Students Studying in Canada Late Arrival and Deferral Policies for Winter/Spring 2025

Northeastern University is committed to sharing with our students the most up-to-date information possible regarding study permits and ongoing travel restrictions. Please know that we will work diligently to provide comprehensive advice, process all requests, and advocate for the needs of our students. 

If you have been approved a study permit and a TRV/eTA, you are expected to arrive by the first day of class. 

We understand that some students may experience delays in their study permit processing. Each college has its own policies regarding late arrivals and deferrals, so please make sure you are aware of the correct information below for your program. 

If you do not have a study permit approved by the relevant deferral deadline, or if you are not confident that you will be able to arrive on campus for classes by the Late Arrival Date, you are advised to defer before the deferral deadlines. 

College of Professional Studies

Program Start Date: January 6th, 2025

Late Arrival Date: No Late Arrivals – you must arrive by January 6th, 2025

Course Drop Deadline: January 19th, 2025*

*Students who do not drop their courses by the drop deadline of January 19^th run the risk of being financially liable and taking a ‘W’ grade on their transcript.

Deferral Deadline: February 5th, 2025

How to request a deferral: You can submit a deferral through your Applicant’s Portal by Submitting a Request.

Khoury College of Computer Science

Program Start Date: January 6th, 2025

Late Arrival Date: January 19th, 2025

Deferral Deadline: January 27th, 2025

How to request a deferral:  Email [email protected] 

College of Science

Program Start Date: January 6th, 2025

Late Arrival Date: No Late Arrivals – you must arrive by January 6th, 2025

Deferral Deadline: January 6th, 2025

How to request a deferral: Deferrals should be requested through your Slate Application Status Page, and students can contact [email protected] with any questions.

College of Engineering

Program Start Date: January 6th, 2025

Late Arrival Date: January 20th, 2025

Deferral Deadline: January 27th, 2025

How to request a deferral: Email [email protected] 

College of Arts, Media and Design

Program Start Date: No Winter/Spring Intake

Late Arrival Date: No Winter/Spring Intake

Deferral Deadline: No Winter/Spring Intake

How to request a deferral: Email [email protected] 

Definitions:

Program Start Date: The date that your program begins, you should already be in Canada by this day.

Late Arrival Date: Some colleges may allow late arrivals. The Late Arrival Date is the latest day that you are allowed to arrive in Canada. If you cannot arrive by this date, then you need to defer your studies to the next available intake. 

Deferral Deadline: If you are not able to arrive in Canada by the Program Start Date or the Late Arrival Date, then you can defer your studies to the next available intake for your program. You must request a deferral before the Deferral Deadline date.

Deferral Contact: If you decide to defer your studies, this is who you will need to contact to request it.

No Late Arrivals: You must arrive in Canada to start your program by the Program Start Date, there are no exceptions.

Q: I submitted my study permit application and I am still waiting for my study permit approval.  When can I expect that approval? 

Please see here for the processing time posted by IRCC. 

 Q: What should I do if my Study Permit is approved late?

If your study permit is approved too late for you to arrive in time to start your program by your Program Start Date or Late Arrival Date, you will need to request to defer your program start to the next intake. Make sure to submit your deferral request on the application portal by the deadline set for your program. You can check all the Late Arrival and Deferral policies for your start term. You are not allowed to arrive late to start your program. 

A new POA and decision letter for your deferred start will be available in your admission portal once your deferral request is approved by the admissions team.

You will need to upload your new POA to IRCC via webform and inform them that you received your study permit approval/visa/introduction letter, but you have deferred your study to the next intake due to late Visa approval – you may write a short letter of explanation to give these details and submit it along with the new POA and decision letter. When you travel to Canada, you should also ensure you take your old POA, new POA, introduction letter from IRCC and new decision letter.

If your study permit is approved close to the start of the term, or after the start of classes, you will not be permitted to join the program after the late arrival date, so please do not ask to reverse your deferral.

Q: I am a returning student. When shall I travel back to Canada after spending my scheduled break overseas? 

You may enter any time before your next term starts if you meet the travel requirements. If you cannot arrive back for the start of classes, please contact your Academic Advisor. If you are going to miss more than one or two classes, you may need to take a leave from your program as these are graduate programs and require attendance in all classes. 

Q: Can I start my program online while I’m waiting for the study permit to be approved? 

No, you cannot start your program online while you await your study permit. Students are expected to be physically on campus by the Late Arrival Date, if late arrival is allowed by their college. If a Late Arrival Date is not specified by your college, you should be on campus by the Program Start Date.  

Q: Do I have the option to prepay the first-year tuition fees to support my Study Permit/Visa application if I am NOT from an SDS country? 

Only SDS eligible students can be issued a first year tuition fee invoice. If you are not SDS eligible and you receive a specific request from IRCC asking for proof of payment of tuition after submitting your application, please submit an inquiry to OGS for further instructions. 

If your questions on traveling, study permit/TRV/e-TA applications, are not answered in the above, or online with our FAQ, you may submit an inquiry to OGS. Make sure you include your full name and student ID in the message, and please do not send inquiries to multiple recipients, as this will slow down our ability to respond to your request.

For questions related to your course registration, or to communicate your study plans, please contact your Academic Advisors as follows:

College of Computer Science Khoury: [email protected]

College of Engineering (COE): [email protected]

College of Professional Studies (CPS): [email protected]

College of Science (COS): [email protected]

College of Arts, Media, and Design (CAMD) [email protected]