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As of November 8, 2024, at 2 p.m., the Canadian government ended the Student Direct Stream program. If you want to continue the process of studying in Canada, we can provide the necessary documents to help you comply with the Canadian financial support requirement guidelines. The content below will be updated soon.

GICs for international students: what happens to my money if my trip is compromised?

Depending on the situation, there are several solutions available to help you get your money back.

If you don’t make it to Canada:

It’s possible to reclaim your money via an outgoing wire transfer.

You’ll need to:

  • Contact the branch you chose when you opened your account.
  • Be identified by one of our advisors and be deemed eligible.
  • Once this is complete, an outgoing wire transfer will be sent to you with the funds.
  • Certain wire transfer fees will be deducted from your account balance.

Please note that if you don’t request an outgoing wire transfer, a notice of inactivity will be sent to you after 365 days, and a fee will be charged to your account. Other external fees may apply. Consult the deposit account contract for more information.

If you need to leave Canada and return to your home country:

If you’re already in Canada and have been identified at a branch, you will have to do the following:

If your money is available in your bank account

  • Create an outgoing wire transfer request.

If your money is already invested in GICs

  • Contact your branch with an official document of withdrawal from your school or the government to apply for a buyback.
  • Your GICs will be redeemed, and your principal repaid, but you will not receive any of the accumulated interest.
  • Once the funds have been retrieved from your account, make an outgoing wire transfer request through your online bank.

If your arrival to Canada has just been delayed:

If you’ve already booked an appointment with an advisor at a branch, you can simply change your appointment date. However, the $20,700 wire transfer must still be sent within 90 days of opening your bank account to prevent it from being closed.

Also, if your arrival to Canada is delayed for more than 365 days, a notice of inactivity will be sent, and a fee will be charged to your account.

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Terms of use
National Bank’s virtual assistant

When using our Virtual Assistant Service (the "Chatbot"), you accept these Terms of Use, which are subject to change without notice. Furthermore, you agree to consult these Terms of Use from time to time and acknowledge that your continuing use of the Chatbot means that you have accepted any changes that may have been made. Your continued use of the Chatbot means that you’ve read, understand and agree to these Terms of Use, the Terms of Use for our website, our Online transaction services, and to our privacy policy. You also understand any other agreements that you have with us will continue to apply when you use the Chatbot.

1. Our Services and your responsibilities

The Chatbot is an automated service which is integrated into our online banking platform.

The Chatbot is preprogrammed to answer general questions concerning the use of our online banking platform solely for informational purposes. The Chatbot is not able to answer questions on personal monetary transactions or products you hold with us.

By using the Chatbot, you understand and agree that:

  • The Chatbot does not provide financial advice or financial planning services.
  • The Chatbot does not conduct any banking transactions.
  • The Chatbot may not be able to answer all your questions. Therefore, it may not be able to provide you with the information you require. You must judge whether the answer provided responds to your question accurately. In the case of uncertainty, a customer service representative would be happy to help you. You can call us toll free at 1-888-483-5628 or 514-394-5555.
  • The Chatbot is not a complaint service. You cannot use the Chatbot to file complaints. If you have any complaints, you can contact us at the number indicated above.
  • We monitor, record and store the discussion that you have with the Chatbot to improve our interactions with our clients.
  • You will not provide the Chatbot with any confidential, personal, or private information. For example, you will not provide the Chatbot with your login information, PIN or other personal banking information.

2. Limitation of Liability

You acknowledge that we won’t be liable for any losses or damages that you may suffer as a result of your use of the Chatbot, including if the Chatbot is unavailable for any reason.

We cannot guarantee that the results obtained via the Chatbot will be accurate and reliable and that the answers provided will meet your expectations.

We will not be held liable for damages you incur as a result of:

  • Any delay, error, interruption or omission on our part or any other event beyond our control.
  • Any deficiency or technical error or any unavailability of our systems and wireless networks.
  • Your failure to meet any of your obligations.
  • Any amendment to or suspension, refusal or blockage of the Chatbot.
  • Any decision or measure you take in response to information and data obtained via the Chatbot.
  • Any other damages you may incur that are not caused by negligence on our part.

3. Language

You have requested that these Terms of Use, and related documents be drawn up in English.

4. Governing Law

These Terms of Use are governed and must be interpreted in accordance with the laws in force in the province or territory where you reside. If you reside outside Canada, the laws in force and the courts of competent jurisdiction are those of the province of Quebec.

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