USA & International Students
The Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training has informed the federal government that Story Institute is approved by the Province to receive new international students with study permits starting December 1st, 2020. See Story Institute’s approved COVID-19 readiness plan. To find us on the Government of Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website (IRCC), please click here.
COVID-19 readiness plan for DLIs
To be able to reopen to international students who aren’t currently in Canada, DLIs must have a COVID-19 readiness plan approved by their province or territory that:
• protects the health and safety of all students and the surrounding community
• describes how they will manage the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for international students, including arrangements for transportation to the students’ quarantine location
• provides information and support to international students about:
• how they can get the items they need for their quarantine, like food and medications
• health insurance
• remaining healthy while in Canada
Contact Story Institute directly if you have any questions about its readiness plan. To see the source of this information, click here.
Story Institute proudly welcomes international students from all over the world to attend our leading Vancouver acting school.
To study in Canada as an international student check out this informative page on the Government of Canada website.
* Our programs are not eligible to give Post-Graduation Work Permits to international students.
In order to be accepted to our program, international students must consider the following:
You may want to contact the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council for support prior to submitting to the Canadian Consulate for processing.
Canadian Government Support Agencies
Government of Canada can help you find a visa application centre. Visa application centres (VACs) accept applications for study permits, work permits, visitor visas (temporary resident visa), and travel documents for permanent residents.
Canada Customs & Revenue Agency
Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1A 1J5
www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca
Canada Customs & Revenue Agency
Public Enquiries Unit, Canada Customs
333 Dunsmuir Street
Vancouver, B.C. V6B 5R4
Tel: 1-604-666-0545
Citizenship & Immigration Canada
615 Prospect St. West 1st Floor
Fredericton, NB Canada E3B 7K5
Tel: 1-888-242-2100
Experience Vancouver
Vancouver is located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. The Greater Vancouver area had a population of 2,463,431 in 2016, making it the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada. Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada with over 5,400 people per square kilometre which makes it the fifth-most densely populated city with over 250,000 residents in North America. Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada and is classed as a Beta global city.
Vancouver is consistently named as one of the top five worldwide cities for livability and quality of life, and is acknowledged as the first city ranked among the top-ten of the world’s most well-living cities for five consecutive years. Major film production studios in Vancouver and nearby Burnaby have turned Greater Vancouver and nearby areas into one of the largest film production centres in North America, earning it the nickname “Hollywood North”.
Story Institute
Story Institute is conveniently located in the heart of the local entertainment industry. This is where most of the productions companies have offices, where most of the training occurs, and where most of the industry lives. Over the past few decades Vancouver has built an incredible infrastructure for the entertainment industry and has become home or a second home to some of the biggest stars in the world. The infamous Gerard at Sutton Place on Burrard street, located just a 10-minute Skytrain ride from the school) is still a friendly watering hole where locals can grab a drink and a bite and mix and mingle with some of the biggest stars in the world. In addition to proximity to the industry and its stars, the school also backs onto Vancouver General Hospital, is surrounded by countless shops, restaurants, and services, and considered one of the most desirable places in the city to work, live, and play.
Pre-Arrival Requirements
Under new requirements for air travel that take effect February 22, 2021, in addition to providing a negative COVID-19 molecular test 72 hours before your scheduled flight at the airport, when the student arrives in Canada, they must take another COVID-19 test before leaving the airport and spend 3 days in quarantine at a federal government-authorized hotel.
With a clear test result, the student can proceed to the quarantine site identified in their quarantine plan. Ten-days into their quarantine, the student will use a take-home test provided at their arrival in Canada. A further clear result is required before leaving quarantine at 14 days. For more information, see the flow-chart below:
The list of government-authorized hotels will be available to students on February 18, 2020 via this link.
