Gather required documents for your study permit extension

Your Letter of Enrolment shows your current registration at UBC. This letter is required to explain details about your studies, show current and future enrolment, and help an officer determine the remaining time you need to complete your program. You can only obtain one after registration has opened and you are registered. Review registration dates for the term.

Make sure to get a recently issued Letter of Enrollment issued within the past 30 days. Do not use the Letter of Acceptance you received when you were first accepted to UBC (unless you have been recently admitted to start a new program). Usually, your study permit will be issued to match the expected program completion date indicated on your Letter of Enrollment, plus 90 days. Therefore, it is important to make sure your Letter of Enrollment has the correct information, otherwise you may need to extend your study permit again.

Undergraduate Students

Learn how to get your Letter of Enrolment, known as a “Confirmation of Enrolment Letter” in Workday. Be sure to select the most recent academic session (Winter or Summer Session). If the letter does not indicate you are enrolled full-time for immigration purposes, contact International Student Advising for support.

Your Class Standing (previously known as your “year level” in the Student Service Centre) indicates your remaining program length on your Letter of Enrolment. For example, if you issue your Letter of Enrolment in December 2024, and your letter states you have Class Standing 3, this indicates you would complete your program in April 2026. Your study permit should normally be issued to match that period (April 2026) plus 90 days (July 2026).

Contact an Academic Advisor from your faculty to request a Customized Enrolment Letter only if:

• You need additional time to complete your program than what your Workday Letter of Enrolment indicates. For example, you are in a co-op program, you transferred credits to UBC or your letter indicates you are in Class Standing 4 but you will need additional terms to finish your program requirements based on your anticipated course load.
• You are applying at the end of Winter Session Term 2 (Jan-Apr) or during the Summer Session (May-Aug) before registration opens for the following Winter Session (Sep-Apr).
• You are on authorized leave and need to extend your study permit. Contact International Student Advising for support with your application.

Your Customized Enrolment Letter should include your program, your current status as a student, and your expected completion date.

Important: Submit both a Customized Enrolment Letter and Letter of Enrolment (if required).

Graduate Students

Learn how to get your Letter of Enrolment, known as a “Confirmation of Enrolment Letter” in Workday. Be sure to select the most recent academic session (Winter or Summer Session). If the letter does not indicate you are enrolled full-time for immigration purposes, contact International Student Advising for support.

Your Letter of Enrolment indicates your remaining program length. For example, if you issue your Letter of Enrolment in October 2024, and your letter states you are enrolled until April 2025, this indicates you are completing your program in April 2025. Your study permit should normally be issued to match that period (April 2025) plus 90 days (July 2025).

Contact your graduate program staff to request a Customized Enrolment Letter only if:

• You need additional time to complete your program than your Workday Letter of Enrolment indicates. For example, your letter indicates you are enrolled until the end of the current Winter Session ending in April, but you need additional terms to finish your program requirements.
• You are applying at the end of the Winter Session Term 2 (Jan-Apr) or during the Summer Session (May-Aug) before registration opens for the following Winter Session (Sep-Apr).
• You receive funding (such as a teaching assistantship or research assistantship) as part of your program. This letter could also be uploaded in your proof of financial support documents).
• You are on a leave of absence and need to extend your study permit. Contact International Student Advising for support with your application.

Your Customized Enrolment Letter should include your program, your current status as a student, and your expected completion date.

UBCO graduate students must request their customized enrolment letters from the College of Graduate Studies.

Important: Submit both a Customized Enrolment Letter and a Letter of Enrolment (if required).

Students coming from another Canadian School or applying for your first study permit

If you are extending your study permit based on your admission to UBC, such as you completed high school in Canada or you are transferring from another post-secondary institution, or you are a new student who is eligible to apply for a study permit from inside Canada, you will need to show an official Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from UBC. Find out how to get your Letter of Acceptance. You can also include a Letter of Enrollment if you have already registered in courses — see above.

The proof of financial support must confirm that you have enough funds to support your studies and living expenses for a year.

As of January 1, 2024, the minimum cost-of-living financial requirement has increased from $10,000 to $20,635 for 2024.

In your study permit application, you should show proof of funds which would be sufficient to cover:

• One year of living expenses
  The cost-of-living amount for 2024 is $20,635 for a single person. The cost-of-living amount will be adjusted each year based on Statistics Canada’s low-income cut-off. If you have dependents (spouse, common-law partner, and/or children), you’ll need to show additional proof of funds based on the number of family members. If you have less than a year remaining to finish your program, you can prorate this amount to $1719.59 a month.
• One year of tuition fees
  You only need to show proof of funds to cover one year of tuition fees. If you have less than a year remaining to finish your program, you could show proof of funds for the remaining tuition fees.

