International Students

Contents:

• University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP)

• Methods of Payment from Outside Canada

• International Fee Exemptions

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University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP)

A University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) premium of $756.00 is added to the account of all international students.  Coverage is from September 1, 2007 to August 31, 2008. UHIP is compulsory for all international students as well as recent permanent residents and returning Canadian citizens who are in their 3 month OHIP wait period.   

If you are an international student who is exempt from paying the international student fee (see the following section), you must still pay the UHIP premium of $756.00.

The UHIP charge for a single dependent is $108.00 per month or $1296.00 per year.  UHIP charges for dependents are not a part of the student account.  You must arrange dependent coverage directly with the UHIP office. Dependents (partner/spouse and/or children) are required to be enrolled in UHIP within 30 days of their arrival date in Canada  or else a $500.00 late application fee will be applied.

You may be eligible for a refund of part of the UHIP premium if:

• You complete your program by March 1, 2008 (a letter from your department will be required)
• You cancel your registration in the fall/winter session before March 1, 2008
• You receive OHIP coverage before June 30, 2008

Please contact the UHIP office in advance of completing your program, cancelling your registration or receiving OHIP, if you wish to apply for a refund.  Timing is very important and will affect the amount of refund you may receive.

For more information about coverage, visit the UHIP website at http://www.uhip.ca.  Visit the website of the International Student Centre at www.isc.utoronto.ca or contact the University's UHIP office at 33 St. George St. on the St. George campus; email uhip.information@utoronto.ca; telephone 416 978-0290.

Methods of Payment from Outside Canada 

University of Toronto students normally pay tuition at a branch of a financial institution (bank) in Canada. If you wish to make payment before you arrive in Canada , refer to the section Payments for information about making payment from outside Canada.

International Fee Exemptions  

If you are not a Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident, or a Native Person, you must pay the international student fee unless you are exempt in one of the categories defined below. If you qualify for and claim exemption under one of these provisions, you must present supporting documentation to your Registrar's Office at the beginning of the session. For all categories of exemption: Where the status of an exempt international student changes part way through his/her program of study due to circumstances beyond the student’s control (eg. the dependant of a diplomat whose parent is reassigned to another country), the student may continue as exempt until completion of that program.

'Status in Canada' Exemptions

All international students qualifying for exemption under these provisions pay the domestic fee:

• students who are (or who are dependents of, or who are staff members of) diplomatic or consular officers, or representatives or officials of other countries, or of the United Nations (or any of its agencies), or of any intergovernmental organizations of which Canada is a member, and who, with official accreditation from the Government of Canada, have entered Canada or are in Canada to carry out their official duties; or a member of a foreign military force or of a civilian component thereof, and any dependents of such personnel, admitted to Canada under the Visiting Forces Act. 
                                         
• students who are dependents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. 
                                         
• students who are (or who are dependents of) persons who have applied for permanent resident status may qualify for exemption if they have met all the preliminary immigration requirements for permanent resident status (i.e. have received preliminary/provisional acceptance/approval, or approval-in-principle). 
                                         
• students who are (or who are dependents of) visitors who are authorized to work in Canada having been issued a work permit.  Note 1) Visitors who are graduate teaching or research assistants are excluded from this category. Note 2) Students holding the Citizenship & Immigration Canada Off-Campus Work Permit are not eligible for this exemption.
                                         
• students who are (or who are dependents of) persons who: a)have been determined to be protected persons, including Convention refugees or persons in need of protection; b) are refugee claimants who applied to the Federal Government for Convention Refugee status prior to January 1, 1989. 
                                         
• students participating in an Ontario government-sponsored exchange agreement (e.g. participants in the Ontario-Jiangsu Academic Exchange Agreement between the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training and the Higher Education Bureau of Jiangsu Province, China). 
                                       

Note 1.  For purposes of this document, a dependent of a person includes his/her: a) spouse, b) unmarried child, or c) spouse's unmarried child. Dependent status must be fully documented and must have been established for a minimum of three years. 
                               

Note 2.  Please note that these provisions are paraphrased from the Ontario Operating Funds Distribution Manual which is the authoritative document in any dispute over fee level. Consult your Registrar with any questions or problems.

Status Changes

If your status in Canada changes during the session, you may become exempt under one of the 'Status in Canada ' exemptions listed. If you do, your fees will be adjusted in the current session, provided the status change occurs:

• Before November 1 in the fall session, or
• Before February 1 in the winter session

You must report your status change and present supporting documents to your Registrar prior to the above deadlines.  However, if a status change effective before these dates is reported with a minor delay, fee adjustments may still be possible. Consult your Registrar.