New International Grad Students

For questions about your coverage as an international student, head first to the International Centre for Students’ website.

• Most new international students are automatically enrolled in the guard.me@UVic plan when they register in a course at UVic. Coverage is valid for the first four months at UVic, and is meant to cover students during the waiting period while they apply for the BC Medical Services Plan.
  • Find more information about guard.me (MTMI), including opting out, enrolling family members in emergency coverage, etc.
  • Need guard.me help?
    
    
• International students must submit a BC MSP enrolment application when they arrive in Canada. (You will not be eligible if you are in Canada for less than 6 months, however.)
  • Find more info about eligibility and enrolment.
  • Have questions about MSP?
    
    
• All UVic graduate students need comprehensive coverage, i.e. both basic and extended health insurance. 
  For more info about what comprehensive coverage means, and information about the GSS Extended Health & Dental coverage, explore our Health & Dental pages. For more information about our coverage, please see our Benefit Booklet for the current year.
  
  
• Need coverage for eligible prescription drugs, medical supplies and pharmacy services not covered by your primary and extended health insurance? Visit Fair PharmaCare.
  
  
• Looking for health & wellness providers? See our list of campus & local resources, or the International Student Centre’s list of care available for specific services and groups.

• If you have questions about study permits, work authorization, or are looking for pre-arrival support, you must contact the International Centre for Students. No one at the GSS is legally allowed to discuss anything to do with immigration with students, and we will always redirect students to the ICS for the best information.
  
  
• The ICS has a team of international student advisers (ISAs) — regulated immigration practitioners who provide non-academic support and immigration advice for international undergraduate and graduate students.
  
  
• The ICS offers drop-in immigration advising appointments.
  • Make sure you have the following information ready:
    • Student number or UVic OneCard.
    • original or copy of your Canadian temporary resident documents (e.g., study permit, work permit, temporary resident visa) and passport
    • any other relevant documents you have that may be needed for the consultation
    • your list of questions
      
      
• The international student advisors (ISAs) cannot complete your immigration applications for you or advise on permanent residence (PR) programs. Students seeking immigration representation or PR consultations should consider hiring an authorized immigration representative.

Please reach out to the International Centre for Students regarding Exchange Programs — their Exchange Team coordinates and supports student exchanges, incoming and outgoing, and their Exchange advisers are available to support and guide prospective and current exchange students on a first come, first-served basis.

To schedule an in-person or online advising appointment, please email goglobal@uvic.ca or phone them at +1-250-721-6361. 

You can also visit the International Centre for Students (Jamie Cassels Centre, room B202d) between 9am and 4:30pm. Drop-in advising cannot be guaranteed and is based on advisers’ availability. 

• The UVic Global Community (GC) initiative provides opportunities and creates space for international and domestic students, staff and faculty to share perspectives, celebrate diversity, foster intercultural connections and cultivate an inclusive and globally-minded campus.

• GC runs a Bi-Weekly Social Drop-In where you can connect with others, play games, drink tea, and enjoy baking and treats.

• GC also runs the Conversation Partners Program, Mentorship Program, and maintains a wonderful Event Calendar, full of opportunities to connect with people from around the world and have fun. 

• The best way to stay connected with Global Community is via their Facebook page, where all events and activities are posted.

Find how you can connect with the UVic campus, get your identification (including Provincial ID and International Student Identity Card), open a bank account, set up your cellphone, and more on the ICS website.

Find information about on-campus and off-campus housing here.