UBC documents required for your study permit

You must apply to UBC and receive your Letter of Admission, also known as an offer letter. Depending on your program or faculty, you might need to accept your offer and/or pay a deposit to get your Letter of Admission.

As of Jan 22, 2024, study permit applications from outside Canada require a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) in addition to a Letter of Admission. 

UBC will issue your PAL, if you need one. Whether you need a PAL and how you get one depends on your situation—read below for details.

Your Letter of Enrolment shows your current registration at UBC. This letter can be used to explain details about your studies, show current and future enrolment, and indicate 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.

You will need a current Letter of Enrollment issued within the past 30 days for many inside Canada immigration applications, such as:

• Study permit extension
• Temporary Resident Visa (TRV)
• Co-op work permit application
• If you’re outside Canada applying to return as a current/returning student
• For your family’s applications

In many applications, the officer will determine the length of the immigration document based on your letter of enrollment. Therefore, it’s important to ensure you use the correct letter with the right information.

Important tips for your Letter of Enrolment

Do not use the Letter of Acceptance you received when you were first accepted to UBC (unless you are a new student).

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 undergraduate students, this is based on your Class Standing (previously known as your “year level” in the Student Service Centre). 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.

Contact an Academic Advisor from your faculty or your graduate program staff to request a customized letter of enrolment only if:

• You need additional time to finish your program requirements than what your Workday Letter of Enrolment indicates, for example your letter indicates you are enrolled until the end of the current academic session in April but you will need additional terms to finish your program requirements, you are in a co-op program, you transferred credits to UBC, you are in a thesis-based program, or you need more time based on your anticipated course load.
• 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 are on a gap in studies. Contact International Student Advising for support with your application.

You will need both your Letter of Admission and your Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) before applying for your study permit.

1. Confirm your personal information in your UBC student record.
   Log into the Applicant Service Centre, click Edit Profile, then select “Contact Summary” to confirm that your name matches the name on your passport, and that your home address and date of birth are correct. You can update your address in the system if needed. To update your name or date of birth, email ubc.pal@ubc.ca.
2. Accept your offer of admission and pay your deposit.
   Learn how to accept your UBC offer and pay the acceptance deposit.
3. Wait for your Provincial Attestation Letter.
   UBC will send you your Provincial Attestation Letter by email in about 3 business days. Check the email account that you provided when you applied to UBC.
4. Download your Letter of Admission from UBC.
   Log into the Applicant Service Centre, click Admissions, and select “Letter of Admission”.
5. Apply for your study permit.
   Review our initial study permit tutorial to prepare your application.

On Jan 17, 2025, IRCC indicated Master’s degree and doctoral degree students can apply for a study permit without a PAL until 11:59 pm EST on Jan 21, 2025. PALs will be required for all graduate students submitting a study permit application through the outside Canada process as of Jan 22, 2025.

Apply for your study permit as soon as you receive your Letter of Admission, even if it has conditions, and as soon as you receive a PAL, if applying after Jan 22, 2025. You’re also advised to include an explanation letter, which addresses how you plan to meet admission conditions.

If you are a continuing or returning student, contact your graduate program staff to request a current Letter of Enrolment indicating your expected completion date.

Please review our initial study permit tutorial to prepare your application.

You will need both your Letter of Acceptance (LOA) and your Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) before applying for your study permit.

1. Confirm your personal information in your UBC student record.
   Check that your name matches the name on your passport and that your home address and date of birth are correct in your profile in the Go Global Student Application Portal and on your Letter of Acceptance (LOA). If you need to correct any information, you must notify Go Global within 5 business days of receiving the email notification about your admission and before accepting your offer of admission.
2. Download your UBC Letter of Admission.
   You can find the letter in the Go Global Student Application Portal.
3. Accept your offer of admission.
   Log into the Applicant Service Centre and accept your offer before the deadline.
4. Get your Provincial Attestation Letter.
   If you will study in Canada as a two-term exchange student, Go Global will contact you regarding your PAL about 2 weeks after you accept your offer of admission. If you are a VIRS student studying in Canada for more than 6 months, request your PAL by completing the online form.
5. Apply for your study permit.
   If you’re an exchange student, please use the initial study permit tutorial. VIRS students can follow a separate set of instructions.

