Important Program Information

Vaccinations

Canada:
Students must have received their routine childhood vaccinations appropriate for their age. In addition, Canada requires full vaccination against Meningococcal (MenACWY). The Covid-19 vaccine is recommended but not mandatory.

USA:
Students must be up to date with their routine childhood vaccinations for their age group. Additionally, your host school in the USA will require further immunisations to meet national guidelines, such as the Meningococcal ACWY vaccine and a TB test conducted within six months before arrival. While Covid-19 vaccination is recommended, it is not mandatory.

Other Countries:
Students must be up to date with their standard childhood vaccinations. While the Covid-19 vaccine is recommended, it is not compulsory.

General Visa Information

Students traveling on Australian & New Zealand passports, with programs up to 90 days, generally travel as “tourists” and do not need to apply for a visa prior departure. However, for programs extending beyond the 90-day period (including Semester & Academic Year programs), students are usually required to apply for the necessary visa.

Program Coordinators will provide the essential visa documents so students can lodge their visa application. Please note that Program Coordinators are not Registered Migration Agents and cannot represent the applicant. Program Coordinators will provide “guidance” where possible, however the responsibility of lodging the visa falls upon the student/parents. Visa application requirements differ per destination and, on top of the visa documents provided by your Program Coordinator, students will need to provide additional documents such as birth certificate, bank statements, police check certificate, passport photos, letter of parental consent, etc.

Visa application fees (set by the foreign Authority) fluctuate depending on the destination and may vary from $180 to $700. These costs exclude expenses such as translations, official stamps (Notary Public stamp, Apostille stamp), national police certificate, passports photos, express post envelopes, etc. In some cases, students must attend an in-person consulate / visa agency appointment, which may incur additional personal expenses for travel such as purchasing flights (Interstate flight or international flight if no representation in your home country), petrol costs, tolls, accommodation, etc.

Immigration & Embassy Links

• Australia: Department of Home Affairs, Finnish Embassy, Canberra, ACT
• Australia: Foreign Embassies & Consulates
• New Zealand: Foreign Embassies & Consulates

Program Start Dates

Program start dates are indicative arrivals in the destination & students attending the Welcome Camp (if available) will depart earlier. Program start dates serve as approximate arrival dates at the destination and subject to change as program dates are dependent upon the district that you are placed in. We will notify you of your confirmed program dates ahead of time to prevent any confusion or inconvenience.

If a student arrives on a date other than the suggested arrival dates, an additional fee will be applied. If a student departs earlier or later than the program’s schedule and requires assistance for transfers, an extra charge will be incurred. In cases where a student is travelling as an unaccompanied minor and needs special assistance at the airport, additional fees will apply. The specific costs will be determined based on the program, arrival and departure details, and any additional services required, such as meet and greet, pick-up service, or private transfers.