Withdrawing from courses near the end of term.

[Sheikh Abdullah]

Hello,

So I am a current international student kind of stuck in a very specific situation right now. I am currently studying at a University in Canada but I have an offer from a different university for the Fall term of this year and I am considering transferring out to that school after my current term ends in May.

Due to covid, the university is allowing us up till the 25th of April to withdraw from any registered courses without having a final grade issued for those courses. The university that I am transferring to has assessed me based on my high school grades and does not really care about the GPA I get at my current university. I will also be repeating the courses I am taking right now at the other university so I was considering dropping the courses entirely to save myself unnecessary stress.

I have read online that you can take a term off if your DLI authorizes the leave and that you have to return before 150 days, but that is before the term actually starts. I have already attended most of this term and my classes will be ending on the 3rd of May anyways so if I dropped all of my courses before then, would that affect my student status in any negative way considering that the term will already be ending in a few weeks anyway and you are allowed to take the summer term off in any scenario.

Please let me know if anyone has any idea/experience in a familiar situation like mine. Thanks!

 

[canuck78]

Hello,

So I am a current international student kind of stuck in a very specific situation right now. I am currently studying at a University in Canada but I have an offer from a different university for the Fall term of this year and I am considering transferring out to that school after my current term ends in May.

Due to covid, the university is allowing us up till the 25th of April to withdraw from any registered courses without having a final grade issued for those courses. The university that I am transferring to has assessed me based on my high school grades and does not really care about the GPA I get at my current university. I will also be repeating the courses I am taking right now at the other university so I was considering dropping the courses entirely to save myself unnecessary stress.

I have read online that you can take a term off if your DLI authorizes the leave and that you have to return before 150 days, but that is before the term actually starts. I have already attended most of this term and my classes will be ending on the 3rd of May anyways so if I dropped all of my courses before then, would that affect my student status in any negative way considering that the term will already be ending in a few weeks anyway and you are allowed to take the summer term off in any scenario.

Please let me know if anyone has any idea/experience in a familiar situation like mine. Thanks!

If you withdraw from all your classes you may then have to apply for permission to attend the new school since your semester at that school will essentially be erased. This is a very unusual situation so it is tough to know whether you’d need approval to start the new university program. Assume you aren’t doing well or you could likely get transfer credits at the new university.

 

[Sheikh Abdullah]

If you withdraw from all your classes you may then have to apply for permission to attend the new school since your semester at that school will essentially be erased. This is a very unusual situation so it is tough to know whether you’d need approval to start the new university program. Assume you aren’t doing well or you could likely get transfer credits at the new university.

My plan was to update my student status according to the undergrad program I would be taking at the other Uni that I am transferring to, right now I have a conditional offer from them to submit my highschool transcripts and those should be reaching them soon as well. After that I should be receiving a finalized letter of admission from them with which I could update my study permit. My only concern right now is that if I do withdraw from all my current classes, how that would affect my student visa because I know you are allowed to take time off if you are in the process of changing schools but I am not sure how it applies to my situation. As far as the other uni goes, I am not really planning yo have my credits transfer over since I will be starting from scratch there.

 

[canuck78]

My plan was to update my student status according to the undergrad program I would be taking at the other Uni that I am transferring to, right now I have a conditional offer from them to submit my highschool transcripts and those should be reaching them soon as well. After that I should be receiving a finalized letter of admission from them with which I could update my study permit. My only concern right now is that if I do withdraw from all my current classes, how that would affect my student visa because I know you are allowed to take time off if you are in the process of changing schools but I am not sure how it applies to my situation. As far as the other uni goes, I am not really planning yo have my credits transfer over since I will be starting from scratch there.

If you are starting from scratch and withdrawing from all your classes you may have to reapply for a study permit. This is a rare situation since normally you can’t withdraw so late. @scylla, @YVR123, others what are your thoughts?

 

[YVR123]

If you are starting from scratch and withdrawing from all your classes you may have to reapply for a study permit. This is a rare situation since normally you can’t withdraw so late. @scylla, @YVR123, others what are your thoughts?

Agree that's unusual to withdraw so late. Your courses may just appeared as failed or unable to complete. So this is very unusual. OP may need a new study permit since he/she is changing DLI.

@Naturgrl how about your thoughts?

 

[canuck78]

Agree that's unusual to withdraw so late. Your courses may just appeared as failed or unable to complete. So this is very unusual. OP may need a new study permit since he/she is changing DLI.

@Naturgrl how about your thoughts?

Assume this is a special Covid late withdrawal situation because I have never heard of being able to withdraw so late. Assume you must still lose your tuition.

 

[Naturgrl]

Agree that's unusual to withdraw so late. Your courses may just appeared as failed or unable to complete. So this is very unusual. OP may need a new study permit since he/she is changing DLI.

@Naturgrl how about your thoughts?

Really don’t know the answer as this is an unusual situation. I assume that OP paid all the fees and wasn’t getting a refund. If dropping all the courses then the student never studied there and is no longer a student. UBC sort of explains it.


