IRCC policy announcements since Jan 22, 2024

The information below is a brief overview of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)’s policy announcements since Jan 22, 2024, and is current at the time of publication.

For specific details, review the following online resources:

Provincial Attestation Letters (PAL)

Who needs a PAL?

As of Jan 22, 2024, most students submitting a study permit application from outside Canada must include a valid Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) in their study permit application.

As of Jan 22, 2025, all students outside Canada (except exchange students through Go Global) and most new to UBC students submitting a study permit application from inside Canada must include a valid PAL with their study permit application.

The following groups of students now require a PAL:

Master’s degree and doctoral degree students
Students changing institutions (such as from high school to UBC or from other post-secondary institutions in Canada to UBC). Check the “changing institutions” section below for additional information on applying for a new study permit.
Students changing levels of study (such as students moving from undergraduate to graduate studies at UBC)
- Master’s degree students changing to Doctoral degrees do not require a PAL
- Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma students changing to Master’s degrees do require a PAL
Students who have a parent holding a study or work permit
Students who are diplomats or who are a dependent of a diplomat
Work permit holders
Visiting students (including Visiting International Research Students)
Students whose study permit applications were refused
Students who are applying to restore their study permit

Check IRCC’s PAL page for full details on who is exempt from the PAL.

Your PAL needs to be for the correct level of study for your program. There are two kinds of PALs for different levels of study:

Graduate level PALs: for master’s degrees, doctoral degrees and Visiting International Research Students studying at the graduate level
Undergraduate level PALs: for all other programs (including bachelor’s degrees, undergraduate certificates and diplomas, and graduate certificates and diplomas)

How and when do I get my PAL?

UBC has received sufficient PALs for all newly admitted undergraduate degree and graduate degree-seeking students. UBC will issue 2025 PALs to most newly admitted undergraduate degree and graduate degree-seeking students automatically via email within about 5 business days after accepting your admission offer.

Check UBC’s Provincial Attestation Letter page for more information on the PAL and how to get one.

If you have travel plans

If you are a current student, plan ahead if your documents expire soon and you have travel plans. You would need to get a PAL if you apply for a study permit from outside Canada.

Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)

As of Feb 15, 2024, graduates of master’s degree programs which are 8 months or longer can apply for a 3-year PGWP if eligible for the PGWP. Graduate certificates and diplomas are not master’s degrees and thus do not qualify.

As of Jun 21, 2024, PGWP applicants can no longer apply at the Canada-US border through “flagpoling”. Learn about applying for the PGWP online.

As of Nov 1, 2024, all PGWP applications require proof of your English or French language skills. University students require a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 7 in English, or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) 7 in French. See the equivalency table for different language tests.

As of Nov 1, 2024, students who apply for a study permit for certificate or diploma programs (including graduate certificates and diplomas) at universities must meet a field of study requirement to be eligible for the PGWP. This does not apply to students in undergraduate degrees, master’s degrees, or doctoral degrees at universities.

Co-op work permits

As of Dec 23, 2024, it is no longer possible for most students to apply for a co-op work permit at the Canada-US border through “flagpoling”. Most students must apply for a co-op work permit online. If you applied for your co-op work permit and are waiting for it to be processed, you can work based on your on- and off-campus work eligibility.

US citizens, lawful US permanent residents, as well as some individuals can still apply for a co-op work permit at the border. Students who are exempt from a Temporary Resident Visa can apply for a co-op work permit when entering Canada at the airport or land border. Note this does not include Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) expansion countries.

Spousal Open Work Permit

As of Mar 19, 2024, only spouses of students in master’s degree, doctoral degree or professional degree programs are eligible for a spousal open work permit while pursuing studies.

As of Dec 23, 2024, it is no longer possible to apply for a spousal work permit at the Canada-US border through “flagpoling”. US citizens, lawful US permanent residents as well as some individuals can still apply for a work permit at the border. Those who are exempt from a Temporary Resident Visa can apply for a work permit when entering Canada at the airport or land border. Note this does not include Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) expansion countries.

On Jan 14, 2025, IRCC confirmed the policy changes for spousal work permits which are effective Jan 21, 2025.

For your spouse or common-law partner to be eligible for a spousal work permit during your studies, you must be enrolled in a doctoral program, master’s degree program which is 16 months or longer, or select programs.

For your spouse or common-law partner to be eligible for a spousal work permit while you are applying for/have a Post-Graduation Work Permit, you must be employed in TEER 0 or 1 occupations, or select high-skilled TEER 2 or 3 occupations, and have at least 16 months remaining on your work permit at the time of application. Dependent children are no longer eligible for a work permit.

If your common-law partner or spouse has a spousal work permit under the previous rules, it will remain valid until the expiry date. If they are in Canada it could be extended to match your study or work permit if they are applying under the same criteria as their current work permit. Contact International Student Advising for support.

Off-campus work policies

The temporary policies allowing some international students to work more than 20 hours a week off-campus were not extended beyond April 30, 2024. From May 1, 2024, the usual off-campus work policies resumed allowing eligible students to work up to 20 hours a week off-campus.

As of Nov 8, 2024, off-campus work hours have been increased from 20 to 24 hours a week during academic sessions. Make sure you are eligible to work off-campus.

Changing institutions

As of Jan 22, 2025, students changing institutions (such as from high school to UBC, or from other post-secondary institutions in Canada to UBC) or levels of study at the same institution (such as from an undergraduate degree to graduate degree at UBC) must submit a Provincial Attestation Letter in their study permit application.

If you previously applied for your study permit with a UBC letter of admission before Nov 8, 2024, then you change programs at UBC within the same level of studies, you do not need to update your study permit (such as if you are an undergraduate degree student who changes from a Bachelor of Science to a Bachelor of Arts, or you change between a master’s degree and doctoral degree).

If you transferred to UBC from a Canadian high school or another post-secondary institution in Canada before Nov 8, 2024, send International Student Advising a webform with details about your situation before applying to extend your study permit. An assessment must be made to determine if a PAL will be required as part of your application.

Contact International Student Advising for support.

Last updated Thurs, Mar 27, 2025 at 9:20 am PT