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ß÷ßäÉçÇø International Student & Visitor Services (ISVS) team provides research internship participants whose stays are coordinated through one of our affiliated programs with full support before, during, and after their placement.

Each research internship participant whose stay is coordinated by ISVS is offered the following:

• Coordination of immigration processes and documents, including the FVCA and/or Invitation Letter as necessary
• 'Guest' (Academic Visitor) CCID and ONEcard for campus registration; please note, research interns are NOT considered Staff nor Students while at U of A! 
• Liability waiver form processed in-person at the International Service Centre
• Person of Interest (POI) processing
• In-person intern orientation and settlement services such as group welcome session and/or campus tour
• Professional development seminars and academic networking opportunities
• An opportunity to present at a research symposium*

*Typically offered in mid-March, mid-late July, mid-late August, and early December

Each intern also has the option to participate in the following seasonal activities:

• Trips to the Canadian Rocky Mountains ( or )
• Trips to the Canadian Badlands to visit Drumheller's world-renowned of Palaeontology, , &
• ISVS Programs & Events for weekly social activities
• Cultural events offered in Canada's ""

Please note that while self-funded or independently-arranged international students performing work on-campus as academic visitors are welcome to join our activities and social events as space allows, ISVS is unable to process their FVCA or campus registration. Please consult this website for further guidance.

While each situation and visitor may be different depending on their individual circumstances and , generally speaking, visiting international students participating in a research internship typically enter Canada via 1 or more of the following categories in order to primarily perform research work:

• Visitor Visa via  for international research visitor stays of less than 4 months
• Work Permit for stays of over 4 months
  • Some interns may be required to
  • Some interns may
  • There is no one-size-fits-all solution, so applicants are kindly advised to await specific advice for your individual situation before proceeding
• eTA (electronic Travel Authorization), which may need to be purchased on its own for $7 CAD and/or in addition to the above options of a visitor visa or work permit

Please note that none of the above options are study permits. Do not apply for a study permit, as academic visitors performing research are not coming to Canada to enroll in courses or participate in a study exchange for credit. No academic transcript will be issued.

As per IRCC, international student visitors entering Canada to perform research through the specific programs in this portfolio are not able to study or enroll in any courses at any education institutions, not even to audit.

Please do not assume that you can enter Canada, leave Canada, and then re-enter Canada through the  program. It is a special program with specific rules. If you know well ahead of your confirmed research stay that you plan to enter Canada, leave Canada for any reason, and then re-enter Canada to resume your research internship, please follow the instructions below to seek guidance from a professional before making inflexible plans of this nature, as they may or may not be allowed.

For any immigration-related questions not answered above, or any specific scenarios that you would like professional advice about, research interns who have already been offered a placement with a U of A Host Professor are welcome to Submit a General Inquiry → Staff General Inquiry to the Staff Service Centre with “Immigration - Academic Visitor” in the ‘What do you need help with?’ subject line. Please be patient, as it may take 1-4 business days on average to receive a reply after you send an inquiry. 

Please note that we are unable to provide general advising, immigration, or placement assistance services to prospective research interns who are not participating in one of our affiliated programs. Instead, please follow the advice included on our FAQs page for how to independently arrange a research internship directly with a U of A host professor by following the advice for Visitors to the University. 

International Student & Visitor Services (ISVS) facilitates the immigration invitation process and campus registration for research interns coming through the affiliated programs we administer.

Should you be interested in hosting a research intern whose stay is not directly facilitated by ISVS, please refer to the information regarding inviting international visitors (academic visitors) to campus. In these scenarios, all immigration/invitation and/or campus registration processes are then independently arranged by the faculty member and/or department, not ISVS staff. General information and guidance is provided below. 

Yourself or someone from the department may need to complete the  (FVCA), which will be reviewed by our U of A HR Immigration Services colleagues. The visiting researcher(s) will need to provide some information such as passport number, citizenship, date of birth, so that the FVCA can be completed.

HR Immigration Services advisors can be reached via the Staff Service Centre if you have questions about this process. The U of A professor or research associate can submit an inquiry with the word "Immigration—Academic Visitors" in the subject line.

Then, once the invitation process has been completed as outlined above, and the visiting international student has arrived in Canada, our team at International Student and Visitor Services (ISVS) would be pleased to invite the academic visitor to new intern orientations or weekly social events and cultural activities organized by our student Program Assistants, as space permits. 

