For visiting undergraduate students, graduate students, professors, scholars, and lecturers
To remain compliant with immigration regulations and research security risk compliance, we are required to document and keep track of all international visitors coming to Queen’s.
Inviting visiting scholars and researchers at Queen’s can be a complicated process. Academics and visiting international graduate and undergraduate researchers may or may not require a work permit.
Categories of visitors:
- visiting professor
- visiting international undergraduate or graduate research students, i.e. visiting research students (VRS) *
- academic consultants
- academic examiners
- public speakers
- guest lecturers
- research award recipient
*About visiting students:
Visiting international graduate and undergraduate research students (VRS) are not the same as visiting non-degree and exchange students. VRS visit Queen’s specifically to conduct research or to use Queen’s labs. They are not enrolled in credit courses while at Queen’s.
Visiting and exchange students are enrolled in courses for credit with the intent of transferring the credits back to their home university, so visiting and exchange students need a study permit. You may reach out the Queen’s University International Centre (QUIC) for more information on immigration for visiting and exchange students.
All applications are processed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Queen’s University cannot influence a decision, assist, or help expedite applications.
How to invite a visitor
All international visitors must be provided with an official letter of invitation to ensure the correct immigration status is acquired.
- Identify the purpose of the visit (individual research project or collaboration, teaching, candidate interviewing for a position)
- Refer to Queen’s Safeguarding Your Research and get appropriate approvals before submitting the request
- Length of stay
- Prospective visitor’s current activity in their home country (academic position, or an undergraduate/graduate student)
- Prospective visitors' citizenship and current country of residence
- An up-to-date copy of the prospective visitor’s CV
- Health insurance requirements and costs
- Funding arrangements: self-funded, funded by home institution, or Queen’s funded
For Queen’s funded arrangements: You must determine if you would be supporting the visitor financially or providing any benefits. Immigration Regulations state that any exchange of funds (monetary or benefits) is considered a type of compensation. Therefore, you must declare this information upfront to IRCC.
- Financial support may include: honorarium, stipend, wages, bursary, per-diem cost (travel/food expenses), living expenses.
- Benefits may include: covering for accommodation, travel costs, daily food vouchers.
Please note that the above lists of examples is non-exhaustive.
Discuss the prospective visitor and their visit with the Head of the Department/Unit and determine the internal process for inviting a visitor in your faculty.
Review the Queen’s policy on UHIP insurance for visitors and volunteers on the Queen's HR Intranet (Queen’s NetID and password required).
Refer to the Step 1 process on Information for Employers and follow the steps to complete the initial assessment webform.
The Queen's Immigration Consultant will:
- determine the immigration category the prospective visitor can come to Canada under
- advise you on whether the prospective visitor will need a work permit or not
- advise you on the length of stay based on the immigration category
- provide you with the immigration category-specific invitation letter template
Refer to the Step 2 process on Information for Employers and follow the steps to complete the employer compliance initial webform.
Provide the invitation letter to the prospective visitor.
Based on the immigration category determined by the Immigration Consultant you may also need to provide employer documents relevant for the visitors' work permit application, if recommended in Step 4.
If they need a work permit, guide the visitor to steps on Information for Relocating Employees.
If no work permit is required, you may refer the visitor to the Queen’s Immigration Consultant.
Once you have finalized the prospective visitor’s arrival dates and provided the invitation letter, provide a copy of the letter to Queen's Immigration Consultant for Queen’s records.