My Immaculate Treatise of an Awesome Canadian Summer (MITACS): Part Two
In the Summer of ’22, I had the amazing opportunity to go visit the University of British Columbia as a research intern for 12 weeks. This series of articles is to encapsulate my experience both for memories, and as an aide to future applicants. This particular article deals with the post-selection process: booking flights, searching for a place to stay, applying for a visa and everything in between.
Disclaimer: This article doesn’t talk about applying for a passport because I didn’t have to, but there are a lot of guides available online which do an excellent job at outlining the process. Nonetheless, get your passport before you recieve your award letter at any cost.
You’ve got yourself a fancy internship in a Canadian University in (or near) a concrete jungle. Kudos! But it’ll likely the first time you’re going abroad all alone or at all. It can get quite stressful to apply for a visa and a passport, and search for accomodation all while wondering whether the money MITACS says they’ll pay you is even enough. Furthermore, what even is the stipend? You’ve probably heard numbers ranging from “oh my god what the hell?” to “OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL!” So yes, here’s the second part of my very aptly titled “treatise” (I realised after publishing the first part that “telling” would be much less pretentious, but too bad now).
How To: Book Your Flights
After considering your college schedule and discussing with your host professor, you’ve likely got a rough idea of when you want to fly out. I’d recommend using Google Flights to optimize the exact dates of your travel, simply because I like their date grid and price graph modules very much, and it helps make the best available choice. There is no such ideal time to book your flights because there is always a chance of a better deal cropping up, but I’d definitely suggest booking them by early March or if prices surge (whichever happens first).
While booking your flights, don’t jump at the cheapest one blindly. There are a few factors which are complete dealbreakers
- A small layover: If your layover at any airport is less than 2.5–3 hours, I’d advise against it. Security checks can have huge queues at large airports, and the last thing you want is to be Tom Hanks in the Terminal. This is also highlighted by the fact that in your first Canadian airport of entry (not necessarily your destination), after your immigration is done, you have to explicitly ask for a document called the visitor record. This document is very useful for creating your bank account, as it serves as an alternative identity proof. However, immigration officials are not accustomed to handing out these records on a daily basis, and hence might be apprehensive in giving you one. Depending on the immigration officers at your airport, this process can take from 30 minutes to 6 hours (in which case you’ll almost certainly miss your flight, wherein you again need to convince them that it was not your fault, and that they put you on the next flight free of charge). I personally had my visitor record within an hour, and did not need to deal with much trouble, but I know of many people who did. That said, these are extreme cases and 95% of cases would be smooth-sailing; just better to be safe than sorry.
- Transit visa: Some countries or flight routes may require you to exit the terminal you landed in to board your next connecting flight, which would almost certainly require you to have a transit visa for that country (read more bureaucracy). Before you book your tickets, double and triple check whether or not your layovers would need a transit visa. Some countries mandate a transit visa UNLESS you have a visa for a list of countries which, more often than not, include Canada; so read carefully. Transit visas are mostly required only for self-transfer options or if your layover is more than a certain number of hours. Websites like MakeMyTrip are not reliable with the transit visa information, so look at the individual airports’ guidelines before you book, and make sure that you do not have to leave the terminal you land in at any instance.
My iternary was as follows:
5th May 2022: Mumbai -> Frankfurt -> Calgary -> Kelowna.
7th Aug 2022: Kelowna -> Vancouver -> Frankfurt -> Mumbai.
Monitor your preferred flight regularly and check for cheaper alternatives over time. If you know someone going to the same city or province as you, I’d suggest booking the same flight since 24 hours is a long long time to spend all by yourself. A friend of mine and I just happened to book flights which gave us a common layover at Frankfurt, and it was a good break from the monotonicity of air-travel.
If you plan on visiting a city like Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal sometime during your stay, I’d advise you to plan it on your return journey, especially if it is geographically on the way to India. You can then spend a day or two before flying out again, and this would be substantially cheaper if booked with your iternary. You can of course travel to-and-from these places during your internship as well (like I did), but for places that are a cross-continental journey away, its better to plan a trip as a part of your return journey.
How To: Apply For A Visa
If you plan on travelling in the end of April or early May, I can only hope you’re an adrenaline junkie. The visa process is majorly the only stressful thing you’ll have to do.
Most WhatsApp groups are nothing but an echo chamber of fake news and misinformation, and this is true even for your MITACS Interns 2023 group. In most cases of doubt, its better to contact VFS or a previous intern rather than relying on your equally clueless mate. That said, this guide too is outdated by atleast a year (People are going to read this every year; duh), and some procedures might be different, so use your judgement too.
The application process is as follows:
- Apply for access to the VFS portal here. Once you’re done, go to this website and start an application for a visitor visa. For help with specific sections, you can loosely follow this document. Pay the fees using a credit card, since there were issues with debit cards while I was applying.
- Once you’re done filling out your application and paying the fee, you’ll soon get a biometric appointment letter. The appointment is likely to be within a week of you submitting your application, so plan accordingly. The only documents you need to take along with you are a printout of the aforementioned email, passport, award letter and a signed consent form enclosed in the email. Mobile phones and wallets are typically not allowed inside the VFS office, so take someone along to handle them for you while you’re inside. The actual biometric appointment is fairly straightforward, but the VFS officers will offer you a premium service, which in my humble opinion, is not worth it (but to each their own).
- Now’s the nerve-racking part. You’re essentially waiting on the Canadian consulate to give the go-ahead on your application, after which you’ll recieve a passport request letter (PRL). You then need to send your passport to VFS for stamping, and will recieve it back in about a week depending on your location. The issue is that my PRL arrived about a month after my biometric appointment, and was cutting it very close with my departure (5th May). I recieved my stamped passport on 26th April, and I know of people who essentially played tag and flew out immediately after receiving their passport. So yes, I hope you like adrenaline.
