International Tuition Fee Status Changes

Deadlines to submit exemption request:

Conditions:

To be considered for an exemption under one of the approved categories, you must submit official documentation to the Office of the University Registrar by the deadline dates indicated above.  Exceptions to deadlines will not be permitted and retroactive fee changes for previous study periods will not be granted. Your documentation must be valid for the entirety of your studies.  If your documentation contains an expiry date, it is your responsibility to bring updated documentation to the Office of the University Registrar, otherwise, your exemption will expire.

Where changes to federal legislation regarding immigration and refugee status are in conflict with the fee exemption eligibility requirements described in this document, federal legislation is to take precedence.

For all categories of individuals who are exempt from paying international student tuition fees, the status they hold (e.g., permanent resident, protected person, Convention refugee, worker) that enables them to be eligible for exemption is to be valid and their permits/documents current during the academic period for which they have sought exemption. Otherwise, they will be subject to international student tuition fees.
 

Policies and criteria for Immigration Status and Status Changes are guided by the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities Operating Funds Distribution Manual and are subject to change at any time.

Categories of individuals exempt from international student tuition fees are as follows:

1. Canadian citizens. A citizen of Canada within the meaning of the Citizenship Act, or a person registered as Indigenous within the meaning of the Indian Act.

2. Permanent residents. A permanent resident within the meaning of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act:

• A person who has been granted “permanent resident” status and has not had that status revoked; or
• A person who has met all the preliminary requirements for permanent resident status and presents a copy of the letter which confirms that Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada has accepted his or her application for permanent resident status.

3. Protected persons (Convention refugee). A protected person is a person on whom refugee protection is conferred under subsection (1), and whose claim or application has not subsequently been deemed to be rejected under subsection 108(3), 109(3), or 114(4). Refugee protection is conferred on a person when:

• The person has been determined to be a Convention refugee or a person in similar circumstances under a visa application and becomes a permanent resident under the visa or a temporary resident under a temporary resident permit for protection reasons
• The Board determines the person to be a Convention refugee or a person in need of protection or
• Except in the case of a person described in subsection 112(3), the minister allows an application for protection.

4. A person who is a spouse or dependent family member* of a Canadian Citizen or a permanent resident

5. Official visitor and spouse or dependent family members* and staff who, with official accreditation from Global Affairs Canada, has entered Canada or is in Canada to carry out official duties:

• As a diplomatic agent or consular officer; or
• As a government-accredited representative or official of a country other than Canada, of the United Nations or any of its agencies, or of any intergovernmental organizations of which Canada is a member.
• A spouse or dependent family member or a member of the staff of any such official visitor is also exempt from international student tuition fees.

6. A visitor and spouse or dependent family members* who is authorized to work in Canada having been issued a work permit**.

7. Foreign military and spouse or dependent family members*: a member of a foreign military force or a civilian component thereof, admitted to Canada under the Visiting Forces Act, and the family members of such personnel.

**Eligible work permits must name a specific employer (closed) situated in Canada

The following students are not exempt from international student tuition fees:

• A visitor who is a graduate teaching assistant
• An international student holding a work permit for post-graduation work (usually up to three years of work opportunities upon graduation)
• An international student holding a work permit to complete his/her co-op or internship or medical residency employment
• An international student whose spouse or common-law partner has received a work permit as a result of the international student holding a valid study permit
• An international student holding an off-campus work permit allowing them to work up to 20 hours a week at paid employment and full-time during scheduled breaks, for example, during the summer and holiday breaks, and reading week off-campus

Individuals who have an “invitation” to apply for permanent resident status in Canada are also ineligible. To meet the permanent resident exemption, one must have met all the preliminary requirements for permanent resident status and present a copy of the letter which confirms that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has accepted his or her application for permanent resident status.

Students belonging to one of the categories described above in the Students Eligible for Exemption section are eligible to pay domestic tuition fees. If you belong to one of these categories, you must present official documentation to the Office of the University Registrar by following the steps in the How to Submit section. Refer to the table below for the required documentation based on your eligibility category.

Students who are eligible and have the necessary supporting documentation available can email their request and the outlined documentation to solus@queensu.ca

Your email must:

• Be sent from your Queen’s University email account,
• Have the subject “Tuition Status Change Request”,
• Include your full name and student number in the body of the email,
• Include the category you are seeking exemption under (ie. Canadian Citizen, Official Visitor, Foreign worker, etc.),
• Include all outlined documents for your category as outlined above.

A Family member is defined as consistent with the regulations under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for purposes of exemption as:

• A spouse or common-law partner
• A dependent child, or the dependent child of a spouse or common-law partner
• A dependent child of the dependent child referred to above

A dependent child is a child who is a biological child who has not been adopted by a person other than the spouse or common-law partner, or an adopted child, and who is in one of the following situations of dependency:

• Under age 22 and not a spouse or common-law partner; or
• 22 years of age or older, has depended substantially on the financial support of the parent since before the age of 22 and is unable to support themselves financially due to a physical or mental condition. (The financial dependency must have been ongoing since before the age of 22. It is not necessary for the physical or mental condition to have existed before the age of 22.)

A protected person is defined as a person on whom refugee protection is conferred under subsection (1), and whose claim or application has not subsequently been deemed to be rejected under subsection 108(3), 109(3) or 114(4).
Refugee protection is conferred on a person when:

• The person has been determined to be a Convention refugee or a person in similar circumstances under a visa application and becomes a permanent resident under the visa or a temporary resident under a temporary resident permit for protection reasons
• The Board determines the person to be a Convention refugee or a person in need of protection or
• Except in the case of a person described in subsection 112(3), the minister allows an application for protection