Apply Online for a Co-op Work Permit (IRCC Secure Account)

A co-op work permit is an official document issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and allows the holder to work full-time during regular academic terms, while maintaining your full-time student status at uLethbridge.  

You must have a co-op work permit if your academic program has a mandatory work component to complete your program requirements (co-op work terms, internship, or practicum). 

Co-op work permits are required for all international students who wish to participate in the Co-op program at the University of Lethbridge. The co-op work permit must be received prior to commencing work in a co-op position. You will be able to access job postings only once you have a valid co-op work permit.

Note: A co-op work permit is not related to the work authorization you have as a study permit holder. 

Co-op is available to all uLethbridge students. To be eligible for co-op, you need to have completed at least one term at uLethbridge and register for the Co-op Admission Course through Career Bridge. 

Note: Having a co-op work permit does not guarantee that you will find a co-op position because students must apply to the jobs and be offered the position. 

You are eligible to apply for a co-op work permit, if:

• You have a valid study permit
• Working is a necessary part of your study program in Canada
• You have a letter from the university that confirms that you will need to complete a work placement to get your degree
• Your co-op or internship is 50% or less of the total program of study
   

Applied Studies: Since Applied Studies are optional, international students are not eligible to complete Applied Studies. Please contact us if you have any questions about Applied studies. 

We advise students to apply for a co-op work permit at least 3 months before they plan on starting their co-op. We recommend applying for your co-op work permit as early as possible. Students interested in Co-operative Education should consult with the Career Bridge team as early as possible in their programs regarding timing and sequencing.

Once you’ve completed the Co-op Admission Course you will receive the Co-op Support Letter from Career Bridge. This letter is one of the required documents for the co-op work permit application. 

If you need a co-op work permit to participate in a mandatory practicum for your program (e.g. Nursing, Education), you can request this letter from your Faculty advisor. 

You can reach out to us, and we will support you with the co-op work permit application submission. 

Applying online through the IRCC Secure Account allows you to track your application and receive regular updates regarding the approval process of the application. 

When applying through the IRCC Secure Account, you will complete a questionnaire and generate a "document checklist" that lists the required documents you need to upload and submit with your application. 

Normally, for University of Lethbridge programs, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will issue your co-op work permit with the same expiry date as your current study permit.

• If you require more time to complete your program, you can apply to extend your study permit and co-op work permit at the same time. 
• Note: You will need to obtain an updated Co-op Letter from Career Bridge to extend your co-op work permit. 

Most co-op work permit applicants applying through the IRCC Secure Account will be required to submit the following form(s) and supporting documents:

IMM 5710e: Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay, or Remain in Canada as a Worker

• The application form can be downloaded from your document checklist once you have completed the questionnaire in your IRCC Secure Account. 

Co-op Letter: Depending on the nature of your work placement, this letter will be provided by different offices. 

• If you have applied to the Co-operative Education program through Career Bridge, you will receive this letter from the Career Bridge office once you have been accepted and have completed the Co-op Admission Course.  
• If you need a co-op work permit to participate in a mandatory practicum for your program (e.g. Nursing, Education), you can request this letter from your Faculty advisor. The International Centre is pleased to support your advisor should they have any questions.

A scan or clear photos of your passport

• This should include the biodata page, as well as any other pages with markings, stamps or visas. 
• If you have recently received a new passport, include both your new passport (first) and your old passport, both clearly labelled.
• Note: All pages/photos will need to be compiled and saved as one PDF document. 

Digital photo

• Colour photo and must show full front view of head, face in the middle and include the top of the shoulders against a white backdrop.
• Note: This photo does not need to be an official passport photo. IRCC has some examples of acceptable photos. 

Medical exam (if required)

• This is required if you will be working in certain jobs
• If a medical exam is required, you must make an appointment for the medical exam with an IRCC Panel Physician.

Optional Documents:

• Client Information
  • Use this space to upload a letter of explanation if your situation is unusual
  • You can also use this space to upload additional information/documentation to help the processing officer understand your application better. 
     
• Schedule 1: Application for Temporary Residence (IMM5257b)
  • This document is required with your application only if you have answered "Yes" to any of the Background Information questions 3 through 6 on the IMM5710 form.
  • Please contact the International Student Advisor for guidance.

If you already have a valid co-op work permit and wish to extend, it it is very important that you apply to extend your co-op work permit before the expiry date on your current work permit. Normally, you would apply for your co-op work permit extension in the same application as your study permit extension.

It is possible that your current co-op permit may expire before you receive a decision from IRCC on your application to extend.  If you submit your application to extend before the expiry of your current study and co-op work permits, you will benefit from "maintained status". This means you can continue studying and working according to the conditions of your permits until IRCC makes a decision on your extension application, as long as you remain in Canada. 

If you leave Canada and return after the expiry date of your permit, but before a decision is made on your application, you lose your maintained status. You must wait for a positive decision on your application to begin studying and working again. Consult with an international student advisor before making a decision to leave Canada.

If your application to extend your co-op work permit is refused, your maintained status ends. You must stop working immediately.

Nursing, Education and Addictions Counselling undergraduate programs all have some sort of required practicum component, which requires a co-op work permit.

To perform work in these areas, a medical exam is required.  Because of this, students in these programs should complete a medical exam with an IRCC Panel Physician before applying for the co-op work permit. 

Please review the information here about medical exams for IRCC.

After completing the medical exam, the panel physician will provide an "e-Medical" document to use as proof of the exam, which you will upload as a required document in your online application.  If your online application does not require Proof of Medical, please contact the international student advisors for assistance prior to submitting your application.

