If you are interested in a meeting that is narrower in scope (such as meeting with a specific academic unit in order to discuss a research collaboration), please visit the faculties websites to contact the appropriate unit directly.

The University of Ottawa receives many requests for delegation visits. Unfortunately, it is not possible to respond to all requests.

If your service or faculty is mandated to host an international delegation to the University of Ottawa, please refer to the sections below to help you plan the visit.

Collect information and evaluate the request

If the visit appears to be outside of the scope of your academic unit or Faculty and support at the Central level will be required, please instruct the delegation requestor to complete the international visit request form. This will be important in order to clearly identify the needs and desired activities of the delegation, and determine the appropriate involvement at uOttawa.

Gathering information

It is important to collect accurate and detailed information early in the process to provide decision-makers with information that will affect the nature and success of the visit.

It is the responsibility of all universities that request to visit us to complete the international visit request form. This will allow us to clearly identify the needs and activities in which they wish to participate.

Evaluate the request

The faculty or service evaluates the request according to the interests of its stakeholders and the University's strategic objectives, makes a recommendation on the opportunity to meet the delegation and suggests, if necessary, other potential participants from the University of Ottawa. For more prestigious delegations (government representatives, university presidents, embassies), contact the President's Office.

If you have any questions about the evaluation of the request, email uOInternational at [email protected].

Planning and preparation

This checklist (PDF, 74.7KB) includes steps to follow (as well as when to complete each step) when your academic unit or service receives a request for a delegation visit.

Hotels

The University of Ottawa has special rates with hotels near our campus. When you book your stay, you have to mention that you want the University of Ottawa preferential fee:

• Les Suites Hotel Ottawa
• Novotel Ottawa

Preparation of an invitation letter

To process visa applications from visiting delegations, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) may require Canadian universities to provide a letter of invitation.

Check the CIC website to find out what information should be included in the invitation letter.

Act quickly

As soon as a delegation's request to visit is accepted, check to see if the delegation needs an invitation letter. The visa application process can be lengthy; the faster the letter is sent, the more likely the delegation will receive its visas on time.

Manage expectations

In the letter, avoid making promises. It is preferable to use wording such as "discuss our mutual interests in internationalization" rather than "discuss a possible memorandum of understanding". Questions of this kind are discussed in person; we would not want to risk giving false hopes.

Inform key stakeholders

Before sending the letter, ensure that all the services, departments and faculties mentioned in the letter are notified of their participation in the visit. Not only is it a matter of professionalism, but in doing so, there is no risk of embarrassing the guests.

Welcome of the delegation

As far as possible, a representative of the University of Ottawa of equal rank to the head of the delegation should be present at one of the meetings, ideally the first of the day. If the University of Ottawa representative is very busy, a brief introduction and a word of welcome are sufficient to comply with the protocol.

As a general rule, the number of participants from the University of Ottawa should be approximately equal to the number of members of the delegation. It is difficult to apply this rule when the delegation is composed of only one person, in which case a ratio of at most 4:1 should be respected as much as possible.

This checklist includes the steps to follow the day of the visit (PDF, 76.2KB).