Visiting International Research Students

NOTICE – The Go Global office will be closed from the afternoon on December 24th 2024 to January 1, 2025. VIRS applications received after December 18th, 2024 will be reviewed after our office reopens on January 2, 2025. Please expect to hear back from the Go Global office about your VIRS application in the new year.

UBC is a hub for outstanding researchers from around the world and welcomes Visiting International Research Students (VIRS) to participate in our community of inquiry.

A Visiting International Research Student is an international student conducting research full-time at UBC, under the supervision of a UBC faculty member. The student is either enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or graduate-equivalent program at another university or is a participant in a UBC-recognized (through Go Global) “bridging” program*.

A VIRS is enrolled as a “full-time” student at UBC for immigration purposes. VIRS students may not enroll in academic courses for credit, nor formally audit courses. The VIRS admission process is rolling and there are no deadlines.

*The standard VIRS application submission timeframe is at least 12 weeks before the planned start date of your research. However, due to delays in Canadian immigration document processing times across the globe, we recommend giving yourself more time. Your intended research start date should factor in the time it takes for your immigration documents to be processed, as well as extra lead time for passport requests (if you are coming from a non visa-exempt country). Check processing times for Canadian visas and study permits here, based on your country of citizenship.

*Examples of a “bridging” program: DAAD Rise Worldwide and Mitacs Globalink. Contact us with respect to other programs.