Immigration impacts of withdrawing from courses

Your grades do not directly impact your enrollment or immigration status. For example, if you fail your courses, but remain enrolled in at least 9 credits, you are still considered full-time for immigration purposes. 

However, if you have many failed courses over several terms, an officer may question if you are making reasonable progress towards completing your program. They could request additional information to ensure your intention in Canada is to study. 

Contact an Academic Advisor from your faculty to understand the academic impact if you fail courses.

If you will be enrolled in fewer than 9 credits in a winter term, you will be considered part-time for immigration purposes. 

If you are enrolled part-time, you are considered to be maintaining your student status. Therefore you can remain in Canada, so long as your study permit is valid. 

There are a few exceptions. You can be enrolled in fewer than 9 credits but still be considered full-time for immigration purposes if:

• You are in your final academic term and require fewer than 9 credits to complete program requirements, or
• You meet your approved reduced course load requirement with the Center for Accessibility, or
• You are enrolled in co-op or in an outbound exchange

However, there are other impacts of part-time studies:

• You are not eligible to work on or off campus for the remainder of the term and must stop working immediately. You will not be able to resume working until you are enrolled full time.
• You are not eligible to work during scheduled breaks. You could only work in the summer scheduled break if: 
  • You will enroll in at least 9 credits in the summer session, in which case you could work on campus and/or off-campus up to 20 hours a week 
  • You will be enrolled in co-op in the summer and have a valid co-op work permit 
• Your eligibility for the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) after graduation will be impacted since you are required to study full time continuously in each winter term to be eligible for PGWP.  

Gather additional documents supporting your circumstances, and keep a timeline of important dates so that you could provide this in your PGWP application in the future. 

There may be other impacts of studying part-time, such as eligibility to stay in residence or eligibility for loans or awards. If you have dependents in Canada and their documents are expiring soon, contact International Student Advising for support. 

If you are studying online outside of Canada, studying part-time will impact your eligibility for the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) since you are required to study full time continuously in each winter term to be eligible for the PGWP.

You have more things to consider if you plan to not resume studies at UBC in the following winter term. If you have a failed year, you might not be allowed to enroll at UBC for one year, be required to study elsewhere before returning to UBC, or need to reapply to UBC. Contact an Academic Advisor from your faculty to learn about your options. 

In addition to the above impacts and options of applying for visitor status or leaving Canada, you could:

• Stay in Canada and study at another institution 
  • You can use the same study permit so long as it is valid, however you must change your Designated Learning Institution (DLI) Number. If you return to UBC, you will need to change your DLI number again. 
  • You can be considered “actively pursuing studies” when changing institutions if the gap between studies is less than 150 days.
• Confirm with an Academic Advisor from your faculty if your credits can be transferred back to UBC or count towards your program requirements.
• Apply for a work permit, if eligible. In general, these are difficult to qualify for and you may find an authorized immigration representative outside UBC for advice. 

As a Diploma in Accounting student, the number of credits you take determines your full-time or part-time enrollment status for immigration purposes. The summer session is not considered a scheduled break and you must take a minimum of 9 credits to be full-time for immigration purposes. If you are enrolled in less than 9 credits in a winter term or less than 9 credits in the summer session, you would have the same impacts as undergraduate students outlined above. 

If you withdraw from all courses, it is possible to request an approved leave of absence and be considered “actively pursuing studies” during a gap in studies. See the impacts of taking time away from your studies for details.

If you’re studying in or outside of Canada, there are support options available to you. Answer a few questions and find the resources specific to you.

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International Student Advising is ready to support you on questions related to immigration, health insurance, and life as an international student in Canada.

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