You may provide a combination of financial documents and sources, as long as the total exceeds the minimum cost-of-living financial requirement for yourself and any dependents plus one year of tuition fees, such as:

1. An official bank statement issued in the past 30 days that has been stamped or signed by your Canadian bank showing the balance.
2. A letter from your parent(s) stating their relationship to you and that they will financially support you along with their financial documents. The letter should be signed by your parent(s). You must also provide an official bank statement(s) of your parent(s), issued by their bank and that has been signed or stamped. It should be in English or French (or accompanied by an official translation). To write a letter of financial support, they can download our Word template (docx).
3. A letter from your sponsor (e.g., sponsorship organization, scholarship(s), loan(s)) or employer (e.g., teaching assistantships, research assistantships) stating their relationship to you and the amount that they will provide you.
4. If you have already paid tuition fees for a future term, get proof of payment from Workday. Learn how to get your account statement.

See IRCC’s proof of financial support page for further examples. 

While you only need to show proof of funds for one year, the officer must be satisfied that the possibility of funding for additional years of studies exists, such as your parents are employed or that your scholarship is for more than 1 year.   

If providing a combination of financial documents and sources, include a summary or an index page of all the documents you are submitting for this section. This will also allow you to clarify or explain the connection between documents, if applicable. You can download a template for the summary (docx).

If you are having challenges with providing proof of funds, contact International Student Advising for support.

Important: If the balance(s) in any of the documentation above is in foreign currency, provide a screenshot of the Bank of Canada currency converter result (if your currency is not listed, use xe.com).

The scanned copy of your passport pages provide information about your travel history and the expiry date of your passport.

You must provide a copy of the bio-data page (the page with your name, date of birth, passport number, expiry date, etc.) and a copy of every page in your passport that has stamps, visas, or markings from either Canada or other countries.

Make sure you merge all the pages into one PDF document and upload it.

Important: Your study permit will not be issued past your passport’s expiry date. If your passport will expire soon, extend it before you apply for your study permit extension.

Need help scanning your documents? Go to the Irving K. Barber Chapman Learning Commons or International Student Advising.

Make sure your photo meets the specifications.

A letter of explanation is a good way to describe additional factors or include additional documents. It could include:

• The purpose of your application
• Issues you would like to clarify or that the officer might find useful
• Supporting documents, screenshots or any other proof to support your explanation
• Additional employment history if you have run out of space in your application

Upload this document under ‘Client Information’ in the ‘Optional Documents’ section of your online checklist.

Download the Letter of Explanation Word document template.

If you have been studying in Canada for the past 12 months, you do not need proof of a medical exam unless:

• You have lived in a designated country or territory for more than 6 months in the past 12 months. See this page for a clear definition of what a designated country or territory is, or
• You would like to work in a job that will bring you into close contact with patients, children, the elderly, etc. This includes public health, health sciences or agriculture-related fields (e.g., health care workers, primary and secondary school teachers). See this page to find out if you require a medical exam.

If the above applies to you, you will need a medical exam conducted by an IRCC-approved Panel Physician. Your medical exam report (referred to as your ‘e-medical’) can be submitted with your study permit application.

There is a temporary policy allowing some students to use a medical exam completed in the past 5 years which has been extended to October 5, 2029. Learn more about medical exams and work.

This form is required if it is included in your document checklist. You will need to fill out the form, print it, sign the form by hand, then scan and upload the form

• If you have indicated that you don’t have a spouse or common-law partner, please sign and date Section A
• If you have indicated that you don’t have children, please sign and date Section B.
• Please sign and date Section C

Most students will not require this form.

This document is required only if you answer “yes” to any of the following questions: 3, 4, 5 or 6 in the “Background Information” section of the Application to change of conditions, extend my stay or remain in Canada as a student [IMM5709] form.

Important: If you answered “yes” to any question in the “Background information” section other than 2(c), please speak to an International Student Advising. 

If you have not previously provided biometrics (fingerprints and a photo), you must submit them in-person at a designated Service Canada location. 

The processing time for your study permit extension does not include the time it takes to submit your biometrics. Your application will not be processed until biometrics are received. You only need to give biometrics once every 10 years.

U.S. citizens and people who have provided biometrics in the past 10 years and certain other individuals are exempt from providing biometrics. 

1. Pay the biometrics fee at the same time you submit your study permit application, for faster processing.
2. Receive your biometrics instruction letter. If you applied online, you will receive an electronic biometrics instruction letter within 24 hours.  
3. Book an appointment as soon as possible at a designated Service Canada location
4. Submit your biometrics within 30 days of receiving your biometrics instruction letter.