International students FAQ
Your guide as a survivor and a supporter when responding to sexual violence. n this section you will find help, support, resources, and definitions.
This FAQ is built around the most up-to-date information available and is not meant to replace any formal legal or immigration advice. Information in this website, such as study and work permit terms, is subject to change at any time in accordance with the Canadian government. Be sure to check the Government of Canada’s website and your school’s international student centre, other relevant student services, or legal counselling. If you have any questions, please contact the Director of Opportunity of Belonging.
Please see the page What is Sexual Violence.
Please see the page What is Consent.
Please contact the Director of Opportunity and Belonging and read the resources under the Get Help page.
No, you do not need to have any documents or evidence for you to make a disclosure to receive support or accommodations.
Yes, you can receive support for anything that happened before you arrived on this campus. Sometimes, it can take a while for a survivor to recognize that acts that have been done to them, are sexual violence. If the impacts of a past incident of sexual violence resurfaces, you can visit NSCAD’s counselling services for support. There is no time limit for when you can seek support or services for something that has happened in the past.
If the respondent is a faculty or staff member at NSCAD, you will be supported in the same way as you would if the respondent was another student. If you feel unsafe at NSCAD, or in the classroom, the Director of Opportunity and Belonging, can help develop a safety plan and discuss options, such as academic accommodations. If the respondent is a faculty or staff member, you will be able to access the same academic accommodations as you would if the respondent was another student.
If you have a friend or peer that tells you that sexual violence has happened to them, it is okay not to have all the answers. For more information and tips on how to support a friend or peer, go to the Give Help section.
Supporting someone who has experienced sexual violence can be tough. Make sure you are taking care of yourself, understand your own boundaries, and make referrals to professionals when you feel the support that your friend or peer needs is out of your personal limits. You can access on and off-campus support and resources as well.
The NSCAD counsellors are here to support you, your friend and others who are impacted by sexual violence.
Your safety is the number one priority at NSCAD. If you don’t feel safe, the Director of Opportunity and Belonging will work with you to create a safety plan. Safety plans will have strategies to help you feel safe on and off-campus and will take into consideration your academic, work, and social environments, housing, and more.
Whether or not you choose to report, you will continuously have access to support, accommodations, and resources. If immediate measures are put in place, or an investigation into a report of sexual violence is happening, safety measures can be put in place to make sure your safety, the and the safety of the community are kept. These measures could include academic accommodations, a no-contact order, or housing/ residence, class, or work accommodations such as moving your class to another location.
Talk to the Director of Opportunity and Belonging at NSCAD to find out more about safety plans.
If you feel your safety is immediately at risk, call Emergency at 911 or NSCAD Fountain Campus Security (24 hours) (902) 877-0764).
No, you do not have to formally report to receive support. If you choose to disclose an incident of sexual violence, you will still be able to receive the appropriate resources, support, and accommodations from NSCAD.
NSCAD’s International students on the Student VIP health plan have access to $10,000 coverage for psychologists and $500 for Social Workers. Students on this plan can also use the I.M. Well app which provides 24/7 access to counsellors in over 240 languages. Visit the International Student Health Plan for details.
Good2Talk Call 1-833-292-3698 or Text GOOD2TALK to 686868
24/7 services are available to post-secondary students in Nova Scotia. Free, confidential support from a professional counsellor on a range of mental health and well-being topics. https://good2talk.ca/novascotia/
Yes, NSCAD’s international students on the Student VIP health plan can use the I.M. Well app which provides 24/7 access to counsellors in over 240 languages.
Academic Considerations/ Accommodations
If you have experienced an incident(s) of sexual violence and it has impacted your ability to complete coursework or focus on your education, you may want to seek support in your courses. You can request academic accommodations from the Director of Opportunity and Belonging to help better support you throughout this time. You do not need to make a formal report to receive academic accommodations. If you have been affected by sexual violence, you may be able to access accommodations such as: being able to withdraw from a class after the deadline, withdrawing for a semester, being granted extensions for coursework or makeup exams, or changing classroom locations. There may be more accommodation options than this, and you can meet with the Director of Opportunity and Belonging to learn more.
