International

International Internships / International Students

This section is for students interested in completing their internship outside of Canada, and international students who are part of the Creative Industries program and are planning their internship.

For International students:

Often, international students need some additional support in preparing for and securing an internship. Please contact the coordinator at adarcy@ryerson.ca for assistance and support.

International students MUST apply for an internship work permit prior to beginning their internship. International students who are doing internships are required to have a separate work permit to do so. Ryerson’s International Student Support will help with this process. Students should apply well in advance (8-10 weeks).

Ryerson International Student Support Contact Information:

Location: Room 50A, Podium Building (POD) 
Phone: 416-979-5000 ext. 6655
Email: issask@ryerson.ca

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-coop.asp

Often, international students need some additional support in preparing for and securing an internship. Please contact the coordinator at adarcy@ryerson.ca for assistance and support.

For Canadian Students going on international internships:

Every year, a number of students complete internships outside of Canada. If you’re interested in an international placement, there are a number of points to consider. First, you’ll need to find the placement (the CRI job board only lists Canadian internships.) To find an international role, do your research, reach out to companies, apply to internship via job boards in that country (for example, indeed.com is an American site that lists American roles) and use your networks. It does take some extra legwork to find an internship in a different country, but it is certainly possible!

Once you find a role, you’ll need to apply for a visa (unless you have citizenship in that country). The visa process can be expensive (approx. $1500 USD for a US visa) and the process can take 10-12 weeks. That means you need to get the ball rolling early and be prepared for the financial cost.

Finally, you will need to complete the checklist of steps outlined below. 

Checklist for U.S. and International Internships

Once the department has approved the internship and it is confirmed, you must complete the following steps:  

  1. Contact the coordinator and outline your plans for an international internship position.
  2. Apply for a visa. If going to the US, you will need to use a third party sponsor like CICDGO.com 
  3. Go to this site and follow the mandatory procedures for Ryerson Students traveling outside Canada. These are listed below.
  4. Register with Ryerson International.
  5. Register with International SOS (mandatory for all)
  6. Sign and submit the Liability Waiver (mandatory for all) 
  7. Apply for comprehensive health insurance (mandatory for all)
  8. Attend a pre-departure session (mandatory for all, except those travelling to the US)
  9. Develop a travel risk management plan (required for travel to HIGH or EXTREME risk destinations)
  10. Register with Canadians Abroad.

http://www.ryerson.ca/ri/global-learning/risk-management-steps

More information about applying for U.S. internships 

Every year a number of students complete successful internships in the U.S. All applicants (unless you are a U.S. citizen) must get a J1 Visa. To apply for a J1 Visa, students need a third party sponsor. Many Ryerson students use CICD (cicdgo.com) however there are other organizations that also do this (for example, AIESEC). You can find a list at: http://j1visa.state.gov/participants/how-to-apply/sponsor-search/?program=Intern.

Third party sponsors do charge a significant fee for the service (approx. $1500 in 2016). They will take care of most of the administrative details.

Once you get the paperwork, you’ll see there’s a spot on the form for the School coordinator to fill in that indicates you are doing an internship for course credit. There’s a page your employer fills in; and there are pages for you to fill in. You also need to get a Ryerson University stamp on the form. It usually takes 6-8 weeks to obtain the Visa once you have submitted the paperwork. The forms go to a company called the CIEE in the US for approval and then get sent back to CICD (or the company you’ve chose to do the 3rd party sponsorship) for pickup.

Checklist for U.S. and International Internships

Once the department has approved the internship and it is confirmed, students must:

  1. Register with Ryerson International.
  2. Follow the steps outlined by Ryerson International listed under ryerson.ca/ri/global-learning/risk-management-steps and summarized in the checklist here.
  3. These steps include registering with International SOS and applying for comprehensive health coverage.
  4. You must attend a pre-departure session with Ryerson International. See the Ryerson Students’ section of the webpage for the next session, which takes place once a month. If you cannot attend a scheduled session, contact David Begg at dbegg@ryerson.ca to arrange an alternative. http://www.ryerson.ca/ri/students/ryerson_students/work_abroad/Internship_Abroad.html