If you are currently a legal resident in Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad, and Tobago, or Vietnam you have two pathways available for a study permit application – regular stream and the Student Direct Stream (SDS).
If you have all the documents required for SDS at the time of application and provide your biometrics as soon as possible (if required), the SDS stream typically provides faster processing times. Please note that the SDS estimated processing times are not guaranteed. You should apply for your study permit as soon as possible.
One of the eligibility requirements for SDS is proof of upfront tuition payment. As of February 28, 2022, UBC offers pre-payment of tuition for eligible international students starting in any future term. You will need to submit a Student Direct Stream pre-payment application.
Students studying in the Diploma in Accounting program are not eligible to prepay tuition so cannot apply through the Student Direct Stream. We recommend that you apply for your study permit as soon as you receive your UBC letter of admission and your study permit application is complete. If your registration date has not yet arrived, we strongly recommend applying through the regular stream. If your registration date has already arrived you can pre-pay your tuition and apply through the SDS stream.
If you have already registered for courses, your tuition assessment is available in the Student Service Centre (SSC). You can view your Term 1 and Term 2 tuition amounts in ‘Financial Summary’ under Finances. After making a payment it may take 1-5 days for tuition payment to appear on your account. You can get proof of payment from your SSC by selecting ‘Tuition History’ under Finances.
If you are not able to provide all documents required for the SDS stream at the time you apply for your study permit, you can improve your chances of getting a study permit and avoiding any unnecessary delays by reviewing our initial study permit tutorial and providing as many of the documents required for SDS as you can.