Immigration Canada considers a training or research intern to be a trainee, and an internship is considered to be work, whether paid or unpaid. It is therefore strongly recommended that trainees contact Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or the Canadian embassy or consulate in their country to find out whether they need a work permit to do their internship in Canada.

NOTE these three key points:

• Without a work permit, training or research interns may be denied entry to Canada by the immigration authorities and, in some cases, may not be covered by insurance in the event of an accident on campus.
• International training or research interns have to wait between three and six months before obtaining a work permit and have to complete all the formalities for their stay in Quebec.
• GPS is not authorized to assist in the process of applying for an entry permit to Canada. Any questions should be addressed directly to IRCC.

Training or research interns whose stay at UdeM does not exceed 120 days may be eligible for a work permit exemption if they meet the applicable conditions. You can find out more about the eligibility conditions on the IRCC website.

Job offer and employer compliance costs

If IRCC informs you that a work permit is required for your stay in Canada, you must include the job offer number and the receipt for payment of the compliance fee with your work permit application. To obtain the required information and these documents, please contact the administrative office of the academic unit that is hosting you at UdeM.