Accepted International Students

Congratulations on being accepted into the George Brown College family.

Important Dates

First, you should identify and remember any upcoming important dates and deadlines for your program. Visit the Important Dates page to see what is upcoming across the college or select your semester below to see dates specific to this time.

Important Dates

Select your semester below to view your important dates.

For a more detailed PDF copy of all the information you need click the download button below. 

Spring 2024 New Student Guide

For a more detailed PDF copy of all the information you need click the download button below. 

Fall 2024 New Student Guide

Next Steps

Pay Fees & Accept Offer

PAY FEES & ACCEPT OFFER 

  • Login to your account to pay your fees by the deadline date indicated on your Letter of Acceptance. You must accept your offer to confirm your seat or your offer will expire. If paying by electronic bank transfer, you must also accept your offer on the Online Application System for International students (OAS) 
  • Only school fees should be sent to the college as all funds received by the College will automatically be credited to your tuition fees. The refund process to retrieve fees sent to the College for expenses other than school fees takes around 6 weeks to process or longer during peak periods plus a $100 charge. 
  • If you have deferred your program from previous semesters and already have payment in a George Brown College account, you are still required to login to accept your offer for the term.  

Payment by bank transfer is only available for payments sent from outside Canada. Online payment by credit card (MasterCard/Visa/Visa Debit/MasterCard Debit) is also another option. 

Important:  

You must Accept your Offer on the Online Application System. Your seat will not be reserved if you only pay but forget to Accept. 

Please note that acceptance and payment do not automatically register you in your program. Follow the steps in the section below to register for your courses. 

Apply for Study/Work Permit

Apply for your Study Permit: 

With the evolving Covid-19 pandemic, we recommend that students and applicants stay up to date with any immigration policy changes that relate to the current situation. Please visit the Canadian government website.for more information.  

You must have a valid Study Permit (Visa) to study at George Brown College. Apply for your Study Permit / Visa at the Canadian Embassy, High Commission, or Consulate nearest you using your Offer Letter & receipt of payment. Students currently holding a study permit/visa and transferring from high school/secondary level are now allowed by IRCC to study at post-secondary institutions as long as the Study Permit is still valid. 

Protected Persons, Refugee Claimants, or Convention Refugees are required to obtain a study permit for engaging in academic, professional, vocational or other education or training that is more than 6 months in duration. If a program takes more than 6 months to complete, students must have a study permit before beginning their program at George Brown College. Convention refugees and protected persons are permitted to pay domestic fees. Refugee claimants are required to pay international fees until they receive a “notice of decision” or have an employer-specific work permit (in which case, they can pay domestic fees). 

All Study Permit applicants must record the George Brown College Designated Learning Institution (DLI) Number O19283850612 on their study permit applications. (Note that the first character of the DLI number is a capital letter O and not a zero).

Visa-exempt foreign nationals are expected to have an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to or transit through Canada. Exceptions include U.S. citizens, and travelers with a valid Canadian visa. Information on how to apply for an eTA can be found on the government of Canada’s official website to apply for an eTA.  

Apply for your Work Permit, if required for your program: 

A work permit is a document required by IRCC before international students can start their field placement, work placement, externship, practicum or volunteer work, even if these placements are unpaid or located within the George Brown College premises. We strongly encourage you to apply for a Work Permit at the same time as your Study Permit, especially if your program requires a work placement during the 1st or 2nd semester. Students without appropriate Work Permit will not be able to do the required placement and will not be able to graduate from the program. 

Students in programs that require placements involving long term care homes/facilities, onsite or offsite clinics/hospital settings and/or interaction with families and children in Canada, such as School of Dental Health programs, Community Services & Early Childhood programs, Social & Community Services programs, Health Sciences programs, H402 (Food & Nutrition Management), and C137 (Assaulted Women’s & Children’s Counsellor/Advocate) are required by the IRCC to undergo a medical exam by a Panel Physician.   

Medical exams performed by a Panel Physician are valid for up to 12 months. If you completed a medical exam for your visa application and it is still valid, you may be able to submit proof of this medical with your application for a co-op work permit. The IRCC medical exam is in addition to completing the mandatory program-specific pre-placement health forms which may be required by your academic department, visit the placement webpage for details. For more information on how to find a panel physician visit the Government of Canada website and choose your country or region. 

Work permit processing takes longer if done within Canada. Processing will be even longer if you are required by IRCC to undergo medical exam by Panel Physicians. Additional costs apply as these are not covered by Health/Medical Insurance. Be sure to check the Canadian immigration website for processing times.  

