Please note: the Terms & Conditions of Participation (Legal Agreement) are under review. Once implemented, Parents must accept by signing the newest version in order for their child's application to proceed to the next step in the application process.

Before you begin

• International Education Program updates are available on the International Education Services
• Review and become familiar with the Program that is offered.
• Understand what to expect in the Application Process.
• Gather, complete, and sign all required forms and documents, and then complete the TrueNorth Application.

The information provided below is a summary of the Program offered, process for Application, and expectations on admission.

Programs Offered

• The York Region District School Board offers International Students the International Education Program (“Program”), that includes an academic program comprised of a combination of courses and related activities for the achievement of learning outcomes, by grade level expectation, as defined by the Ontario Ministry of Education.
  
  
• Students must have achieved an overall academic average of 65% to be considered for admission and must maintain an academic average of 65% while attending a YRDSB school to be eligible for enrollment renewal in the Program.
  
• All in-school programs are available to international students. The Regional Arts Program, at certain schools, is available to existing grade 8 international students. Specialized programs such as Special Education, the French Immersion Program, the International Baccalaureate Program, and the Sports Program at Bill Crothers Secondary School are not available at this time.
  
  
• In the Ontario education system, students in Kindergarten (JK/SK) to Grade 8 (elementary) are placed in a grade according to their year of birth. It is common for students in Grade 9 to 12 (secondary) who are designated to a particular grade to take subjects at a different grade level as long as they meet the subject requirements.

Application Process

• Applications must be completed using the True North Portal.
• Applications will not be considered without the $400 Application Fee, payable via the Flywire Payment Portal. The Application Fee is non-refundable.
• Once you have started the Application in the Application Portal you will have ten (10) days to submit it for processing. Incomplete Applications will not be processed.  If you do not complete and submit the Application within ten (10) days, the partial Application will be automatically deleted.
• To protect student privacy, electronic documents containing personal information will not be shared by email. All student applicant-related invoices and documents will be shared through the Application Portal.
• Provide all the required information and documents including complete personal information of the student and at least one parent. This includes full names (first, middle, last), birthdates, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, etc.
• It is imperative that accurate, personal email addresses are entered for the Student Applicant, Parent(s) and Custodian.
• YRDSB mail servers cannot use or accept @qq.com email addresses; therefore, please use alternate email addresses. 
• The YRDSB may require additional information in assessing the Application.
• The YRDSB issues a Letter of Acceptance only after Applications are accepted and only after fees are paid in full.

School Selection

• Review the List of Available Schools and select THREE from the schools published online. If a school which is unavailable is selected, it will delay the processing of the Application.  It is suggested that a school within the area in which the student applicant will reside, if they are accepted to the Program, to minimize school commute times. School placement cannot be changed once the Letter of Acceptance is issued.
• The Admissions Office will attempt to place International Students who are admitted to the Program in one of their preferred schools of choice; however, this is not always possible because, enrollment in York Region District School Board schools is limited. York Region District School Board assigns International Students to schools on a first-come, first-served basis. York Region District School Board retains the right to determine the final school and grade placement. Applicants will be notified if your first choice is unavailable and the assignment of grade and/or school.

Forms to Complete

Applicants are responsible for reviewing all forms and policies, fully completing all forms required for the Application, and submitting a complete Application using the True North Portal.

The following forms and documents, which together form the Application, must be submitted before a review of the Application will begin.

Forms and documents must be downloaded and completed and signed.

Completed documents must be scanned as PDF or JPEG document types only and must be less than 5MB each. If any document is larger than 5MB, it must be rescanned at a lower resolution before beginning the Application Process.

The following documents must be submitted in the Application Process:

1. Legal Agreement (Terms & Conditions of Participation) - the Parent(s) must sign this document. It is the Parent(s)’ responsibility to make sure that they understand the requirements it contains.
2. Refund Policy - the Parent(s) must sign this document. Note that after admission, a refund is only granted if the Study Permit is refused by IRCC.  The Application Fee is non-refundable.
3. Photo page of the passport - the passport photo page of the Student Applicant’s passport, if they have a passport already, must be uploaded. This allows the YRDSB to confirm the Student Applicant’s information to ensure that all information is correct.
4. Authentic school transcripts or report cards for the last two academic years, from the school the Student Applicant attended, translated into English.
5. School Recommendation - a school official (Teacher, Principal) at the school the Applicant is currently attending must complete the form.
6. Consent for Information Sharing - this is required only if the student is 18 years of age when submitting the Application.
7. Custodian Declaration Form - the form is available from the IRCC website. It has two parts: one is completed by the Parent(s) and notarized in the home country, the other is completed by the Custodian and notarized in Canada. This form is required at the time of application from all Student Applicants, even if a parent will accompany them.
   
   If applying to a YRDSB authorized homestay provider, the Custodian Declaration form is NOT required immediately; however, must be submitted to the Admissions Office within 10 days of submitting the online Application.
   
   
8. IELTS or TOFEL Official Test Results - only Student Applicants applying to grade 12 must submit this form and demonstrate a minimum score of 5.5 (IELTS) or 55 (TOEFL).

Other Documents - Collect the immunization record of the student (translated to English), and submitted to the York Region Public Health Department once the student has arrived in Canada. 

Expectations Upon Admission

• Ensure you have read and understand the Terms and Conditions of Participation in the International Education Program.
• Failure to meet the requirements described in the Terms and Conditions of Participation could result in the Student Applicant becoming ineligible for the International Education Program and subsequent demission from the International Education Program. For example:
  • International Students must comply with all York Region District School Board policies and the Student Code of Behaviour. International Students in contravention of the Code of Conduct may be demitted from the Program at the discretion of the School Principal in consultation with the International Education Program Principal.
  • International Students must reside in a home environment, supervised by an adult, throughout the period of study, regardless of the International Student’s age. Acceptable arrangements are set out in the Terms and Conditions of Participation.
  • Providing false medical or health information or nondisclosure of medical conditions or prescription medications may result in demission from the program, and the student returned home to be in the care of parents.
  • Students must attend school regularly. Any pattern of unauthorized absences or patterns of poor attendance may result in demission from the Program.

Before you begin, please review the Online Application Instructions.