Arrival Information
Arriving at Vancouver Island University
Vancouver Island University is located less than a 20-minute drive from the Nanaimo Airport and a 10-minute drive from downtown Nanaimo and the ferry terminal. Students who are staying in homestay or peerstay will be picked up by their homestay or peerstay families at the point of entry in Nanaimo. Students are advised to arrive a few days before the start of classes to attend an orientation and to visit the Centre for International Education (Building 255), where staff will provide assistance with course selection, registration, and general information about the campus and Nanaimo.
Arriving in Nanaimo
By air
Students traveling to Canada from overseas by air should book their airline ticket to Nanaimo Airport (YCD) www.nanaimoairport.com. Students will change planes at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) www.yvr.ca. There are 20-minute flights from Vancouver to Nanaimo Airport.
By ferry
There are two car/passenger ferries from Vancouver to Nanaimo: (1) from the Vancouver port of Tsawwassen to Duke Point, south of Nanaimo; and (2) from Horseshoe Bay in Vancouver to Departure Bay, close to downtown Nanaimo. For information, visit: www.bcferries.com/schedules/mainland.
Arrival Services
If students are not making a connecting flight to Nanaimo Airport (YCD) from Vancouver International (YVR) and would like assistance to any of the ferry services (BC Ferries), or harbour to harbour float planes, please contact the following services Beaton's Meet and Greet, e-mail diane@beatonsmeetandgreet.com or Homestay Away From Home, e-mail studentservices@homestayawayfromhome.com. Both services will be happy to meet students at the exit from the arrivals area at YVR and transport them to the ferry or float plane service that they have chosen. They will also assist students to purchase a ticket on their Vancouver to Nanaimo transportation and make sure that if they are staying with a host family in Nanaimo, that they are called to be ready to pick the student up at the appropriate location.