If you withdraw from all your courses in a given term, you are considered “not enrolled” for the entire term. In this case, you will need to take immediate action on your status in Canada since you will not be considered to be maintaining your student status.

You will need to:

• Apply for visitor status for the duration of the time you will not be studying, or
• Leave Canada and return when you are enrolled

If you are not enrolled in any courses:

• You are not eligible to work on or off campus for the remainder of the term and must stop working immediately. You will not be able to resume working until you are enrolled full-time.
• You are not eligible to work during scheduled breaks. You could only work in the summer scheduled break if:

https://students.ubc.ca/international-student-guide/immigration/immigration-impacts-withdrawing-courses

 

[canuck78]

Really don’t know the answer as this is an unusual situation. I assume that OP paid all the fees and wasn’t getting a refund. If dropping all the courses then the student never studied there and is no longer a student. UBC sort of explains it.


If you withdraw from all your courses in a given term, you are considered “not enrolled” for the entire term. In this case, you will need to take immediate action on your status in Canada since you will not be considered to be maintaining your student status.

You will need to:

• Apply for visitor status for the duration of the time you will not be studying, or
• Leave Canada and return when you are enrolled

If you are not enrolled in any courses:

• You are not eligible to work on or off campus for the remainder of the term and must stop working immediately. You will not be able to resume working until you are enrolled full-time.
• You are not eligible to work during scheduled breaks. You could only work in the summer scheduled break if:

https://students.ubc.ca/international-student-guide/immigration/immigration-impacts-withdrawing-courses

This is such an unusual situation but it sounds like we all think that OP needs to reapply for a new study permit with the new LOA.

 

[Sheikh Abdullah]

Agree that's unusual to withdraw so late. Your courses may just appeared as failed or unable to complete. So this is very unusual. OP may need a new study permit since he/she is changing DLI.

@Naturgrl how about your thoughts?

So I have already confirmed with my University and I wont be getting a fail because they extended the withdrawal date all the way till the 25th of April so anyone who withdraws before then will only get a VW (Voluntary Withdrawal) on their transcript and not a final grade.

 

[Sheikh Abdullah]

If you are starting from scratch and withdrawing from all your classes you may have to reapply for a study permit. This is a rare situation since normally you can’t withdraw so late. @scylla, @YVR123, others what are your thoughts?

Usually you aren't allowed to withdraw this late but because of covid the university has pushed the date back to the 25th of April, anyone who withdraws before then will only get a VW (Voluntary Withdrawal) on their transcript instead of a final grade.

 

[Sheikh Abdullah]

Really don’t know the answer as this is an unusual situation. I assume that OP paid all the fees and wasn’t getting a refund. If dropping all the courses then the student never studied there and is no longer a student. UBC sort of explains it.


If you withdraw from all your courses in a given term, you are considered “not enrolled” for the entire term. In this case, you will need to take immediate action on your status in Canada since you will not be considered to be maintaining your student status.

You will need to:

• Apply for visitor status for the duration of the time you will not be studying, or
• Leave Canada and return when you are enrolled

If you are not enrolled in any courses:

• You are not eligible to work on or off campus for the remainder of the term and must stop working immediately. You will not be able to resume working until you are enrolled full-time.
• You are not eligible to work during scheduled breaks. You could only work in the summer scheduled break if:

https://students.ubc.ca/international-student-guide/immigration/immigration-impacts-withdrawing-courses

I researched a bit more into this and about how not being registered for a term will be considered me not maintaining my student status but also found that you are allowed to take a term off if you are in between changing schools correct? All you need to do in that situation is show the government that you will be returning for classes before 150 days.

 

[Naturgrl]

I researched a bit more into this and about how not being registered for a term will be considered me not maintaining my student status but also found that you are allowed to take a term off if you are in between changing schools correct? All you need to do in that situation is show the government that you will be returning for classes before 150 days.

When did your semester start - the one you are dropping and no longer considered registered for?

 

[canuck78]

I researched a bit more into this and about how not being registered for a term will be considered me not maintaining my student status but also found that you are allowed to take a term off if you are in between changing schools correct? All you need to do in that situation is show the government that you will be returning for classes before 150 days.

You haven’t completed the term or completed a degree so your situation is very unusual. You essentially haven’t really been a student in Canada based on your withdrawal.

 

[Sheikh Abdullah]

When did your semester start - the one you are dropping and no longer considered registered for?

My semester started late January, I am a winter intake student so I didnt take any classes in the Fall 2021 term.

 

[Sheikh Abdullah]

You haven’t completed the term or completed a degree so your situation is very unusual. You essentially haven’t really been a student in Canada based on your withdrawal.

I dont know if it helps in my situation but I do have a student record previous to this course. I took 1 year diploma that I completed last Fall. Issue was that the University I am trying to transfer out to doesn't offer my program in the Winter term and I was already completing my diploma so I couldn't make it in time for the Fall 2021 term at that Uni. I chose my current university as a backup option in case I do not get an admission at the other University but my admission has pretty much already been finalized there, all they need is a transcript from my current Uni and don't care about the GPA on it nor if i withdrew from any courses because I have been assessed there as a high school student and not a transfer student.