International students who meet the co-op admission requirements for their degree program are welcome to participate in co-operative education at Carleton.
Note: Federal government departments and agencies give preference to Canadian citizens.
Applications to co-op for international students who have never participated in co-op are processed the same way as applications for regular students. Co-op fees are the same for both International and Domestic students.
International students do have a number of items to take care of before they can be eligible to work in Canada. Please be sure to review the following information:
Students whose first language is not English and who have had to take an ESL course at Carleton University are required to take the Oral Proficiency in English in Communicative Settings (OPECS) test.
Student must achieve a score of 4+ or better before being permitted to continue in the co-op program.
The test provides an indication of successful communication in the workplace. If the first test results indicate that a student needs to work on his/her English communication skills, the test can be rewritten four months later.
Click
OPECS Test Preparation Guide to download a PDF containing more information about the test.
If you are eligible for admission into the co-op program and are required to take the OPECS exam, you will be notified regarding registration and the test date prior to the beginning of COOP 1000
All international co-op students are required to receive a specific co-op work permit before they can begin working in Canada. It is illegal to start working before receiving your work permit.
International students will be provided with their letter of support required for the co-op work permit application once they have begun COOP 1000.Work permits can take 2-3 months to process so students are required to apply for their permit immediately after their letter is received.
Please note that co-op work permits are typically valid for one year. Therefore it is possible students will be required to re-new their work permit at some point during their degree.
Contact the Co-op Office
well in advance of the planned work term in order to ensure the work permit is processed in time for the beginning of your work term.
For more information about work permits, how to apply, and average processing times; visit Carleton’s International Student Services Office.
The Social Insurance Number (SIN) is a nine-digit number used for identification purposes. International students need to obtain a SIN in order to work in Canada. The International Student Services Office (ISSO) has instructions on applying for a SIN.
Note: If co-op students should find suitable employment in another country, it may count towards the co-op designation. Contact the Co-op Office for more details.