You will need both your Letter of Admission and your Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) before applying for your study permit.

1. Confirm your personal information in your UBC student record.
   Log into the Applicant Service Centre, click Edit Profile and select “Contact Summary” to confirm that your name matches the name on your passport, and that your home address and date of birth are correct. You can update your address in the system if needed. To update your name or date of birth, email ubc.pal@ubc.ca.
2. Accept your offer of admission and pay your deposit.
   Learn how to accept your UBC offer and pay the acceptance deposit.
3. Request your Provincial Attestation Letter.
   Contact your program to request this document.
4. Download your Letter of Admission from UBC.
   Log into the Applicant Service Centre, click Admissions, then select ”Letter of Admission”.
5. Apply for your study permit.
   Review our initial study permit tutorial to prepare your application.

Graduate certificates and diplomas are not Master’s degrees and thus require a PAL. Check if your certificate or diploma is at the graduate level by seeing if it’s on this list.

You will need both your Letter of Admission and your Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) before applying for your study permit.

1. Confirm your personal information in your UBC student record.
   Check with your program that your name matches the name on your passport and that your home address and date of birth are correct in their system. Update any incorrect information with your program, if needed.
2. Get your UBC Letter of Admission.
   Contact your program if you are not sure how to get it.
3. Request your Provincial Attestation Letter.
   Contact your program to request this document.
4. Apply for your study permit.
   Review our initial study permit tutorial to prepare your application.

You will need both your Letter of Admission and your Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) before applying for your study permit.

1. Upon receiving your offer of admission, confirm your personal information in your UBC record.
   Log into the Applicant Service Centre, click Edit Profile and select “Contact Summary” to confirm that your name matches the name on your passport, and that your home address and date of birth are correct. You can update your address in the system, if needed. To update your name or date of birth, email ubc.pal@ubc.ca.
2. Accept your offer of admission.
   After you’ve confirmed your personal details are correct, accept your offer in the Applicant Service Centre.
3. Wait for your UBC Letter of Admission (LOA).
   The DAP office will send your LOA to you by email within 3 business days of accepting your offer. At this time, you will be given instructions for getting your PAL.
4. Request your Provincial Attestation Letter.
   Follow the instructions given to you at the time of receiving your letter of admission. You can expect your PAL in about 7 business days.
5. Apply for your study permit.
   Review our initial study permit tutorial to prepare your application.

You will need both your Letter of Admission and your Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) before applying for your study permit.

1. Accept your offer of admission.
   Learn how to accept your offer and pay your deposit.
2. Confirm your personal information in your UBC student record.
   Check that your name matches the name on your passport and that your home address and date of birth are correct in the Applicant Service Centre. If you need to update any information, please contact admissions@allard.ubc.ca.
3. Save a copy of the Letter of Admission.
   Download the letter that was emailed to you by JD Admissions.
4. Request your Provincial Attestation Letter.
   Contact admissions@allard.ubc.ca. You can expect your PAL within two weeks.
5. Apply for your study permit.
   Review our initial study permit tutorial to prepare your application. If required, you can request a Confirmation of Enrolment Letter from admissions@allard.ubc.ca.

This section applies to one-term exchange students, VIRS, access studies, visiting, and unclassified students studying for 6 months or less.

If you will study in Canada for 6 months or less, you do not need to apply for a study permit and do not need a PAL, but you’ll likely need to apply for a travel document to come to Canada as a visitor. 

Most visitors are allowed to stay in Canada for 6 months from the day they enter Canada. You can study in Canada without a study permit as a visitor if both of the following apply to you:

1. Your entire program of studies will be completed within 6 months or less.
2. Your program will be completed within your first 6-month visitor period.

Therefore, if you will enter and leave Canada within 6 months and complete your studies within your first 6-month visitor period, a study permit and a PAL are not required. If you would like to stay longer, you can apply for a Visitor Record to extend your stay as a visitor after arriving in Canada, but your studies must be completed within your first 6-month period.

