Leave of absence

International students must remain compliant with study permit conditions as per R220.1 from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). To comply with R220.1, students must:

Be enrolled at a DLI
Remain enrolled at a DLI, and
Be actively pursuing their course or program of study

There may be circumstances where students may be required to take a leave from studies. In order to be in compliance with R220.1, the leave must be an authorized leave of absence. An authorized leave of absence allows international students to take a leave from studies for up to a maximum of 150 days, due to specific reasons outlined by IRCC. If approved, you will receive a leave of absence letter which may be used to explain gaps in study to IRCC. Please refer to the process outlined below depending on your level of study at Ontario Tech.

Important to note: You cannot work on or off-campus during an authorized leave from your study program, even if your study permit says that you are allowed to work in Canada.

Deadline: The deadline to submit a leave of absence request is no later than 10 business days into the start of the affected semester.

Contact an International Student Advisor for further information and support.

How to apply

Undergraduate Students
1. Contact iss@ontariotechu.ca to request the Undergraduate Leave of Absence Request form.
2. Submit the application.
3. Book an appointment with an International Student Advisor to review your request.
Note: If you have questions regarding how a leave of absence will affect your program map, contact your academic advisor.
Graduate Students
1. Go to MyOntarioTech.
2. Select the Current Students box.
3. Scroll down to the Graduate Studies section.
4. Select Leave of absence request.
Note: If you have questions regarding the graduate leave of absence request process or how a leave will affect your program map, contact gradsupport@ontariotechu.ca.