Thinking about the Summer 2025 enrolment and your working eligibility?
Enrolment status is important to keep in mind when considering your working eligibility, Post-Graduation Work Permit, or taking time away from studies.
Part-time vs full-time enrolment
Full-time enrolment means registering and completing a minimum of 9 credits per academic semester. If a student withdraws or receives a W, UN, UNW, FD, or AUD grade the course will NOT count towards the full-time course load. As a clarification note, a grade of ‘F’ does not carry academic credits but counts towards the full-time course load of a student. Please refer to our grading policy for other grades that can count towards a full-time course load.
International students are recommended to complete a minimum of 24 credits per calendar year. We also recommend students to complete their program within the program length. For example, students should complete a 2-year Diploma program in 2 years.
During Fall and Winter semesters, students should be enrolled full-time in order to maintain working eligibility. Please visit the working page for international students for more info about eligibility.
* All Hospitality students should register and complete a minimum of 24 credits per year. To meet the Hospitality full-time requirements, additional credits taken during summer semester can count toward full-time enrolment for Fall and Winter semesters. Hospitality students must still maintain 9 credits minimum during Fall and Winter semesters. Please visit the Hospitality program page for more info.
If you need to take a semester off (less than 150 days) due to extenuating or unforeseen circumstance please contact us.
Scheduled breaks
IRCC allows each institution to define its own scheduled breaks.
Scheduled Breaks are defined as Study Breaks, Summer semesters and the time between semesters from the day AFTER the exam period until the day BEFORE the first day of class of the next semester. Students are required to enrol in the semesters before and after the scheduled break. For example, if you are taking Summer semester off as your scheduled break, you are required to enrol in the Winter and Fall semesters of the year.
According to IRCC, a scheduled break must be at least 7 consecutive days, including weekends and holidays. If the break between semesters or the study break is less than 7 consecutive days, students are only permitted to work up to 24 hours per week, provided they maintain their full-time status and meet all other eligibility working requirements.
Please note that Summer semester cannot be your scheduled break if it is your first or last semester in the program that you are currently enrolled in.
Bachelor’s degree, Associate degree, Diploma and Post-Baccalaureate Diploma programs offered to international students, including the Early Childhood Education Certificate program, are eligible for Summer scheduled breaks. Please note that Post-Degree Diplomas and Certificate programs (excluding the Early Childhood Education Certificate program) are NOT eligible for a scheduled break.
If you choose to take 2 Post-Degree Diploma programs back to back, you may take one semester off between them as long as the break is no more than 150 days.
If you are planning to work in summer semester as your scheduled break, please check Working as an International Student page for more information.
Distance learning
Starting from Winter 2022 semester onwards, we strongly recommend that students who are inside Canada to complete in-person classes to meet post-graduation work permit eligibility requirements. If you have any questions, please contact one of our International Student Advising Specialists.
Authorized Leave for International Students
In exceptional circumstances, international students may request an Authorized Leave from their studies at Douglas College. If approved, students will receive an Authorized Leave Letter confirming their status.
Important: Receiving an Authorized Leave Letter does not exempt students from meeting Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) requirements. Students must continue to comply with all IRCC policies during their leave.
Authorized leave may be granted for the following reasons, with appropriate documentation:
Medical Reasons
A letter from a licensed Canadian health care provider must explain how the condition prevents the student from completing the semester and include an expected return date.
Pregnancy
A doctor’s note confirming the due date is required.
Death or Serious Illness of a Family Member
A medical document of the family member and proof of relationship document must be provided.
Family member is defined as a parent, spouse, child, or sibling.
Students in their first semester at Douglas College are not eligible to request an authorized leave.
An authorized leave is 1-semester long, and students are expected to resume studies after the leave.
During the leave, students are not allowed to study if they are registered and wish to request a leave, they must drop courses if the leave is approved.
During the leave, students are not allowed to work in Canada even if their study permit has a working condition.
Authorized leave requests must be submitted by the last day to drop a course and receive a “W” grade for the current semester. Please refer to our Dates and Deadlines page for specific timelines.
For details about authorized leave and study permit conditions, please visit the IRCC website. If you are experiencing an extenuating circumstance and believe you may need an authorized leave, please contact us for support.
Resources
To support your future applications to IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) you can submit our Enrolment Status and Scheduled breaks letter with your application.