Pre-Arrival

Ready to travel to Canada? Here are the things you need to know.

Step 1. Housing

Homestay


One of the most affordable ways to meet your living requirements in Canada.

Residence-style accommodation


Stay in a student-style residence while you are deciding on a place to live.

Off-campus housing


Find roommates, rentals and off-campus housing options made available to international students.

Step 2. Health and Medical Insurance

In British Columbia, there are generally two types of insurance:

  • Government-led MSP
  • Extended, which is obtained through some form of employment

MSP covers most basic medical problems which occur in BC, such as visits to doctors, hospital stays and diagnostic medical testing.

For more information about health and medical insurance, please visit the Acsenda website. 

All students covered by MSP are issued a Care Card. International students will have to pay a healthcare coverage fee of $75 every month in order to maintain their MSP coverage.

What are the extended health benefits?

Extended health insurance generally covers vision care, prescription drugs and dental care. Extended health insurance can be purchased at an additional cost to supplement your MSP. For more information, contact Student Services. Other health benefits available to students include:

There are numerous mental health and substance use-related services and resources available in
Vancouver. Below is a short list of these resources:

All these support programs are designed for youth and adults to obtain help with anxiety, depression, stress, low mood, or worry. If you want more information please go to the respective pages.

 

For the first 3 months, students must have temporary sickness and accident insurance. Acsenda has established a special Health Insurance Plan from Guard.me Insurance.

To apply, go to the Guard.me website. Read the policy carefully so you know which services are covered. If you are applying for Guard.me Insurance Health Insurance Plan from your home country, and you do not have an address in BC yet, you can use the Acsenda campus address.

New immigrants, refugees and internationally adopted children may lack immunizations and immunization records.

Persons newly arrived in Canada lacking adequate documentation of immunization should be considered unimmunized and started on an immunization schedule appropriate for their age and risk factors unless known to be immune by serologic testing. In addition to the routine immunization schedule, certain vaccines that may be recommended include: 

– Hepatitis A vaccine
– Hepatitis B vaccine
– Rubella-containing vaccine
– Varicella-containing vaccine
– Inactivated polio-containing vaccine (IPV)
– Pertussis-containing vaccine
– COVID-19 vaccine
– Measles

For more information about any of the vaccines or where to get the, please go to the Canadian government website

 

Prepare your study permit and other documents

After you receive your letter of acceptance from Acsenda School of Management, you should begin the process of applying for your Study Permit. We recommend that you begin this application early because the processing time can vary.

What documents are included in your Study Permit application?

  • Your original Letter of Acceptance from Acsenda School of Management
  • A valid passport or travel document that guarantees re-entry to the country that issued it
  • Two recent passport photos of you and any accompanying family members. The name and date of birth should be