Current Student

After successful completion of an eligible post-secondary or graduate program at NBCC, international students may apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The length of the permit depends on how long you studied in Canada, ranging from eight (8) months to three (3) years. You can see how the duration of the PGWP is calculated at this IRCC website. 

There are other criteria that you must meet to remain eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP), including being a full-time student during every term of your program (with the exception of your final semester) and completing no more than 50% of your studies via distance learning (online).

Please visit the following IRCC website often as it is regularly updated with potential changes to policy and procedure.

If you think your eligibility for the PGWP might have been or will be affected by a change in academic delivery due to COVID-19, you should review the updates from IRCC regarding the temporary delivery changes to support international students affected by COVID-19 .

All NBCC campuses have library services with books and periodicals, as well as audio-visual resources. Electronic databases which index and provide full text information from periodicals and reference materials are also located in the library.  Internet access is available in libraries and computer labs and in some classrooms. Hours of operation depend on the campus. 

Student Success Week is a week-long break from classes that happens three times per year (October, February, and April) at NBCC. During these weeks there are no classes, however, campuses remain open. You can find Student Success Week dates for each term on our NBCC Academic Calendar. 

From an immigration perspective, Student Success Week is considered a scheduled break from your studies. If you have the appropriate work authorization statements on your study permit and meet all eligibility requirements to work in Canada, you are able to work full-time on a scheduled break from classes, including Student Success Week. The definition of full-time work for immigration purposes, including information regarding working overtime or for different employers, can be found here. 

It is important to note that you must be a full-time student both before and after the break, and have all necessary work authorizations, to work full-time. 

Yes, you may be eligible to receive credit transfer or credit equivalency based on for learning completed at a recognized post-secondary institution or based on work or life experience. For information about how to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), please visit the NBCC RPL website.

NBCC does not have on-campus student housing, and all of our students live within the communities where they are studying.

For more information on housing options, and our campus communities, please visit our website at the link below.

https://nbcc.ca/student-services/housing 

NBCC’s International Education Office is accessible via email at International@nbcc.ca. Please reach out to your Team at your convenience for assistance. Emails are generally returned within 1 to 3 business days. 

Use the View Course Profile search feature on the RPL portal to find an NBCC course profile: https://helpdesk.nbcc.ca/CherwellPortal/RPLPortal

Click this link to watch a tutorial on using this feature: https://youtu.be/WtKFgbHL03E

Remember: Course profiles are subject to change. To view the most up-to-date version of the profile, you must use the search feature on the RPL Portal. Do not rely on downloaded copies.

NBCC is proud to provide all international students with the GuardMe insurance plan. This plan is mandatory for all incoming international students. NBCC strongly recommends all international students maintain this coverage throughout their studies in case emergency medical assistance is required. For more information on this plan, please visit our website at the link below.  

https://nbcc.ca/student-services/health-dental-insurance 

Enrollment in the GuardMe insurance plan will take place on Monday before the first day of classes of a student’s first term. Upon enrollment, students will receive an enrollment notice from GuardMe containing details about their coverage dates and options to opt out. Students will also receive their policy number and be able to download their coverage card after the opt out deadline each term (see below). 

Optional Dependent Coverage: A student can choose to enroll their dependents in this plan by contacting GuardMe after the opt out deadline has passed and they have received their policy number. Should a student need to enroll their dependents prior to that date, they should contact international@nbcc.ca. 

Optional Opt-Out: Opt-out requests will be received for 10 days at the beginning of a student’s first and second term of study in each academic year. Please review the Academic Calendar for deadlines.  

https://nbcc.ca/admissions/academic-calendar 

Opt-out requests must be submitted via the link below during the opt-out period and include proof of valid New Brunswick Medicare coverage.  

https://nbcc.ca/international/GuardmeOptOut 

Fee Adjustments: Students who successfully opt-out of the GuardMe insurance plan will receive a credit to their student account within 45 days of the opt-out deadline.  

All students with an active New Brunswick Medicare card are required to have the Annual Excursion policy as it will cover travel-related expenses that Medicare will not. Therefore, students cannot be excluded from this part of the coverage.

Tuition and fee refunds may be available for students who withdraw early from their program. Neither the application fee, or confirmation deposit paid for an admissions offer are refundable fees.  Important dates related to requesting a refund for are available in the academic calendar.

To request a refund, please download the Request for Refund form available in your Student Self-Service.

Note for International Students 

Refunds are NOT calculated based on study permit/visa status.  

You must apply before the expiration of your study permit if you would like to continue studying in Canada. NBCC recommends you apply approximately three months before the expiry date on your study permit, to allow for processing time. If you apply for a study permit extension before the expiry date of your current study permit, you are able to continue studying and working under the same conditions until a decision is made on your application. This is called maintained status. 

For more information and resources on study permit extensions, please visit: https://nbcc.ca/international/visas-permits-and-immigration

If you have previously attended a post-secondary institution in New Brunswick, check the Council on Articulations and Transfer of New Brunswick (CATNB) credit transfer portal  to identify credit transfers that you may be eligible to receive at NBCC. CATNB was developed by the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour in collaboration with NB post-secondary institutions.

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the data in the CATNB credit transfer portal, errors may occur and it is your responsibility to verify this information. The listing of credit transfers in this portal in no way guarantees the granting of credit in a specific situation, as other factors may apply.

Most NBCC communications will be through email. It is important to ensure you have a valid email address on file and to verify this email account regularly for updates to your status and NBCC events. Please ensure that your email security settings for our NBCC email addresses are set properly to guarantee they are delivered to your inbox.

At NBCC we certainly understand that paying for college can be challenging.  For this reason we are proud to offer our students a variety of scholarships, awards, and bursaries to help off-set the costs while they pursue their studies.  Each scholarship, award, and bursary have varying application requirements and staggered award delivery.  Amounts for each opportunity also vary, and therefore we encourage all of our students and future students to review the information posted at the links below, and apply for as many opportunities as possible.  There are no entrance or admissions scholarships available prior to the start of a program at NBCC. 

https://nbcc.ca/scholarships-bursaries-awards 

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has gathered all of the information about temporary policy changes due to COVID-19 at this link.

If a student completes more than one program from NBCC within 2 years, the length of the post-graduation work permit (PGWP) will combine the total duration of both programs. If a student takes two one-year certificates, they may be eligible for a three year PGWP. Please note that each program of study must meet all PGWP eligibility requirements and be at least 8 months in length. You can further review this information at this link.

To learn more about the PGWP, please refer to these resources:

https://nbcc.ca/international/visas-permits-and-immigration/working-in-canada

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/work/after-graduation/eligibility.html

If you lose your study permit you will need to apply for a replacement document. If this happens to you, you may continue studying in Canada, but you should not leave the country, until a copy of a valid study permit has been sent to you.

You can learn more at this link. Please note: you will be required to submit a police report to declare your lost document.

If you have not applied for an extension before your study permit expires, you must stop studying (and working) immediately. You will need to apply for a study permit restoration within 90 days of the expiry date. Failure to do so has very serious consequences and you may be removed from Canada. Learn more about restoration at this site. If you are in this situation, please contact NBCC’s International Immigration Advisor.

If you have applied to extend your study permit prior to the expiry date, you have maintained status. Learn more about maintained status here.

For more information please visit: https://nbcc.ca/international/visas-permits-and-immigration/lists/international-students/study-permits. 

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has gathered all of the information about temporary policy changes due to COVID-19 at this link.