Immigration Requirements (for Canada)
Well in advance of leaving your home country, please be sure you have the necessary study permits and Visas to enter Canada.
- Students studying abroad for longer than one semester require a Study Permit.
- Some countries will require students to acquire an Entry Visa (Temporary Resident Visa) regardless of if you are staying for one semester or two.
- Visitors in transit through Canada are required to have an Electronic Travel Authorization (etA) exceptions include U.S. citizens and travellers with a valid Canadian visa. Use this link to determine if you require a visa or not.
The Government of Canada's Immigration and Citizenship website provides the necessary documents and information that are needed to enter the country.
Quick Links from canada.ca
- More information on the Study Permit.
- More information on the Temporary Resident Visa. (also called entry visa)
- More information on the Electronic Travel Authorization.
- Countries and territories whose citizens require visas in order to enter Canada as visitors.
Immigration Requirements (for the USA)
If you are planning on travelling to the US while on exchange at UWindsor, you should check if you need a visa or any special travel documents with the closest USA Embassy for more information. You need to do this well in advance of when you plan to travel.
If you are planning on flying into Detroit airport (DTW) you WILL need to apply for a special USA visa in order to be permitted to do this. Visitors to the USA are only permitted to stay for 90 days and if you fly into Detroit for your exchange it looks to them as if you are going to be in the USA for four months (even though you are going to be in Canada for most of that time). You can apply for a special visa that permits you to stay longer in the USA and this eliminates the "90-day problem".
** In the past some students that have failed to get the visa in advance of travelling have been denied access to their flights or made change their return ticket (at considerable expense) to some time in the middle of the semester, only to have to change it back once they arrived (at considerable expense once again)
** The ESTA is not the same as the B1/B2 visa, and does not always solve the "90-day problem"