Please have the visitor(s) sign up their Uß÷ßäÉçÇø email address(es) for our . Many events are free or low-cost ways to meet new people while experiencing life in Canada. For example, our English Conversation Club from 3-5pm on Friday afternoons allow visitors to practice not only conversing in English with people from different countries and cultures (as for some visitors, English may already be their first language), but also aims to educate international visitors about different facets of daily life in Edmonton, ß÷ßäÉçÇø and foster dialogue about Canadian culture.  

While our fellow U of A colleagues in HR Immigration Services are the best resource for starting the visa/immigration process, please do not hesitate to reach out if our office may be able to assist with welcoming or settlement services after their arrival.

ß÷ßäÉçÇø International Student and Visitor Services coordinates research internships for visiting international students who are sponsored by the following programs/funding agencies:

• Mitacs Globalink Research Internships (Mitacs GRI)
• Global Affairs Canada International Scholarships (GAC)
  • Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP)
  • Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED)
  • Study in Canada Scholarships (SICS)
• ß÷ßäÉçÇø Research Experience (UARE)
• China Scholarship Council (CSC)
• RWTH Aachen Junior Research Fellowship (JRF)
• University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC)-ß÷ßäÉçÇø

If you are not eligible to for any of the above programs, you may wish to independently pursue a self-funded research internship directly with a U of A host professor. Here is more information for Visitors to the University of ß÷ßäÉçÇø.

Due to capacity and resources, the Inbound International Internship Coordinator collects research projects from U of A faculty members who are willing and able to host and mentor visiting researchers only through some specific programs. Examples include UARE and CSC-funded research internships. Student applicants then apply directly to the specific research project(s) during specific application periods by following the How to Apply steps for that program. 

In other instances, you may be responsible for finding a suitable research supervisor yourself, and then the Coordinator assists with all processes after that. This is the case for research internship programs such as Global Affairs Canada International Scholarships (ELAP; SEED; SICS) or the ß÷ßäÉçÇø-RWTH Aachen Junior Research Fellowship. Research projects are not centrally collected and applicants must independently initiate finding an appropriate placement. These still have deadlines each year.

If none of the above options are a viable option based on eligibility, timing, or other factors, you may independently pursue a research stay with a U of A host professor if you will be self-funded or have external funding. This is arranged without the direct support or assistance of the internship coordinator.

These types of arrangements are organized independently of ISVS, so a friendly clarification that in this scenario, all immigration/invitation and campus registration procedures would be independently arranged by the faculty member and/or department coordinating your research visit, not ISVS staff or the internship coordinator.

Should you independently arrange a research stay at ß÷ßäÉçÇø as an academic visitor, once you arrive in Canada, our team at International Student and Visitor Services (ISVS) would be pleased to invite you to participate in optional weekly social events and cultural activities. 

Please sign up using your CCID@ualberta.ca email address for our . Many events are free or low-cost ways to meet new people while experiencing life in Canada. For example, our English Conversation Club from 3-5pm on Friday afternoons allow visitors to practice not only conversing in English with people from different countries and cultures (as for some visitors, English may already be their first language), but also aims to educate international visitors about different facets of daily life in Edmonton, ß÷ßäÉçÇø and foster dialogue about Canadian culture.  

In order for you to find an appropriate/suitable research project with a host professor/supervisor/mentor at ß÷ßäÉçÇø as a prospective academic visitor, please visit our Colleges & Faculties webpage. From there, click on the webpage of the academic faculties you are interested in to view a list of our professors and their research areas.

Alternatively, you can also search for Professors, Associate Professors and/or Assistant Professors using this , which is grouped by faculty.

You may also wish to consult this list of Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects.

Your next step is for you to reach out to the ß÷ßäÉçÇø faculty member directly via email. When contacting ß÷ßäÉçÇø host professors via email, they may find it helpful for you to include:

• your full name and contact information
• your home university and home country
• whether you are currently an undergraduate (bachelor) or graduate (master or doctoral) student
• current year of your academic program and/or number of semesters completed vs. remaining
• anticipated date (month/year) of graduation
• how you expect to fund your research stay (ex. funding from your home university or other sources; a scholarship you have already received; a scholarship that you plan to apply for but need someone to supervise you, etc.)
• a website link to the program you expect to fund your research stay with, or will be applying to
• your research background and academic interests, and how they align with the chosen host professor's
• whose research project you plan to work on (yours, theirs, or both?)
• desired length of program (how long you wish to stay to do research), including your ideal start & end date and/or which specific months you are available, or how flexible you can be
• your academic goals or anticipated outcomes based on the research visit (i.e., do you aim to co-author a published article, or wish to get trained in using a special piece of equipment that is uniquely available at ß÷ßäÉçÇø?)
• documents such as your CV/resume, transcripts, or relevant academic history

To our knowledge, there is no centralized list of all research projects on campus for interested visiting researchers to access. The closest resource we can find to a centralized list or database of research projects across campus is this Successful Grants Library hosted by the Research Services Office, which serves U of A Researchers (i.e., faculty members). Please feel free to reach out to us if you have new information to share with us.

