Important Dates

Overview of Mitacs Globalink Research Internship (GRI) annual cycle and important dates

April to June: Faculty application

Faculty members submit research projects to Mitacs. 

July to August: Faculty application vetting

Projects are reviewed by Mitacs, and decisions are communicated to professors. 

August to September: Student application

All research projects supported by Mitacs are made available to student applicants in an online database. International students submit applications and select research projects from the online database.

October: Student application vetting by Mitacs

Mitacs conducts an eligibility review of student applications.

November to early February: Matching by Mitacs

Mitacs provides professors with a shortlist of student candidates for their project. Professors are then asked to review student applications and conduct interviews. Mitacs collects these student and professor suitability rankings, then finalizes offers to students. Final results are announced in February.

Please be aware that up until mid-February, International Student + Visitor Services (ISVS) staff members do not receive any information from Mitacs about individual student placements or tentative matches. As such, any questions from stakeholders in November through early February that are not answered on our research internship Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page should be directed to helpdesk@mitacs.ca during this time period. Thank you for your understanding.

Mid- to late-February: Mitacs shares first Intern List with University of Alberta ISVS staff 

Successful matches are typically first shared in mid-February with International Student + Visitor Services staff. U of A host professors and the selected international student participants are then emailed by ISVS staff, typically from intern@ualberta.ca, to begin coordinating support and settlement services.

Until then, please feel free to refer to the answers on our research internship Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page. 

ISVS staff kindly request that you allow us to email all participants en masse, rather than having participants send us individual inquiries and then have us spend time answering individual emails, as there are many common questions that we proactively answer in late February based on each cycle's specific information for that year (i.e., immigration advice specific to the global conditions and rules pertinent at that time) and this benefits all applicants.

This is also why that timely and specific information sometimes cannot be provided earlier, or posted here for your convenience months before that time, as it is subject to change based on global factors out of all of our control. That said, as long as ISVS receives the first intern list in mid- to late-February then we look forward to being in touch with selected Globalink Research Internship participants (both inbound international students and their U of A host professors) before the end of February!

End of February through April: Pre-arrival preparation

Selected student participants follow any necessary or advised immigration procedures, depending on their unique circumstances. They also continue working with their Canadian host professors at this time to arrange more specific research placement details.

Mitacs oversees logistics and continues coordinating any placement changes (cancellations, new matches, edited start date, etc.). Mitacs shares intern lists with university administrative offices such as University of Alberta International Student + Visitor Services on a rolling weekly basis from late February through August. 

University of Alberta ISVS staff then reach out by email to participants on a few occasions before arrival to share important pre-arrival information and first steps for student participants to take after landing in Alberta, such as certain campus registration steps like how to get their ONEcard, how to open a Canadian bank account (often at no charge), etc.

April 16 to July 16: ISVS Staff send GRI participants their UAlberta ID number & CCID in a First Steps After Arrival email

Within weeks ahead of the research start date, the University of Alberta will send Mitacs GRI student participants an email with further steps to take for campus registration. This email will be sent directly to the student participant, with their host professor (as well as any other U of A supervisory staff that we are aware of) copied in, and it will include the student participant's unique UAlberta ID & CCID that ISVS staff have requested ahead of their arrival, plus instructions on how to obtain a ONEcard and navigate DUO multi-factor authentication after arrival on campus, etc.

Faculty members and host supervisors or department administrators are welcome to review the services that ISVS provides for research interns on our FAQs page.

Student GRI participants should kindly take care to follow the advice provided in that 'First Steps After Arrival' email for a smooth registration on campus. If it is less than two weeks (14 calendar days) before your planned internship start date and you have not yet received an email with 'First Steps After Arrival' in the subject line from intern@ualberta.ca then please check your spam or junk email folder. Emails can wind up in anyone's junk or spam folder, even if we've successfully reached your inbox before. If you still are not finding it, then please do not hesitate to email intern@ualberta.ca and we will be sure to get you that information as soon as possible, thanks! 

May 1 to July 31: Interns arrive and begin research under supervision of host professor

Globalink research interns must arrive in Canada to start their internships on a date that falls sometime between May 1 through July 31. Interns work with supervising professors for 12 weeks on their research project.

Shortened durations of 10 or 11 weeks may be granted by Mitacs on an exceptional basis. All of these requests must flow through Mitacs and your host professor for their approval. These will be communicated to the U of A via regular channels after their approval by Mitacs. Please do not request this directly of the ISVS office. 

Please keep in mind when planning your start date that on-campus housing and/or near-campus accommodations are most available and easiest to arrange between early- to mid-May through early- to mid-August. It is not impossible at other times, and we understand your schedule may or may not allow for you to be here at that time. We are simply letting you know when it is easiest in case you do have a choice in the matter. Please do not worry if you can only arrive near the end of July, as that is perfectly fine and hundreds of researchers before you have found accommodations near campus or a short commute away (15 minutes by LRT) at that time of year without a problem as well. 

Your Mitacs Mentor should reach out to you during this period. Yes, you have a Mitacs Mentor assigned to you. It is their responsibility to get in touch with you. The University of Alberta has enjoyed taking part in the national Mitacs Mentor program since summer 2025. If you see any mention of the U of A having a separate or independent student mentor program, that is false outdated information and should be flagged for removal. Thank you for your understanding.

Post-Arrival Actions for Mitacs GRI student participants

The University of Alberta's ISVS staff are here to help you, and of course we will do our best to assist wherever possible in collaboration with the national Mitacs program administrators.

That said, please note that University of Alberta International Student + Visitor Services (ISVS) staff do not have a login nor access to the Mitacs portal. Therefore research interns should please include a screenshot of the information you are seeing or asking about if/when you reach out to ISVS staff, and be prepared to follow the guidance provided directly by Mitacs to you in the portal.

Mitacs GRI may require that student participants obtain a Visitor Record and/or a Social Insurance Number (SIN). Please check your Mitacs portal for details. Should this not answer your specific question or address your situation, please contact the Mitacs help desk by emailing helpdesk@mitacs.ca.

Mitacs staff are best-positioned to provide relevant advice regarding your award payment, not ISVS staff. Thank you for your understanding. 

Early May to Late October: Join any ISVS Events & Programs for research interns

Meet new people, learn or practice new skills, and have some fun! Check out uab.ca/isvsevents for more details of what's happening while you're here!

Late July to Late October: Internship ends, depending upon start date

Globalink Research Internship participants complete their 12 week stays at the University of Alberta.

Student participants should please refer to the Research Internship Handbook that was provided to selected applicants for a checklist of common actions to smoothly wrap up your stay in Alberta.

Thank you for being a valued guest at the University of Alberta. It was our pleasure to host you, and we hope our paths may cross again!

Should you be interested in returning to the University of Alberta for future studies, you are very welcome and encouraged to explore all of the available academic program options, admission procedures and deadlines, along with any available recruitment scholarships at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (GPS). 

Date modified: 2026-10-14