Financial support is available for NIC students including scholarships, bursaries, grants and loans. Learn about the different types of supports available. NIC’s financial aid advisors are also available to help with exploring your funding options and with the application process.
International students enrolled at NIC may file an income tax return once they have resided in Canada the previous year. This classifies them as a deemed resident for tax purposes (not for immigration purposes). International students who are deemed residents are required to pay tax on income they earn from Canadian sources e.g. if student worked part time while studying or during scheduled breaks or received taxable scholarships.
Filing taxes is often beneficial for international students who earn an income in Canada as they are able to claim a portion of their tuition payments. In addition, students may also qualify for the goods and services tax refund or a student’s spouse/common law partner may qualify for receiving the Canadian Child Tax benefit. International students filing taxes for the first time need to make sure to enter their first date of arrival to Canada. If they have lived in Canada less than 183 days (in the calendar year) and have not earned an income from a Canadian source, then they are not required to file income tax return.
Below is an overview of a few important steps in filing an income Tax Return. If you require assistance beyond the information below, please seek out an accounting firm that will provide specific tax advice for international students.
Even if you have no income to report or tax to pay, you may be eligible for certain payments or credits. In order to receive these payments or credits, you must file an income tax return.
As a resident of Canada for part or all of a tax year (January 1 to December 31), you must file a tax return if you want to receive a refund from the government.
You must file an income tax return to receive credits such as:
- The GST/HST credit (goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax)
- Canada Child Tax Benefit payments
- Provincial or Territorial tax credits
Create a UFile Account. Students file free with UFile regardless of their income. For more information visit ufile.ca .
International students may print out their T2202 Tax Receipts (Tuition) from their Student Record which is available in early February for the previous calendar year. For more details, please visit the frequently asked questions page of the Student Records Office.
The following documents may be required to file your return:
- T2202 - Tuition, Education, and Textbook Amounts Certificate (Available online through your Student Record)
- T4 - Statement of Remuneration
- T4A - Statement of Other Income
- Medical and Donation Receipts
- Passport
- Bus pass receipt
- SIN or Individual Tax Number
- Bank information for direct deposit (a blank cheque will do)
- If you arrived in Canada last year, you will need to provide your income from January 1 until arrival in Canada.
Canada Revenue Agency
Tax Videos for Newcomers
- Protect yourself against scams!
- Taxpayers should be vigilant when they receive, either by telephone, mail, text message or email, a fraudulent communication that claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requesting personal information such as a social insurance number, credit card number, bank account number, or passport number. Should you ever receive a call, text or email from CRA and you are unsure, do not give out any personal information or your SIN. Simply hang up, check the CRA website for contact information and phone CRA directly to confirm legitimacy of the call you receive.
- These scams may insist that this personal information is needed so that the taxpayer can receive a refund or a benefit payment. Cases of fraudulent communication could also involve threatening or coercive language to scare individuals into paying fictitious debt to the CRA. Other communications urge taxpayers to visit a fake CRA website where the taxpayer is then asked to verify their identity by entering personal information. These are scams and taxpayers should never respond to these fraudulent communications or click on any of the links provided.
- There are many other scams out there that target international students in particular. Never give our personal information unless you are certain the source is reliable. Please be careful before engaging in online relationships with strangers. Some examples of other scams:
- Using search engines to find links to videos or textbooks required for coursework. Sometimes these lead to false websites that will scam you for a sum of money once you enter your payment info or they will hack into your computer. Please only use links provided by NIC instructors or NIC staff.
- Friend requests on social media from strangers. Often these people make fake accounts and pretend to be NIC students and may have “friends in common”. If you do not know them, do not accept the friend request and never message directly with these people. Do not send any videos or pictures of yourself to these people. They may use them to blackmail you.
- Frauds and scams change regularly. Please watch reliable sites like the CRA website or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre for information about frauds and scams.
