Frequently Asked Questions

It is recommended that new students arrive a minimum of two weeks prior to the beginning of school in order to complete their Intake and Assessment appointment at our Welcome Centre.

Please refer to our Make a Payment page for an overview of the recommended payment process for International Students.

Please refer to our Arrival Checklist.

Students will be individually assessed during their English Assessment once they arrive in Canada.

If the student is deemed to have a sufficient level of English, then ESL may not be required.

Please refer to our ESL Level Placement page for an overview of this ESL level placement process.

All of our secondary schools offer English language support on site.

Additionally, you can visit the Settlement Services website for various English language exercises.

Following their Intake & Assessment Appointment at the Welcome Centre, students will meet with a Guidance Counselor to discuss the courses they’re interested in.

The courses students enroll in will depend on availability, prerequisites, and the student’s English language ability. Students are offered the full curriculum and ESL Program.

Please refer to the Religion Credits page to learn more about the various Religion courses our Board offers.

All of our schools offer a wide range of curricular and extra-curricular activities.

Please refer to our How to Apply page for a list of schools that are currently accepting International Student applications.

To determine if you are eligible for busing, please click here. You will be required to enter your homestay address, grade, and then select Halton Catholic District School Board.

Please note that transportation is only provided to your home school, as determined by your homestay address.

Please refer to the HCDSB’s School Year Calendar.

P.A. days are Professional Development days for HCDSB Staff. Students do not go to school on these days.

• Please refer to a School’s Profile for their respective Student Code of Conduct.
• Board-wide Code of Conduct – Suspensions & Expulsions

Please refer to a School’s Profile for their Uniform Policy. All of our secondary schools require students to wear uniforms.

Uniforms can only be purchased through our exclusive provider McCarthy Uniforms either online or at their local store.

Please visit mccarthyuniforms.ca for more information.

Please refer to our Refund Policy page.

• International Students Admissions Requirements Policy
• International Students Admission Requirements Procedure
• International Student Program Agents Procedure