Complete additional Medical and Police Clearances, if required for your program:

For clinical/work placements for Community Services & Early Childhood Education, Health Sciences, H402 (Food & Nutrition Management), H119 (Culinary Management—Nutrition, if placed in a healthcare setting) and C137 (Assaulted Women’s and Children’s Counsellor/ Advocate) programs, you are required to complete a separate medical exam and a Police Vulnerable Sector Check (PVSC) in Ontario before any placement can begin. Please see the full-time programs requisite health form requirements for details. 

For any questions on these additional requirements, contact Suzette Martinuzzi at 1-416-415-5000 ext. 3415 between 8 am – 4 pm or by email at smartinu@georgebrown.ca

You are responsible to know what your program placement requirements are and complete these prior to your placement. Students without appropriate clearances requirements will not be able to do the required placements or graduate from the program. 

Early Childhood Program Pre-Placement Requirements:

Students in Early Childhood Programs must refer to the individual program requirements for their Pre-Placement requirements. For more information on these requirements, please email ece@georgebrown.ca

Special note on programs with Work Integrated Learning components (co-op, externship, internship, field placements etc.)

We are waiting for further direction from the government about timing, but we anticipate that all aspects of programs will be fulfilled before graduation. Please note that the timing of when certain components are completed may shift depending on guidelines from public health officials. 

Register for your Courses

Reset Your Password:  

You are required to reset your password immediately upon receipt of your letter of acceptance. To do so, you will need to log in to service.georgebrown.ca with the Student ID and Password you received on your Letter of Acceptance, create a new password and set-up some security questions. Your new password will be valid for one year and will expire automatically every year. 

Registration Procedure:  

To choose your courses in the program, you must register online. Check the registration start date for programs and respective semesters by going to STU-VIEW. If you register at the start of your registration period, you will be assured a seat in all courses required for the semester and you will have a better selection of courses and timetable. Use your Student ID number and Password to log on to STU-VIEW to register and choose your courses during the scheduled registration period. Follow the on-screen instructions. 

Password/Registration Help:  

If you have problems with your password or you are unable to log on to STU-VIEW or you have difficulty registering for courses, please call 1-416-415-2000 or 1-800-265-2002 for help. Press option 1, then press 0 to speak to an agent directly. You can also contact ask.george@georgebrown.ca for help. 

Activate your George Brown College Student E-mail Address:  

All George Brown students are given an email address which must be activated after registration of courses or just before the start of classes. Important notices from the College including your assignments from your teachers, and communications from College staff will be made through this George Brown e-mail account. You can activate your George Brown e-mail account online here. 

Arrange Placement Tests

Most post-secondary students are required to take the Placement Test for English or Math, or both, depending on individual program requirements. There is no fee for placement testing. 

There is a deadline date to take a Placement Test. However, for those still outside Canada, Placement Tests can be taken upon arrival prior to the start of the semester at the Assessment Centre at Casa Loma Campus or St. James Campus before classes start. If you do not take the Placement Test, you will be automatically placed in Foundation-level courses. The last day to take the Placement Test for English and/or Math for students who were automatically placed in Foundation course(s) is before the first day of the semester (first-year students only).

• You are not required to take the Placement test if:

  • You have already taken an Admissions Assessment (test) to be admitted to the College. For students who have already taken the Admissions Assessment, the results of that test will be used to place you in the appropriate English and Math courses

OR

  • You are applying for a Post-Graduate Certificate or Degree program

Placement Testing determines if you are ready to take the College-level courses in English and/or Math in the first semester, or if you need to take a Foundation level course first to further develop your skills. Therefore, the Placement Test is a very important part of your academic success.

Which programs require a placement test?

Please check the programs requiring placement testing at Placement Assessment by Program and arrange for your Placement Test(s) through Stu-View when registering for your courses. Plan to visit the Information about Assessment page at Assessment Preparation and Resources so that your test results place you in a course that reflects your skill level.

What if I have to take a foundation-level course?

If you are placed in a foundation-level course, the course will be automatically included in your timetable (in block-based programs) or will be available for registration through your Stu-View account (in course-based programs). Your placement into a foundation-level course will not affect your start in the program and you will still take your core courses scheduled for the semester.

Do I have to take a foundation-level course?

If you take and achieve the appropriate score on time, you may be exempted from foundation level and go straight to College-level English and/or math. If you get this exemption, you won’t have to pay any extra course fees.