In order to effectively perform research, visiting international student participants must have proficient English speaking, reading, writing, and listening capabilities. In terms of standardized testing and benchmarking, this translates to TOEFL 70 iBT or 5.5 IELTS (or the equivalent through another testing platform) as a minimum score. 

Of course, some of our research interns are native English speakers, or have taken courses in English as an additional language during the majority of their schooling. However, other students may have had less opportunities to use English as the primary language in professional settings, or to be immersed in a predominantly English-speaking community. 

Due to the unique technical nature of specific terminology in many academic subjects and fields of research, ß÷ßäÉçÇø International encourages faculty members to set up a brief video interview to see if the prospective visiting international student has sufficient communication capabilities to contribute to the host professor's research project. 

There are also opportunities to utilize French as the primary language of communication with specific Host Professors, such as for research projects with our faculty members based at ß÷ßäÉçÇø's Campus Saint-Jean in Edmonton.

International Student & Visitor Services (ISVS) requires all visiting international students participating in our affiliated research internship programs to have mandatory health insurance coverage through our ß÷ßäÉçÇø Health Insurance Plan (UAHIP).

The only exception is for program participants, as they are covered by .

The monthly fee for UAHIP is currently $50 CAD per person, and eligible dependents may be added to your plan for an additional fee.

For detailed UAHIP coverage information and answers to health insurance-related frequently asked questions, please visit UAHIP.

Research Internships at the ß÷ßäÉçÇø are an excellent opportunity for you to explore all that the University and the province of ß÷ßäÉçÇø has to offer.

Interns will have numerous opportunities to meet new people and discover life in Canada through social and cultural activities on and off campus. ß÷ßäÉçÇø events offer a chance to connect with members of the public and greater campus communities.

Please visit our ISVS Programs & Events page for more details about optional social activities, group trips, and intercultural experiences. Be sure to follow our student Program Assistants on instagram by searching for .

Private companies offer coach bus passenger service to connect people in Edmonton to popular ß÷ßäÉçÇø tourist destinations such as Calgary, Canmore, and/or Banff. Fares typically start at $60-80 CAD one-way per-person. Some of these companies include:

• /
• Basin near Jasper (operational only during ski season winter months and $155+/person round-trip fares for transportation with upgrade options available if you wish to ski/snowboard at )

Awards and scholarships contribute to funding the research internship placements coordinated by the U of A Inbound International Internship Coordinator. That said, award or scholarship funds are not intended to cover every single expense necessary for you to participate in a research internship. Scholarship providers will readily clarify that you must retain access to some of your own funds to help with your stay in Canada.

Research interns are treated as independent adults and responsible for coordinating and purchasing their own:

• shelter, such as rental housing/accommodation
• food, such as purchasing groceries or buying take-out meals
• clothing, such as seasonally appropriate gear for the wide swings in temperature that this part of the world experiences (hint: it's probably colder here than wherever you are traveling from, so bring warm layers!)
• transportation, including from the airport to the university, as well as any daily or monthly fees for using Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) and/or private pay-per-use transportation options such as e-scooters and e-bikes

Exactly how much you need will depend on your usual standard of living and quality of life in your home country, but fair warning that Canada is generally considered an expensive country to live in compared to many around the world. Any funds you have saved up in your home currency may have higher or lower value here on any given day. Thankfully, Edmonton and area is considered one of the most affordable major urban centers of 1+ million people in Canada. We also have abundant fresh water, and our public city tap water is not only safe to drink but rated as some of the best tasting worldwide. 

How you will be paid and by whom will vary, as some research internship programs are funded by your home university, or a home country's scholarship agency, while others are funded by provincial and national research agencies in Canada, or the ß÷ßäÉçÇø (often so that our students may in turn get the chance to perform research at other institutions), or some combination of all of the above. 

For example,  is sent via direct deposit from Mitacs to an intern's Canadian bank account that they set up shortly after arrival in Canada. A similar process is used for China Scholarship Council-funded researchers. 

While more specific and current details are provided to successful applicants who are offered a placement, some basic information is outlined below for applicants to programs such as UARE, Global Affairs Canada International Scholarships (ELAP/SEED/SICS), etc. so that you may know what to expect ahead of time.

