About the Virtual Line
International Student Advising uses a virtual line to sign in students to meet with an Advising Assistant for in-person assistance in the UBC Life Building during office hours. We also have a Zoom option available for remote advising. See International Student Advising for details and hours.
With our virtual line, you can see how long the current estimated wait time is and how many other students are in the line. You have two options to sign up:
- Sign into our virtual line to get into the queue before you have arrived at the office to save time.
- Use the QR code in our office to sign into the virtual line.
Providing a Canadian/ US phone number during sign-in allows students to receive updates on wait times by text message and easily manage their spot in the queue. See the FAQ below for details on what personal information is needed in the process.
While we strive to support as many students as possible, when there is high volume, we may not be able to connect with you. If you are in the queue and there is a large number of students in front of you before Zoom advising hours end, you will be removed from the line. We apologize for not being able to assist you at that time. Please rejoin the queue when we re-open or send us a webform.
Advising Assistants
You might not need to see an advisor. Advising Assistants can provide general information and answer most student inquiries.
Get updates in the virtual line
When you’re in the virtual line, you will receive a link via text or email that you can use to track your status or place in line. If you are running late and need a bit more time, you will be able to push back your position in the line to request more time, or leave the line if you prefer to return later.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
To facilitate a smooth sign-in process, we will ask you for the following information:
- Your preferred name
- Your last name
- Your UBC student number
- Your email address
- Your Canada or US cell phone number
- Your study permit expiry date
- The category of your inquiry
If you do not want to provide your personal information, we will enter you into the virtual line under a generic name. For more information about privacy and the virtual line, please see our privacy statement.
Entering your phone number gives you the ability to check your place in line, push your appointment back, leave the line, or generate an update when you are X minutes away from the front of the line.
If you cannot or do not want to provide your phone number, you’ll be added to the line but you will not receive text updates of the approximate waiting time. You may opt to receive notifications via email instead.
This information will only be used for service delivery and may also be used by the university in statistical analysis to identify user trends and inform the university’s commitment to excellence.
Privacy statement for UBCs Virtual Line
International Student Advising at The University of British Columbia uses the queuing system, COMM100, which will collect the following information from you:
- Your preferred name
- Your last name
- Your UBC student number
- Your cell phone and/or email address
- Your study permit expiry date
- The category of your inquiry
By using this system, you are authorizing UBC to store this information on a COMM100 server located in the United States. This information will be used for service delivery and may also be used by the university in statistical analysis to identify user trends and inform the university’s commitment to service excellence. UBC’s legal authority to collect this information is section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).
For questions about the collection of this information or to inquire about alternatives to using this queuing system, please contact questions@askme.ubc.ca.
International Student Guide
Find everything you need to know about life as an international student at UBC’s Vancouver campus.
If you have questions
You can connect with International Student Advising for questions related to immigration, health insurance, and life as an international student in Canada.