Student FAQ

Follow your academic advisor’s instructions. They are the right source for anything about your file.

Every bureau department is listed at saudibureau.org/contact-us.php. For general questions, ask in the SSA group chat. For anything private, DM a member of Community Affairs.

The plan is to graduate in 4 years. A U of T bachelor’s is 20 credits, so you need 5 completed credits a year. Either of these gets you there:

• 5 courses each term (Fall and Winter), or
• 4 courses in Fall, 4 in Winter and 2 in the summer.

Master’s, doctoral and co-op students have different requirements. Check the bureau website and call your advisor.

Yes, if you have permission from the bureau.

As soon as you arrive in Canada. Open a Canadian bank account first, then submit the request the same day if you can.

You aren’t counted as an active scholarship student until the request is approved, and a late approval can push your first stipend to the following month.

Usually 1 to 2 weeks. If the request is returned, expect roughly another 2 weeks after you resubmit, so it’s worth getting it complete the first time.

• Approved before the 5th of the month: your first stipend usually arrives at the end of that month.
• Approved after the 5th: it comes with the next month’s stipend.

You are paid for the days you were in Canada before approval (فروقات). That happens automatically, so there’s no separate request to make.

Bring enough money to cover your first 2 months.

No, don’t cancel it.

1. Find the returned request in your Safeer inbox (صندوق الوارد) or under categorized requests (طلبات مصنفة).
2. Read the reason in the email or in the request view.
3. Fix what they ask for and resubmit the same request.

This is common. Safeer’s servers are in Saudi Arabia, so the site is slow from Canada, and it has gone down during busy periods. Things that usually help:

• Wait a few minutes and try again.
• Use a private or incognito window, or a different browser.
• Switch between your phone and your laptop.
• For upload errors, compress your files, give them clear names, and combine related documents into one PDF.

If it still fails, submit a support ticket in Safeer or contact your advisor.

Study plan requests don’t appear in the main requests list. Look under categorized requests (طلبات مصنفة).

Advisors aren’t available on weekends. Call or email your advisor, and if you can’t reach them, try the other advisor listed under Who do I contact. You can also ask in the group chat, since someone has usually hit the same issue.

The official monthly stipend is C$2,311 for a single student. It’s higher if you have a spouse or children. Source: saudibureau.org/announcements.php

Usually between the 24th and 27th of each month. In December it arrives earlier, around the 17th to 19th, because of the year end.

• Your study visa fees
• The U of T seat commitment deposit (about C$5,000 this year)

Submit your study plan (خطة دراسية) for the next term. That registers you as a sponsored student, and when the university’s payment deadline arrives, the bureau guarantees and pays your tuition for that term.

No. The bureau covers you through Cowan Group (SACB-HDP). You must opt out of both U of T plans, UHIP and your campus Health & Dental plan, before the deadlines. 2026–27 details:

Opt out early rather than at the last minute. The details change every year, so check the SSA announcement each fall.

Create your account on the SACB Cowan portal as soon as possible. If you get an error, contact Cowan.

You become eligible for a new ticket 9 months after you arrive back in Canada, not 9 months after you left.

Example: you fly out on May 10 and return on August 20. Your next ticket is available 9 months after August 20.