Details on these requirements, and the requirements for travellers arriving at land border crossings, are available on line: Government of Canada expands restrictions to international travel by land and air – Canada.ca
More information is available from the Government of Canada:
• Entering Canada by air during COVID-19
• Entering Canada by land during COVID-19
• Additional testing and more stringent quarantine requirements for travel to Canada
• Travel restrictions in Canada – Visitors, foreign workers and students
Orders in Council related to the Quarantine Act
COVID-19 testing required for people flying into Canada
Starting January 7, 2021, air travellers 5 years of age or older will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result to the airline prior to boarding international flights bound for Canada. See the news release for air travellers.
Before travelling to Canada, all travellers must plan for their mandatory 14-day quarantine period, which starts on the date they arrive. Prior to arrival, international students and co-arriving family members must inform their arrival and quarantine plan to Story Institute, including arrangements for:
• Transportation from the airport to their housing (must wear a mask and avoid public transportation other than taxi)
• Housing
• Health insurance that covers COVID-19. International students must secure health insurance that covers COVID-19 and include the name of the company/policy in their pre-arrival plan. We have options available such as GuardMe insurance, but international students are welcome to choose the policy that best fits their needs.
• Students should travel directly from the airport to their place of stay. In addition, they may not have contact with vulnerable individuals or be living in a group or communal setting (except for family members) and the quarantine accommodation should enable individual physical distancing and infection-prevention control.
• Although we provide third-party recommendations of the services above, students are responsible for securing their own arrangements.
Governmental Pre-Arrival Requirements (source here).
• Download the ArriveCAN app here: iOS, Android or web format.
• International students must adhere to the Quarantine Act.
14-day Quarantine Requirements
After you enter Canada:
Travellers who do not submit the mandatory information required after they have crossed the border will be considered a high priority for follow-up by law enforcement.
• Government of Canada representatives will conduct health screenings at the time of entry to Canada and let you know if you need to quarantine or isolate.
• International students and co-arriving immediate family members are responsible for on-going self-monitoring and assessment of COVID-19 symptoms.
• Story Institute will communicate regularly with international students during quarantine to maintain up-to-date on their health status and well-being, verify if they have been conducting the daily self-assessments, and provide them updated information about COVID-19.
• If you don’t have COVID-19 symptoms, you must quarantine for 14 days while you’re still at risk of developing symptoms and infecting others.
• Should you develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 during your 14 day quarantine, you must begin isolating for an additional 14 days from the date of your positive test result or onset of symptoms.
• During Quarantine, we will involve international students in our community via social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram, and regularly set up calls to help the student get familiarized with Vancouver and the local culture. International students will be supported with mental health and cultural/religious topics by having access to our health and safety resources here.
• Please read and follow the Quarantine instructions for travellers without symptoms of COVID-19 returning to Canada.
Protocols for Notification to the Public Health Agency of Canada:
We will be notifying public health officials with regards to any the following:
• Any individual compliance issues within the 14-day mandatory quarantine periods at an institution on the P/T List (P/T = province/territory);
• Any SARS-CoV-2 positive cases at an institution on the P/T List during the time period when the Institution is providing quarantine arrangements (when a student is quarantining for 14 days);
• Any material changes that may require modification to the P/T List, or that can inform local or P/T public health activities or that can inform federal border control.
Public communications protocols have been established for COVID-19 outbreaks that may impact or implicate international students or their immediate family members. We will be notifying the local health authorities immediately at Vancouver Coastal Health:
Vancouver Coastal
Health Corporate Office
11th Floor 601 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V5Z 4C2
Phone: 1 866 884-0888 (toll-free), 604 736-2033 (local)
Fax: 604 875-4750
Email: [email protected]
Board Chair: Penny Ballem
President and CEO: Mary Ackenhusen
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
• Government of Canada Coronavirus Disease
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• Public Health Agency of Canada COVID-19 Mandatory Quarantine
• COVID-19: A Guide for International Students in Canada Arriving from Abroad
Please note that the information on study permits and international students coming to Canada is subject to change without notice. For the most up to date information, please consult the official website for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).