Note: An accommodation such as withdrawing from a course or semester could impact your study permit. Make sure to consult the Director of Opportunity and Belonging, or other relevant student services for more information.
Many survivors experience physical or mental health impacts due to sexual violence. You might have feelings of distress, anger, sadness, lack of energy or many other feelings that impact your ability to focus, complete schoolwork, or study. If you have any of these feelings or others that are having a negative impact on your academics, you can reach out to ask about academic accommodations.
Academic accommodations are an arrangement or changes that you can receive for your courses due to distress on your physical or mental health, which might negatively impact your ability to complete coursework or focus on your education. Examples of academic accommodations include assignment extensions or accommodated exams.
If you would like to speak to someone about academic accommodations, contact the Director of Opportunity and Belonging.
The Director of Opportunity and Belonging will work with survivors and those impacted by sexual violence to get them connected to the right departments for academic accommodations, and help you figure out the best way forward for you.
Talk to a licensed immigration specialist to see how your work or study permit might be impacted. When you’re speaking to an immigration specialist, you don’t need to share all the details of the incident of sexual violence. If you think you might need to speak to an immigration specialist, the Director of Opportunity and Belonging to help you connect with one, so you don’t have to talk about the incident many times.
Your study permit should include the conditions under which you are able to work. The following information about work and study permits is built around the most up-to-date information available and is not meant to replace any formal legal advice. Information about study and work permit terms is subject to change at any time in accordance with the Canadian government. Make sure to check the Government of Canada’s website, the Director of Opportunity and Belonging, other relevant student services, or legal counselling.
If you are taking time off your studies, speak to Director of Opportunity and Belonging about your health care coverage and they explain your coverage while you’re on a leave of absence.
Remember, only licensed immigration specialists can give immigration advice in Canada.
Talk to a licensed immigration specialist to see how your work or study permit might be impacted. When you’re speaking with an immigration specialist, you don’t need to share all the details of the incident of gender-based or sexual violence. If you think you might need to speak to an immigration specialist, the Director of Opportunity and Belonging will help you connect with an immigration specialist, so you don’t have to talk about the incident many times.
The best course of action is to speak with a licensed immigration specialist to figure out what to do next. They can help you apply for an official Leave of Absence, gather documents for your study permit extension and connect you to other resources on campus.
If you’ve already taken some time away from your studies and need to apply for a study permit extension, a licenced immigration specialist can help you gather the right documents for your extension application.
If you are taking time off your studies, speak to the Director of Opportunity and Belonging staff about your health care coverage. They will explain your coverage while you’re on a leave of absence.
The best course of action is to speak with a licensed immigration specialist to figure out what to do next. They can help you gather documents for your PGWP application, write a letter of explanation and connect you to other resources on campus.
If you are taking time off your studies, speak to Director of Opportunity and Belonging about your health care coverage and your options to extend your coverage if you need to, while you wait for your PGWP application decision.
You do not need to make a formal report to access sexual health or other physical or mental health resources.
Emergency contraceptives (ECP), including Plan B, are available over the counter (without a health card) at any local pharmacy for about $40. ECPs are used to prevent pregnancy, and if taken within 72 hours (three days) and preferably within 12 hours of the incident, it can prevent pregnancy. Ask the pharmacist at your local pharmacy.
If you have recently been sexually assaulted it is important to have your medical needs addressed.
Even if there are no obvious signs of injury, contact the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) 24/7 902.425.0122, immediately and within 7 days after a sexual assault, to preserve physical evidence, treat any physical injuries and test for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or pregnancy. A support person is welcome to accompany you.
You can also go directly to the Emergency Room of the QEII Halifax Infirmary in Halifax, or the Darthmouth General Hospital, and the hospital will call the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) to come to the hospital to meet you. The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) will arrive to meet you within 1-1.5 hours, you will not have to wait in the common waiting room, and a support person is welcome to accompany you.
For counselling, visit the NSCAD counsellors, or Avalon Sexual Assault Centre.
Visit our resources page for a list of medical contacts.
If you go to the hospital, the hospital will not tell NSCAD. Hospitals in Canada are bound by privacy legislation that ensures patient confidentiality. Healthcare privacy and protection laws across the country differ depending on the province; however, all maintain a general regard for patient confidentiality.
