Events | Updates | Tips | Community 

April-May 2025 | Edition 22

The International Centre Student Newsletter is delivered in the third week of each month.  

In this issue

• International Centre Events & Programs
• Immigration Updates
• Tips & Reminders
• UM Community Events

International Centre Events & Programs

Immigration updates 

The International Centre

International Student Advisors (ISAs) are available for in person and virtual appointments. To book an appointment with one of our student advisors visit our Waitwell booking site. For more information on our drop-in advising schedule, please check our website.

Need a new visitor visa (temporary resident visa)? 

If you are planning on travelling outside of Canada during summer and need to apply for a new visitor visa, then you may want to review important information on our website about how to apply for a new visitor visa from inside of Canada. IRCC recommends applying for a new visitor visa at least 2 months before you leave Canada, and not to leave Canada until you get your visitor visa. It is also recommended that you don’t book a plane ticket until you have received your new visitor visa.

Finishing your program in the Winter 2025 term:

If you are completing your program requirements during the Winter 2025 term and have declared graduation for May/June, then you may be considering applying for the post-graduation work permit (PGWP). Review our website for detailed information about who is eligible to apply for the PGWP, what documents to include, and step-by-step instructions on submitting an online application for a PGWP. In addition, the Registrar’s Office has helpful information about how to request a document confirming that you have completed your program requirements, as well as official transcript. Reminder: As of November 1, 2024, all PGWP applicants must provide proof of language ability with their application. Learn more about the new language requirements here.

Working during the Summer 2025 term:

Some international students may be eligible to work full-time hours during the Summer term. UM students in undergraduate (UG) programs who aren’t required to register in the Summer term and for whom Summer is an optional term may be eligible to work full-time hours in the Summer term, regardless of their course load. To be eligible, a student must have been registered in a full-time UM course load before the Summer term and must be confident that they will register in a full-time UM course load after the Summer term. Any international students for whom Summer is not an optional term (e.g. Master’s and PhD students, UG students in the College of Nursing, etc.) are only eligible to work up to 24 hours/week off-campus during the Summer term, as it’s not a break for those programs. Please refer to our full-time status document to confirm if the Summer term is optional for your program. Remember – it is always your responsibility to ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria to work on or off-campus and don’t work more hours than you’re allowed to. Review our website for more information of working in Canada as an international student.

Application Processing Times

Estimated processing times for permits and visas are reported on the IRCC website. You can find the processing time for a specific application here. Processing time estimates are updated weekly. As of March 5, 2025, the estimated processing times are as follows for online applications:

• Study Permit extension: 120 days
• Work Permit (co-op work permit, post-graduation work permit): 121 days
• Visitor Visa (Temporary Resident Visa): 14 days

You may need to give your fingerprints and photo (biometrics) with your application. The processing times do not include additional time to give your biometrics.

Tips and Reminders

Important Dates 

• April 11- 25, 2025 - Winter Term examinations and tests
• April 18, 2025 - University Closed for Good Friday
• May 5, 2025 - First day of classes for May-June and May-August courses
• May 8, 2025 - Last day to register for May-June and May-August 6 credit courses
• May 8, 2025 - Last day to DROP May-June and May-August 6 credit courses without financial penalty
• May 15, 2025 - Last day to DROP May-August 3 credit courses without financial penalty
• May 19, 2025 - University closed for Victoria Day

View more dates online.

Cycling in Winnipeg

Cycling is fun, good for the environment and great exercise. However, before you make cycling part of your daily commute to work, school or anywhere that involves traveling with traffic, you need to make sure you’re comfortable with your bike, you understand the rules of the road and you have the right gear. Read more about safe cycling here: Cycling 101.

Safety for kids: In Manitoba, it’s the law that cyclists under 18 wear a properly fitted and fastened helmet. Parents or guardians are responsible for making sure children wear a bicycle helmet and can be ticketed under The Highway Traffic Act. 

Basic traffic laws: In Manitoba, the laws that regulate cyclists are contained in The Highway Traffic Act. In summary, those laws include:

• Do not ride on the sidewalk.
• Obey traffic control signals and signs.
• Ride as closely to the right curb as possible.
• Use hand signals and eye contact to communicate.
• Do not weave between parked cars – ride in a straight line.
• Ride single file when riding with other cyclists.
• Don’t carry anything that is large enough to affect your ability to maintain safe control and balance of the bicycle.
• Do not operate a bicycle when you have been drinking alcohol.

Hazards: Coming out of winter, you will notice the roads are quite messy before street cleaning begins. Be cautious of loose material such as sand and gravel on the roads that make it slippery. It could cause you to fall while turning or breaking - make sure to reduce your speed and grip your handlebars firmly. 

Try to avoid crossing rough surfaces such as bumps, broken pavement or potholes.

Community Updates

Work Study Job opportunity 

Work with Spiritual Care at the Bannatyne Campus as a Multi-Faith Centre Program Assistant

In this role, the successful applicant would be working 14 hours per week to assist with the launch of services, including the planning and promotion of programming, hosted in the newly created Multi-Faith Centre at the Bannatyne Campus. This role requires the successful candidate to work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team, but also independently as direct supervisor is primarily located on the Fort Garry campus.
Read more on Work Study Job Postings.