FSD 35 - Education travel
Introduction
This directive enables an employee to claim an allowance for travelling expenses for a dependent student where neither FSD 15 - Relocation nor FSD 51 - Family reunion applies. It is not designed to supplement the provisions of these directives but to provide assistance for the payment of travelling expenses, which are normally incurred at the commencement and termination of an employee's assignment to a post, in sending a dependent student to an approved educational institution.
Directive 35
35.01 Where education allowances are being paid or will be paid pursuant to FSD 34.04 and/or 34.05, the deputy head may authorize payment of an allowance for the actual and reasonable travelling expenses incurred by an employee in sending a dependent child as defined in FSD 2.01(k)(ii) or a dependent student as defined in FSD 2.01(l) to an elementary or secondary school that has been approved by the deputy head pursuant to FSD 34.02:
(a) from the employee's place of duty, where the dependent child has been residing with the employee at the post; or
(b) from the employee's post, where relocation expenses on behalf of the dependent student have been authorized pursuant to FSD 15.38; or
(c) after notification in writing of an impending assignment to a post, from the employee's former place of duty in Canada, where the dependent student is not going to take up residence with the employee at the post but will be going directly from the former place of duty to the approved school; or
(d) after notification in writing of an impending cross-posting, from the employee's former post, where the dependent student is not going to take up residence with the employee at the new post but will be going directly from the former post to the approved school; or
(e) after notification in writing of an impending cross-posting, from the previously approved school, where the dependent student has been and will continue to be educated elsewhere than at the employee's post.
Guidelines
1. Travelling expenses, as defined in FSD 2.01(cc), means expenses for air transportation and local transportation to and from airports at the points of departure and destination and, when authorized in advance by the deputy head, for accommodation, meals and local transportation to and from the airport for a necessary stopover, where it is not possible or practicable to arrange an itinerary which will permit continuing travel to the approved destination.
2. In applying Section 35.01, where a dependent student is being educated away from the post but not in Canada, the travelling expenses shall normally be limited to the travelling expenses between the post and the employee's headquarters city.
35.02 Where an allowance for travelling expenses has been authorized pursuant to Section 35.01, the deputy head may also authorize payment of an allowance for actual and reasonable travelling expenses incurred by an employee in sending a dependent student from the approved school to the employee's place of duty in Canada, on the employee's return to duty in Canada, or, at the discretion of the deputy head, in advance of the employee's return to duty in Canada.
35.03 Where shelter assistance is or will be paid pursuant to FSD 34.06, the deputy head may authorize an allowance for payment of the travelling expenses incurred by an employee in sending a dependent student:
(a) from the employee's post to a post-secondary educational institution in Canada, where the student has been residing with the employee;
(b) from the employee's post to a post-secondary educational institution in Canada and return where a pre-enrollment examination or interview is mandatory at the educational institution;
(c) from a secondary school, outside Canada at a location other than the employee's post, where an education allowance has been authorized pursuant to FSD 34.05, to a post-secondary educational institution in Canada;
(d) from the employee's post, where relocation expenses on behalf of the dependent student have been authorized pursuant to FSD 15.38, to a post-secondary educational institution in Canada;
up to a limit of the travelling expenses that would have been incurred for a journey between the employee's post and the headquarters city;
(e) from a secondary school in Canada, where an education allowance has been authorized pursuant to FSD 34.04(b), to a post-secondary educational institution in Canada, up to a limit of the travelling expenses that would have been incurred for a journey between the secondary school and the headquarters city.
Guidelines
1. Directive 15 - Relocation, applies where:
(a) a dependent student is authorized to accompany an employee on relocation during the long school holiday recess, notwithstanding that the student will not be residing with the employee at the new place of duty;
(b) a dependent student is authorized to accompany an employee on relocation during the long school holiday recess, notwithstanding that the student has not been residing with the employee at the former place of duty;
(c) a dependent student, for whom education allowances have been authorized under FSD 34.04 and/or 34.05, is taking up residence with the employee at the employee's post, notwithstanding that relocation expenses to the post may have been authorized previously on behalf of that student.
2. FSD 51 - Family reunion, applies to travel from the approved school:
(a) to the employee's post, where the employee is authorized to relocate to Canada during the long school holiday recess; or
(b) to the employee's former post, where the employee is cross-posted during the long school holiday recess, and from the new post to the approved school.
3. Where a dependent student ceases to be a dependant while in full-time attendance at school outside Canada, relocation expenses to Canada are payable under FSD 15.39.
35.04 The deputy head may authorize an allowance for return travelling expenses for one parent to accompany the student from the employee's post to the student's school, at the commencement of the first school year that the student is being educated away from the post,
(a) where an education allowance is authorized for a student at an elementary or secondary school under FSD 34.04 and/or FSD 34.05, or
(b) where a student graduating from a secondary school outside Canada, who is under the age of 21 at the start of the school year at a post secondary educational institution in Canada, is in receipt of an education allowance authorized under FSD 34.06
except that,
(c) where travel for a parent has been authorized in accordance with Section 35.04(a) it may again be authorized under Section 35.04(b) where applicable.
Instructions
1. In applying Section 35.04, where a dependent student is being educated away from the post but not in Canada, the travelling expenses shall normally be limited to the travelling expenses between the post and the employee's headquarters city.
2. The provisions of this section do not apply to expenses incurred at the destination.
3. Return travelling expenses for the parent at post will not be authorized where a legal guardian of the dependant student resides in Canada.
35.05 Where an allowance for travelling expenses has been authorized under this directive, the deputy head may authorize an allowance for actual and reasonable costs of shipping the dependent student's personal articles provided:
(a) the weight of such articles does not exceed the appropriate weight limitation for an accompanying dependant in accordance with FSD 15.14, in addition to the maximum allowable weight of accompanying baggage transported free of charge by the carrier; and
(b) personal articles in excess of those transported free of charge by the carrier are transported by the most economical means,
unless exceptional circumstances justify an exception to these weight limitations in which case the details shall be reported to the appropriate foreign service interdepartmental co-ordinating committee.
35.06 The allowance for travelling expenses payable pursuant to this directive shall be computed on the basis of the most suitable form of transportation as determined by the deputy head.
Instructions
1. The standard for air travel is economy class and this includes APEX, charters and other reduced fares. The lowest available airfare appropriate to a particular itinerary shall be sought when making bookings. Discount and reduced fares shall be selected prior to full fare economy where these rates are available. Significant savings can be realized if flights are booked as far in advance as possible.
2. Provisions for the issue and verification of travel allowances are found in FSD 70 - Reporting requirements and verification of allowances.