Please see the Support and Resources section of this site.
The Independent Legal Advice (ILA) program in Nova Scotia provides free, independent legal advice to adult survivors of sexual assault, and participants do not have to report to police or take legal action if they use this service. Registering is done by calling, texting, or emailing 211 and saying that you were sexually assaulted in Nova Scotia, and you want to talk to a lawyer. This service is available to sexual assault survivors 16 years old or older and whose assault took place in Nova Scotia.
For more specific information about the reporting process, contact the Director of Opportunity and Belonging.
If it is an emergency, where you need the police, ambulance, or fire department, dial 911.
If it is not an emergency contact the Director of Opportunity and Belonging to review the process for reporting to the police.
Depending on where the incident occurred, the report would have to be made to those local police service. Talk to the Director of Opportunity and Belonging for more information.
Publication bans are a part of your rights as a victim if you choose to go through the justice system. This prevents anyone from publishing, broadcasting, or sending any information that could identify a witness, victim, or anyone else who participates in the process.
For more information on publication bans and your rights and supports available to you as a victim, visit Publication Bans and the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights (Department of Justice Canada, 2023).
If you have been affected by sexual violence in any way, as a victim/ survivor or witness, and are unsure if you would like to make a report, you can save and collect helpful evidence such as the day, date, and time of the incident, text messages, other forms of messages from the respondent or screenshots, photos, and videos.
Confidentiality is based on privacy and respecting someone’s wishes about not sharing information. In this context, the survivor of sexual violence has the ability to decide what information gets shared and who it gets shared with. This means your information will not be shared unless it is required for the purpose of coordinating safety and supports or for investigation purposes. Exceptions to confidentiality could include if an individual is at risk of inflicting harm on themselves or others, if there is a risk to campus or community safety, or if the event involves a minor.
Will it show up on my transcript?
If you choose to report, it will be kept confidential as per the circumstances above and will not show up on your transcript.
Will my family know?
If you choose to report, it will be kept confidential as per the circumstances above, and your family will not be notified by NSCAD.
Will my peers or classmates know?
If you choose to report, it will be kept confidential as per the circumstances above, and your peers and classmates will not be notified by NSCAD.
Will my instructors or teaching assistants know?
Your instructors or teaching assistants will not be notified by NSCAD.
Will anyone from my home country know?
If you choose to report, it will be kept confidential as per the circumstances above. NSCAD will not be in contact with anyone from your home country, including your home country’s government.
If you choose to report, it will be kept confidential as per NSCAD’s protection of privacy policy. Each Spring and Fall, every designated learning institution is required to compile and submit a report on international students’ enrollment status that term. If you are taking a leave of absence from your studies related to an incident of sexual violence, NSCAD will only record that you are on a leave of absence but will not share any information about why you are doing so.
You do not need to report to the police to receive support, and it is completely up to you whether or not you would like to make a police report. The resources and services available around you will believe and support you regardless of your decision to report to the police. Talk to the Director of Opportunity and Belonging for more information.
Keep in mind that if you do choose to report to the police, once the report has been made, you will be unable to withdraw the report. The process of reporting to the police can be difficult or unclear, but if you do choose to report, you will be able to receive support from the Director of Opportunity and Belonging.
If you file a formal report with the police as a victim, your home country will not know.
You do not need to go through the justice/legal system to receive support. Canada has a democratic legal process that is founded on the presumption of innocence, meaning everyone is innocent until proven guilty. To find out more about Canada’s justice system, visit https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/discover-canada/read-online/justice-system.html or https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/
Citation:
Liu, C., Flora, P., Gupta, R., Keren, L., Kordich, E., Sharma, S., & Siddiqui, A. (2020). Supporting International Students Affected by GBV: A Customizable Tool for International Students, Post-Secondary Administrators and Frontline Workers. Courage to Act: Addressing and Preventing Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions in Canada.
Contact us
The Director of Opportunity & Belonging is available to support members of the campus community on any issues related to sexual violence.
Contact the Director of Opportunity & Belonging
Jennifer Abrahamson
902-717-6708.