Temporary accommodation for some international students

As of Jan. 1, 2022, all students accessing a UCalgary campus are required to be fully vaccinated or have obtained an approved accommodation under protected grounds. This requirement is part of the UCalgary Vaccination Directive. 

We understand that some international students may not be able to receive a WHO-approved vaccine in their home country prior to travelling to Canada for the winter 2022 term. For example, a student may live in a country that does not provide WHO-approved vaccines or is experiencing vaccine shortages.

If you are travelling to Canada for the winter 2022 term and are unable to receive a WHO-approved vaccine in your home country, you can apply for a temporary accommodation. This accommodation would allow you to attend in-person courses, or participate in research or other activities related to a thesis-based program, while you go through the process of becoming fully vaccinated in Canada.

How to apply

Complete and submit the Request for Accommodation (General) Form:

• Under the “Protected Ground” section, select “place of origin.”
• When answering the form’s question of “Why do you require an accommodation,” provide a detailed explanation of why you are unable to receive a WHO-approved vaccine in your home country before travelling to Canada.
• Email the completed form to the Office of the Vice-Provost (Student Experience) at vpse@ucalgary.ca by Dec. 1, 2021.

If you will be living in a UCalgary Residence building in the winter 2022 term, you must also complete the Quarantine Request - International Arrivals form, which you can access by signing in to your Resident Portal.

Accommodation details

If your request for a temporary accommodation is approved:

• You will be able to attend in-person courses, or participate in research or other activities related to a thesis-based program, before being fully vaccinated for up to eight weeks while you complete the vaccination process in Canada.
• If you will be living in a UCalgary Residence building, you will be able to stay in residence before being fully vaccinated for up to eight weeks while you complete the vaccination process.
• You must follow the COVIDSafe Campus rapid testing requirements until you are considered fully vaccinated. (You are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after you receive your second shot.
• Once you are considered fully vaccinated, update your attestation in the Thrive Health portal and upload your proof of vaccination.

NOTE: If a student who was received this temporary accommodation does not complete the vaccination process and upload proof of vaccination to the Thrive Health portal within eight weeks of arriving in Canada, they will be considered non-compliant with the COVIDSafe Campus requirements. This means they will not be permitted on any UCalgary campus and will be de-registered from in-person courses.

Travelling to Canada

Although this temporary accommodation will allow students to attend in-person courses or conduct in-person research activities before they are fully vaccinated, it does not provide any exemption from Government of Canada travel regulations. Please carefully review the Travel Canada website requirements and check with your airline to ensure you will be able to meet all the requirements for travelling to Calgary. You can find more information for students travelling to Canada on our International Student Services FAQ page.

You can find more information about UCalgary’s COVID-19 safety requirements on the COVIDSafe Campus website.

If you have any questions, please contact us at the Office of the Vice-Provost (Student Experience).