What happens when I complete a foundation-level course?

Upon successful completion of your foundation-level course(s), you will be able to take College-level English and /or Math course(s). You will be charged a full course fee for the additional course(s) when you register for your College-level course, usually in Semester 2. This fee could vary but may range from $1,000–$1,500 for international students. If available, you may also be able to take an evening equivalent of this College-level course through the George Brown Continuing Education department at a lower fee. Please visit our Continuing Education website to check availability.

 

Plan your Arrival

Late Attendance:  

One, you must immediately withdraw from your program to avoid being charged one semester’s fees by going to the withdraw policy webpage to withdraw and or request a refund of fees paid less the administrative charge. Two, if you want to defer to the next available intake, notify your Admissions Officer immediately to receive instructions on how to defer your program. Deferral to a future term, however, does not guarantee you a seat as programs could already be closed due to the volume of applications received. Please note program deferrals to the next semester will not automatically withdraw you from already registered courses so it is very important to follow step one above.  

Accommodation in Toronto:  

Arrange for a place to stay in Toronto before arrival. If you do not have local friends or relatives to help you find a place, George Brown College has a student residence which you may want to consider applying for. For details, please go to the residence webpage. You may also want to consider staying with a Canadian family through a Homestay Program.  

Online Marketplace for Student Housing 

George Brown College has partnered with 4stay, an online marketplace for student housing. They help students, interns and professionals connect with local hosts, roommates and room providers, and they match the right guests with quality hosts. Search for thousands of stays around the campus as they have over 100,000 rooms, homes and homestays on their platform. 

Visit 4Stay to search for a listing. 

Airport Arrival:  

When you arrive at Canadian Immigration at the port of entry (i.e., airport in Canada), you will be issued your study permit and may be asked for the following documents:  

  • The letter of introduction from the visa office that you received when your study permit was approved (this contains your permit reference number, and the officer needs this letter to issue your study permit).  
  • Your passport and Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) if required;  
  • Copy of your acceptance letter from George Brown College;  
  • A list of any items that you are sending separately (i.e., not cleared personally on your date of arrival); and  
  • Proof that you have enough money to support yourself during your stay in Canada.  
  • Please be sure to retrieve your study permit before exiting the airport!  

Arrival Lobby:  

Pearson International Airport has two terminals but no matter which terminal you arrive in, the layout is quite similar. After completing Immigration and Customs procedures, you will enter the arrival lobby where you can be met by a friend, relative or representative from the homestay program (if you have arranged for optional airport pick-up with your homestay).  

Information Counter:  

If for some reason you do not connect with the person who is meeting you, there is also an information counter in the arrival lobby where you can page the person. Please look for a ? sign.  

Money Exchange:  

Ensure you get some Canadian cash and coins, particularly 25 cents coins (also called quarters) so you are able to use the phones and have some spending money. You can change money at the currency exchange booths located in the arrival lobby.  

Telephones:  

Located throughout the arrival lobby, you can call your contacts by using quarters, dimes and nickels.  

Transportation:  

If you did not arrange for someone to meet you at the airport and you know the address where you will be staying, there are taxi and airport limousine services right outside the arrival lobby. If you are taking a taxi or an airport limousine, show the address to the driver and ask how much the fare (cost) will be. Public transportation by buses that will connect you to a Subway system is also available outside the arrival area. Please note the subway system only operates until approximately 1:00 am. Fares* are $3.25 and require exact change. Drivers do not carry change. If you are going to downtown Toronto, you can also take the Union Pearson Express (UP Express), an airport rail link running between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Union Station downtown. For details, please visit www.upexpress.com 

TTC: 

Toronto has a good transportation system run by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) through its network of subways, buses and streetcars. Each cash fare* is $3.25, but paying with a Presto card is cheaper. For more information, please visit www.ttc.ca

 Visit www.ttc.ca for any changes to the above information and fares. 

What to do after you arrive

Submit your study permit

International Students are now required to submit a copy of their study permit electronically to the International Centre. Please upload a copy of your study permit and enter a few pieces of information from your permit. You will receive a notification once it has been accepted by International Centre staff.

College ID

You can order your student ID card online since we are currently not issuing physical ID cards. You will have access to this Digital Student ID via the George Brown College App.

Orientation

Several orientation events are organized at the beginning of the January and September semesters. Orientations help you understand the requirements of the program, academic departments, the College and immigration requirements. You will also get to meet your faculty, departmental/GBC staff and fellow students in the program.