You must apply for and receive a travel document before you can travel to Canada. You should apply as soon as you receive your Letter of Acceptance from Go Global or Enrolment Services. Depending on your citizenship, you need one of the following to travel to Canada as a visitor:

• Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)
• Temporary Resident Visa (TRV)

Contact International Student Advising if you need support with your TRV.

US citizens and US lawful permanent residents do not need an eTA or TRV.

Check the Travelling to Canada guide for recommended documents to bring and other considerations. 

If your program of studies is 6 months or less, you do not require a study permit—read the accordion above for “non-degree seeking students”.

If your program of studies will be more than 6 months, you will need both your Letter of Admission and your Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) before applying for your study permit.

1. Confirm your personal information in your UBC student record.
   Log into the Applicant Service Centre, click Edit Profile and select “Contact Summary” to confirm that your name matches the name on your passport, and that your home address and date of birth are correct. You can update your address in the system, if needed. To update your name or date of birth, email ubc.pal@ubc.ca.
2. Accept your offer of admission.
   Learn how to accept your offer and pay your deposit.
3. Wait for your Provincial Attestation Letter.
   UBC will send you your Provincial Attestation Letter by email in about 3 business days. Check the email account that you provided when you applied to UBC.
4. Download your Letter of Admission from UBC. 
   Log into the Applicant Service Centre, click Admissions, then select ”Letter of Admission”. 
5. Apply for your study permit.
   Review our initial study permit tutorial to prepare your application.

If you cannot return to Canada before your current study permit expires, you will need to apply for a new study permit from outside Canada and wait for your application to be processed before returning to Canada. In this case, you will need a PAL in addition to a current Letter of Enrolment.

1. Confirm your personal information in your UBC student record.
   Check that your name matches the name on your passport, and that your home address and date of birth are correct in Workday. If you need to update any information, check how to change your personal information.
2. Request your UBC Letter of Enrolment.
   Contact an Academic Advisor in your faculty or your graduate program staff to request a Letter of Enrolment and make sure the letter indicates when you will resume studies, as well as your expected program completion date. 
3. Contact International Student Advising.
   Connect with an advisor to discuss your document expiry dates, when you will begin studies, and your travel plans.
4. Request your Provincial Attestation Letter.
   Contact ubc.pal@ubc.ca to request your PAL. You can expect your PAL in about 3 business days. 
5. Apply for your study permit.
   Review our initial study permit tutorial to prepare your application.

Plan ahead if your documents expire soon and you have travel plans. In general, it’s best to extend your study permit and Temporary Resident Visa (if you need one) inside Canada before you travel, or that you return before your documents expire to extend your study permit from within Canada. Contact International Student Advising for support with planning your document extensions and travel plans.

If you apply for your study permit extension from inside Canada before your study permit expires, you do not require a PAL. You will need a current UBC Letter of Enrolment for your study permit extension, not your initial Letter of Acceptance to UBC. Learn how to apply for your study permit extension and how to get your Letter of Enrolment by reviewing our study permit extension tutorial.

If your study permit extension was refused, or your study permit has expired, contact International Student Advising for assistance.

You currently do not need a PAL and can apply for your study permit extension before it becomes invalid with your UBC Letter of Admission.

As of Nov 8, 2024,  you must be enrolled at the Designated Learning Institution (DLI) named on your study permit. If you change institutions, you must apply for a study permit extension with your UBC letter of acceptance and most students need to receive the new study permit before beginning studies at UBC. Be sure to apply for a study permit extension with your UBC letter of acceptance as soon as you receive it. On Dec 11, 2024, IRCC announced a temporary policy allowing students to begin studies in Winter Term 2 (Jan-Apr, 2025) while your study permit extension is being processed if you meet the requirements.

Plan ahead if your documents expire soon and you have travel plans.

Contact International Student Advising for support, particularly if you will have more than 150 days between institutions.

If you are a new undergraduate student:

1. Accept your offer of admission
   Learn how to accept your offer and pay your deposit.
2. Download your letter of admission from UBC.
   Log into the Applicant Service Centre, click Admissions, and select “Letter of Admission”.
3. Extend your study permit.
   Review our study permit extension tutorial to prepare your application.

Only some people can apply for a study permit through the process inside Canada and be exempt from the PAL. 

Contact International Student Advising for support.