may also want to keep in contact with your families from home as this may help to provide some comfort in these trying times.
CNA also encourages students to keep up to date with COVID-19, by visiting:
Department of Health and Community Services
Public Health Agency of Canada
World Health Organization
Bridgethegapp
As more information becomes available, we will be sure to update this list to ensure that it reflects the most current information.