Every year, Carleton hires many international students as Teaching Assistants (TA) and Research Assistants (RA) to contribute to our academic community. Both TA work and RA work are considered to be “on-campus work” for study permit holders, and most Carleton international students are authorized to do this type of work.
COVID-19 has presented unique challenges, with many international students unable to travel to Canada. While students have been able to study remotely, TA and RA positions require students to be in Canada to perform their work.
Students who do travel to Canada are often eager to get to work right away, and have contacted the ISSO with some common questions that have unique responses due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Carleton’s current remote work approach per public health guidelines.
- Question: I need a university letter showing my Canadian address so I can apply online for a Social Insurance Number. How do I get that?
- Answer: Update your residential address in your student account. Contact the Registrar’s Office to request a Certificate of Enrolment showing your address.
- Question: Human Resources (HR) wants proof that I am in Canada. How do I get that?
- Answer: Per current public health guidelines most Carleton services are working remotely and accordingly you will not be able to appear physically at the HR office. If your study permit is issued on entry to Canada, that could be used as proof of your current location. But if you already have a study permit issued some time ago, you should ask the border services officer to put an entry stamp in your passport, after you use the preliminary inspection kiosk. These stamps are no longer given automatically, but will evidence your entry to Canada. Having a stamp may be beneficial to you later as well, since a record of your travel is often needed for a variety of immigration applications.