Thank you for your interest in beginning a Post-Graduate Certificate with York University this fall. Please note that full-time programs which begin in September 2020 will be offered online until the end of December 2020. Further details will be made available for the second half of programs that start in January 2021 as public health information becomes available.

You will still require a valid study permit in order to begin this program. Students who are not issued an approval-in-principle or a valid study permit by September 14, 2020 will be de-enrolled from the Fall 2020 cohort and automatically deferred to the next available offering.

For most programs, the next offering will begin in January 2021. However, the next scheduled offering of the Post-Graduate Certificate in Backend and Blockchain Development begins in September 2021. If you are unable to obtain at least an approval-in-principle study permit and are not interested in deferring your offering, you will be eligible for a full refund.

Many post-secondary institutions across Canada have also decided to deliver their fall semester online. In light of this, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued updated guidelines on the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) to help international students and post-secondary institutions.

The new rules state that, “PGWPP eligibility will not be affected for international students whose fall 2020 courses will be online due to COVID-19. Students in this situation may begin their classes while outside Canada and complete up to 50% of their program via distance learning if they cannot travel to Canada sooner.”

For more information on this change, please review the IRCC’s notice.

If you are an international student currently residing in Canada:

On July 15, 2020, IRCC announced a temporary biometrics exemption for temporary residence applicants from within Canada, until further notice. You would qualify for the temporary exemption if you are applying for one of the following:

• an extension of a work permit
• a new work permit
• an extension of a study permit
• a new study permit
• a visitor visa
• a visitor record to allow you to stay in Canada as a temporary resident
• restoration (extension) of temporary resident status
• a temporary resident permit

If you have not yet submitted your application, do not pay the $85 biometrics fee even if the system asks you to pay for it.

If you have a pending application for which you have paid the biometrics fee, you do not need to give biometrics and will receive a refund of $85 once your application is processed.

If you are currently outside of Canada:

Please note that the Government of Canada has enacted travel restrictions. We do not recommend that you travel to Canada at this time. As classes are online, we will accommodate students in their current location.

If you choose to come to Canada before December 2020, please notify our office at regscs@yorku.ca of your plans, which must include a plan for the Government of Canada mandated 14-day self-quarantine period. This mean you will not have an opportunity to go grocery shopping or perform any other outdoor tasks to establish yourself in Canada.

You will be required to have health insurance prior to immigrating to Canada. Our office will follow up with you regarding medical insurance in early December.

If you have any questions, we encourage you to access York’s dedicated COVID-19 webpage, which includes answers to FAQs as well as links to supporting resources.  For all other questions, please contact regscs@yorku.ca.

As always, our student’s safety and educational experience is our top priority. We will provide you with relevant institutional and public health updates as soon as they become available to us.

Stay well,

School of Continuing Studies