The application procedure is likely dynamic and ever-changing with global geopolitics, so if this guide is not relevant anymore, I’d hit up YouTube (if that’s still a thing in 2050). There are a lot of videos detailing the process, and are likely to be updated year after year (that is, until India becomes Vishwa Guru).
How To: Find A Place To Stay
On-campus housing is usually available in the summer owing to students going home or on vacation at the time. Full-time students staying off-campus too might be looking to sublet their rooms for the summer. However, off-campus accomodation might be cheaper, but I’d advise you to follow your fellow interns. I had a place to stay off-campus, but all the other interns were staying on-campus, leading to me crashing on their couches most days.
However, it might be a cheaper option to pool in multiple people and share an apartment. University websites generally have links to reliable housing websites, and Facebook groups too are a good place to scout. However, don’t sign a lease or pay any money till you have atleast gotten a live video tour of the house, and/or gotten valid ID proofs of your landlord. In most cases you’ll have to pay a security deposit (half your rent, returned at the end of your stay unless you love violence) and in some cases, even the first month’s rent. It all ultimately comes down to weighing the pros and cons and not getting conned, so ask a few friends to look over your deal and situation once before you jump in.
Off-campus housing can come as low as CA$300 (with sharing of course) and as high as CA$2000. Scout out different options across websites and arrive at a median cost. If you manage to find a solid deal below the median (with ameneties) and it’s less than on-campus housing, go for it. If you don’t know anyone going to the same city as you, scout for a WhatsApp group of MITACS interns at your host university, and try your luck there. As for travelling within the city, bus passes are a godsend. Most universities would have a bus pass for their students which is substantially cheaper than the market price, and (conditions potentially apply), take you from A to B within the city, regardless of how far A and B are.
MITACS assigns every intern with a mentor, who can in some cases be your guardian angel. Depending on how out-of-the-way they are willing to go, they might pick you up from the airport, accompany you while creating your bank account or even help you scout/verify accomodation. Get in touch with your mentor as and when they’re assigned, and try to make your life easier.
How Much Is The Stipend Really?
Now, I don’t know if I’m allowed to disclose how much MITACS pays interns, but I’m gonna do it anyways because I know a lot of people rethinking going to Canada itself because of rumours that the stipend is not enough. So, MITACS, if you think about coming at me for this, I’m helping y’all out here.
Once you land in Canada, make sure to create a bank account within the first week. MITACS will only send funds to a Canadian account, and the longer you delay the creation of one, the longer you need to live off your own expenses. I’d suggest looking up the nearest TD/RBC bank outlet (#notsponsored) and book an appointment either online or in-person. You’ll then be assisted by friendly faces at the bank, and be good to go in no time. After creating an account, MITACS takes about 2–3 weeks to send you the first instalment of the stipend, so do carry around CA$500 (excluding rent and other major expenses if any) to sustain till then. You can either carry cash, or load up a Forex card (much more convinient).
The total stipend I recieved is in the ballpark of CA$8500, spread across three unequal instalments. MITACS splits this stipend into components like airfare, living expenses, rent, etc., and mentions a maximum amount for every bracket. This is a little misleading, and a few people have been well, misled. So here’s an example of how it works:
Say you spend CA$2000 on your flights, but the allowance is only CA$1500, technically, only CA$1500 is refunded, and CA$500 is left as your own expense. BUT, there are certain brackets like housing, which is CA$45 per day, and is more than enough to cover your housing costs. Typical housing ranges from CA$30–35 per day, and some go even lower if you get lucky. Let’s say your housing costs CA$35 per day; MITACS will still send you the CA$45 as mentioned in the break-up. In short, you get the maximum amount allotted to each bracket regardless of your expenditure, and as long as the TOTAL amount you spend is less than the total amount MITACS provides, you need not worry. Me and my fellow interns managed to save money from the internship, although we travelled to various cities and didn’t really cheap out on any expense (Coming soon(ish) Part 3).
How To: Pack Your Bags
Packing your bags is more or less the generic stuff that you’d take anywhere, plus a few other items. Do take a universal travel adapter (Amazon links 1 and 2) from India itself, because it is quite expensive to buy abroad. If you intend on cooking your own food, carry some basic spices, and depending on the ameneties provided at your accomodation, utensils as well. Some ready-to-eat food packets and instant noodles would come in handy for the first few days while you’re getting set up. Lastly, look up the weather at your host city, and accordingly pack summer and/or winter wear. A checklist like the one here (credits to Omang Baheti for being the chad that he is) can be very helpful.
BONUS: For The UBCO Folks
For people visiting Kelowna this summer, you’re in luck! I have a whole other section just for you guys. For accomodation, contact Saverio Sasso (+1 250–979–8312). He’s a gem of a person and you’ll have a wonderful time interacting with him. Use my reference and he might just give you a discount (he won’t, but use my reference nonetheless). Other off-campus accomodation options can be found here.
If you plan on living on-campus, DO NOT avail for a meal plan. The way it works is the amount you pay for the meal plan is loaded onto your UBC card, and can be scanned at checkout in the canteen. This essentially limits the way you can spend the dollars loaded onto your UBC card to the canteen and a few other select locations. You’re much better off using other modes of payment, or you know, polishing your culinary skills and cooking by yourself (it’s not as daunting as it sounds).
Lastly (kinda reiterating), if you have Niagra on your bucket list, plan in advance and plan it as part of your return trip to India, because a return trip to Toronto from Kelowna can go upto CA$1000 just on airfare.
For any further queries, reach out to me on any of my socials!