To start the application process, you'll need create an IRCC Secure Account, if you don't already have one. You'll have the option to create either a GC Key or Sign-in Partner  - we recommend creating a GCKey.

• If you are creating an account, click the "Register" button at the bottom of the page and enter a username, password, and some security questions.
  • Tip: Make note of your security questions and answers so that you'll be able to access your account if you forget your password. 
     
• Once logged in to your IRCC Secure Account, scroll down to where you see “Start an application” near the bottom of the page, click “Apply to come to Canada”
   
• Under “I do not have a Personal Reference Code”, click “Visitor, study and/or work permit”
   
• Begin the questionnaire, indicating that you would like to work in Canada. Make sure you indicate your current country of residence is "Canada".
  • If completed correctly, the questionnaire should indicate that you are eligible to apply for "Co-op (in Canada)" Select that option and click “Continue” to complete the rest of the questionnaire 
     
• Once the questionnaire has been completed, you will then arrive at your document checklist.

In the document checklist, click on “Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker (IMM5710)” to download the latest version of the application form. 

• If when trying to download the form you see a "Please Wait..." message on a white page, click the download button in your browser and save the form to your computer as PDF document. If you do not have Adobe Reader, follow the instructions on the "Please Wait..." page to download it. Use Adobe Reader to open the downloaded application form from the saved location.

Here are some important tips for completing the IMM 5710 application form:

• Use IRCC's step by step instructions to help you complete the form.

• UCI stands for “Unique Client Identifier” and is also known as Client ID. It is an eight or ten-digit number found on your study permit. On the application form, enter your UCI number without spaces or dashes. 
   
• Personal details 
  • Select “Student” as current status in Canada.
  • Enter the “from” date as your study permit issue date and enter the “to” date your the study permit expiry date. You will find both dates on your study permit. 
     
• Details of Intended Work in Canada: Select "Co-op Work Permit" from the drop down menu.  
  • Enter the "University of Lethbridge" as your employer
  • Enter “Co-op student” as your occupation/job title
  • Enter “to be determined” in the description of duties field.
  • Leave the duration field blank
    ​
• Employment: For Co-op work permit applicants, a full 10-year employment history is not required. **However, information in #1 "Current Activity/Occupation" is required in order to validate the form.**  
  • Enter “Student” as your current activity, the University of Lethbridge’s as your employer. 
  • Enter the “from” date as your study permit issue date and leave the "to" date blank to show that your studies are ongoing. 
     
• Signature: an electronic signature will occur prior to payment so no physical signature is necessary for IMM 5710. DO NOT print and scan this form.
   
• Validate & Upload: When you have completed the application form, click the blue “Validate” button at the end of the form. If you have made mistakes or missed any fields, these sections will be highlighted red and you will need to complete these areas prior to attempting to validate again. Once you have successfully validated, a page of black bar codes will be generated as the final page of the document. Save the validated form on your computer and then upload this form in the IRCC account.

Upload your documents into the corresponding field in the document checklist:

• IMM 5710e - Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay, or Remain in Canada as a Worker
  • Make sure that the information entered on this application form is up-to-date and that you have validated the form. 
     
• Co-op Support Letter
   
• A scan or clear photos of your passport
  • This should include the biodata page, as well as any other pages with markings, stamps or visas. 
  • If you have recently received a new passport, include both your new passport (first) and your old passport, both clearly labelled.
  • Note: All pages/photos will need to be compiled and saved as one PDF document. 
    ​
• Digital photo
  • Ensure your photo meets the IRCC temporary resident photo specifications. 
    ​
• Medical exam (if required)
  • This is required if you will be working in certain jobs

Optional Documents:

• Client Information
  • Use this space to upload a letter of explanation if your situation is unusual
  • You can also use this space to upload additional information/documentation to help the processing officer understand your application better. 
     
• Schedule 1: Application for Temporary Residence (IMM5257b)
  • This document is required with your application only if you have answered "Yes" to any of the Background Information questions 3 through 6 on the IMM5710 form.
  • Please contact the International Student Advisor for guidance.

After uploading the completed application form(s) and all supporting documents, you will click “Continue” at the bottom of the page. On the next page you will provide your electronic signature by typing in your full name as it appears on your passport.
Note: If you are only applying for a co-op work permit, there is no application fee. 

• Take screenshots of any confirmation numbers regarding payment and application submission. If you need to leave the application and return at a later time, your application will be saved in your GCKey account for 60 days from the time that you first complete the questionnaire to create the application.
   
• You will be able to follow the processing of your application via your IRCC Secure Account. If IRCC requests any additional documents for your application, you will upload and submit them them via your online GCKey account. You must provide any documents requested by the deadline given by IRCC, or your application will be refused. If your email has a strong junk mail filter, consider logging in to your GCKey account at least once a week to check for messages.

If your co-op work permit application is approved, IRCC will notify you with a message in your GCKey account. Once you receive this confirmation of approval, you should notify your co-op coordinator or faculty advisor. If you are a co-op student, you are required to provide a copy of both your confirmation of approval and your co-op work permit to your co-op coordinator.

• Check processing times: Select "Temporary residence" > "Work permit from inside Canada (initial and extension)".
   
• IRCC will mail your co-op work permit to the mailing address that you specified on the IMM5710 application form.
   
• If you do not receive your co-op work permit in the mail within the posted processing times, notify IRCC using the webform.
   
• If your application for a co-op work permit is refused, please contact us immediately for advice.