Optional and Only If Required
Potsdam is located within an hour's drive of the Canadian-U.S. border. SUNY Potsdam students, faculty, and staff often visit Ottawa and Montreal, Canada as they are the closest cities to Potsdam, New York both within about a 2-hour drive from campus. (By car: Syracuse, New York is about 3 hours from campus; Burlington, Vermont is about 3 hours from campus; New York City is about 6-7 hours from campus.)
Canadian TRV
We strongly urge you to apply and obtain the Canadian Temporary Resident Visa (TRV or visitor visa) at the Canadian consulate nearest you. The process to obtain the Canadian TRV while at Potsdam is very lengthy and requires you to mail your original passport and immigration documents to the Canadian consulate processing the application. This often means students are without their original passport and I20 document for several weeks which severely limits any travel outside of the immediate Potsdam, New York area. It would be much easier for you to obtain the Canadian TRV in person in your home country rather than completing the Canadian TRV application process while at SUNY Potsdam.
Canadian eTA
There is a new entry requirement now in effect: visa-exempt foreign nationals who fly or transit through Canada need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). Please be sure you research and find out if you need to complete the eTA process BEFORE you board your flight to Canada. The eTA costs CAD$7 and most applications are approved within minutes of applying.
Entry requirements for other methods of travel (land, sea) have not changed.
[eTA information taken directly from the Canada Immigration and Citizenship webpages, November 2016]