Immigration updates

IRCC now directs most students who are applying for a study permit from outside Canada to submit the application through the IRCC portal. If you are applying for your spouse’s open work permit at the same time as your study permit, you should apply through the IRCC secure account as instructed by IRCC. Our tutorial and Canvas application review course go over the IRCC secure account process, however even if you are applying through the IRCC portal you will find our online resources helpful.

As of Jan 22, 2024, new study permit applications require a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) from the province  =of British Columbia. A process is expected to be in place by Mar 31, 2024. . Some students are exempt from the PAL, such as Master’s and PhD students, visiting and exchange students, as well as work permit holders.

If you have received an offer to attend UBC and are not exempt from the PAL, you should not apply for a study permit until the process for getting an attestation letter has been determined since the application will be returned. However, you can start to prepare your study permit application, such as gathering required documents and writing a study plan. We will update this page when more information becomes available. See IRCC’s page for the latest updates.

As of Jan 1, 2024, the minimum cost-of-living financial requirement has increased from $10,000 to $20,635 for 2024. For new study permit applications, you will need to show proof of funds for the cost-of-living financial requirement  plus your first year of tuition fees and travel costs. The cost-of-living amount will be adjusted each year based on Statistics Canada’s low-income cut-off.

Get timely updates on immigration, work eligibility, and health insurance for international students.