Culturally, you may find significant differences in how university students are treated, or which services are offered at home vs. commonplace here. For example, there is no singular one university cafeteria offering cheap/affordable meals to students on either the U of A North Campus in Edmonton, nor Augustana Campus in Camrose. There are numerous food options available on campus, as selection and the number of options appears to be valued over simplicity and cost. This includes a private company that is contracted to provide dining hall cafeteria meals to residents who must buy a meal plan.

This is part of the experience is finding out how another society operates. While you are welcome to form opinions based on the facts, arguments of how something 'should' or 'should not' exist in the world do not change the reality of what is. So please allow us to explain how things work here, not because they are necessarily the best way of doing something, but because for reasons beyond any of our control, this is just how things go. 

This information is provided as a courtesy to prospective applicants, and is subject to change.

1. Research interns are responsible for their own housing/accommodation arrangements, including the payment of any rent, security deposit, or key replacement fee(s). The expectation is that you will independently use part of your award/scholarship funds. 
2. No funds are ever able to be sent ahead of a participant's arrival in Canada. Only after you have arrived in Canada and have completed campus check-in procedures are we allowed to disburse award/scholarship funds. No exceptions.
3. Award/scholarship funds disbursed by ß÷ßäÉçÇø are typically given in two separate installments. The first is shortly after arrival, to assist with immediate settlement costs and necessary travel expenses you've incurred prior to your arrival. The second installment is approximately halfway through your research internship. Any mandatory health insurance fees may be deducted from your total award, and the exact procedure varies by program.
4. You must be registered as an academic visitor (guest) on campus during your research stay, as you are not here to enroll in courses as a student, so this saves you from having to pay mandatory tuition and fees to the ß÷ßäÉçÇø. There are pros and cons to this. Please keep reading for some examples.
5. As a ß÷ßäÉçÇø community member, you will be given the option to sign up and pay a monthly fee of ~$24.50 for access to the gym/swimming pools/recreational facilities. This is because academic visitors (guests) are not charged the normal mandatory term access fees that ß÷ßäÉçÇø students must pay for various facilities and services, such as the gym/swimming pools/climbing walls. The monthly fee works out to be nearly equal to what a ß÷ßäÉçÇø student pays per term to access the same facilities.
6. As an academic visitor (guest), you are not eligible for UPass, which is a bundled deal on transit for students that they pay for in mandatory term fees. Since you are not charged the normal student UPass fees per term that ß÷ßäÉçÇø students must pay, you are not eligible to opt-in or receive a UPass. You do have the option to individually purchase an adult Arc card for local public transit if you choose to take the bus or LRT on a frequent basis. Again, to be clear, this is not free for students. Students just pay ahead of time, per term, in advance through their university tuition and fees for the UPass. Your research visit may not even align nicely with our term schedule, so you can choose to spend ~$100 per month on transit and live further from campus, or you can choose to put that ~$100 per month towards a rental unit closer to campus that you can walk to.   

While more specific and current details are provided to successful applicants who are offered a placement, some basic information is outlined below so that you can make an informed decision before making the commitment to apply to any of our programs.

Research interns are responsible for their own housing/accommodation arrangements, including the payment of any rent, security deposit, or key replacement fee(s) from your award/scholarship funds. ß÷ßäÉçÇø staff are not able to act as a guarantor, or send any of your award/scholarship funds to a landlord on your behalf. 

On-Campus Housing is only available during specific periods of the summer (typically May-August, exact dates vary) in certain buildings such as Edmonton North Campus Lister Centre's Summer Accommodation, or the Ravine Complex at Augustana Campus in Camrose. Please be aware that academic visitors are ineligible for traditional dormitories reserved through student housing, and you should not attempt to fill out any online student housing application for a dormitory on-campus unless the reservation form or instructions have been provided to you directly by the Internship Coordinator.

Find Off-Campus Housing

It is very important that interns start searching for a place to stay before arriving. Most interns arrange at least short-term housing for the first few days before they arrive, and then look for longer-term housing once they are here. Many interns even find their long-term accommodations ahead of time, but it is better to undercommit and be able to adjust things after arrival, rather than paying a lot in advance and being locked into a place that you later find out isn't suitable or the best fit for you.

The temporary accommodations listed below are being highlighted because they are relatively inexpensive compared to other local options and/or have a great location near campus:

• off Whyte Avenue in Old Strathcona

• Uß÷ßäÉçÇø Conference Services Short-Term Accommodation

• on Whyte Avenue in Old Strathcona

• on Whyte Avenue in Old Strathcona

#1 Rule - Please be very skeptical and overly cautious with any request from a landlord or rental agency to send money to them online, sight unseen! Many fraudulent scams and various schemes exist to trick otherwise smart people into sending money based on perceived urgency or other factors.