The Graduate Mobility Award, successfully launched in 2016, encourages graduate students to study and conduct research abroad as part of their McGill degree program.

A recent review by the Quebec Ministry of Education has led to changes in the program rules. New regulations concerning award value and eligibility criteria will therefore come into effect as of April 1st, 2019. Applications approved at the Faculty level as of April 1^st  must adhere to the amended regulations.

 Amendments in Value of Award

Going forward, the amount of funding provided by the Graduate Mobility Award must be between $750 and $1,500 per month. The amount of funding for travel of duration shorter than a month will be prorated accordingly.

 Amendments in Eligibility

In order to be eligible for the Graduate Mobility Awards, students:

• May travel for up to 2 terms (period may not exceed 8 months);
• Cannot undertake a research project in a country where they hold citizenship (unless they are a permanent resident or citizen of Canada);
• Cannot undertake a research project at an institution where they have previously completed a degree.

Other Mobility Opportunities

The GPS website lists several external funding opportunities that support international travel. These include, but are not limited to, the Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements for CGSM, CGSD and Vanier holders; the Québec / Foreign Government Scholarship Program with multiple destinations; and the Mitacs Globalink Research Award which provides $6,000 for 12–24-week research projects at universities overseas.

Important update on the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program

On February 14, 2019, Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made important changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program. The new guidelines are effective as of February 14, 2019 and apply to applications received on or after this date.

Students now have 180 days from completion of their studies to apply for their PGWP from within Canada or from outside of Canada.

• Be careful: Your study permit becomes invalid 90 days after completion of studies or the day on which it expires, whichever comes first, as per section 222 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. If you don’t apply for your PGWP before your study permit becomes invalid, you must either: apply to change your status to a visitor or leave Canada. See timeline below.

The new guidelines state that students who have changed their status to a visitor before their study permit expires, may subsequently apply for their PGWP from within Canada

• Be careful: If you submit your PGWP application online from within Canada as a visitor, you will not have the authorization to work while you wait for your PGWP. Only PGWP applicants who had a valid study permit at the time they submitted their PGWP application can work full-time while waiting for a decision on their application as per section 186(w) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

New guidelines now require applicants to include both their transcript and proof of completion of studies when applying for their PGWP. Students that have taken a leave of absence, may still be eligible for the PGWP.

• Be careful: The eligibility requirement for the PGWP is that you maintain a full-time student status in Canada throughout your studies. If you are concerned that you do not meet this eligibility requirement, please meet with an immigration advisor at ISS.

For the full text, please see IRCC’s website.

Important immigration update concerning study permits

As of January 11, 2019, international students must meet the following study permit conditions:

• Remain enrolled until they complete their studies and
• Actively pursue their studies

Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) now provides guidelines on how to determine whether or not an international student is compliant to their study permit conditions. These guidelines highlight the following:

• International students in Quebec must be enrolled in full-time studies in order to be considered actively pursuing their studies.
• International students are expected to make reasonable progress to complete their program.
• International students who take an institutionally approved leave of no more than 150 days will be considered compliant and be considered to have actively pursued their studies.
• If the leave is more than 150 days, then international students will need to change their status to a visitor or leave Canada prior to the end of the 150 day period.
• International students in Canada with a valid study permit and who have deferred their admission can remain in Canada with their study permit up to 150 days, after which they must change their status to a visitor or leave Canada.

For more information, refer to IRCC’s website or contact ISS.

Work opportunity: Pre-Departure Regional Session Host Positions

Have you lived or travelled outside of Canada? Are you interested in helping to prepare students for their studies abroad?

McGill Abroad is hiring students to host regional sessions at Pre-Departure Orientation on Thursday, April 11^th, 7-8pm.

Hosts must have lived outside of Canada or travelled for an extended period for University-related activities to one of the regions listed below. Hosts will lead an intercultural session for students travelling to the same region to help prepare them for their experience abroad.

Regions:

• Africa (East, West and South Africa)
• Australia / New Zealand
• Caribbean
• East Asia (China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea)
• Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia)
• France
• Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama)
• Mediterranean (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey)
• South Asia (India)
• Scandinavia (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden)
• Western Europe (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom)

Regional session hosts must be available for a short, 1 hour training session, which will take place a week before the event. On the day of the event (April 11), hosts are asked to arrive at 6:30 PM.

Hosts must be eligible to work in Canada and will be compensated $50 for their duties.

If this opportunity interests you, please fill out this application form or email mcgillabroad@mcgill.ca with any questions.