On Nov 6, 2025, IRCC launched a Graduate Student portal, where international graduate students can find information about how to apply for a study permit, life in Canada, and other updates.
Provincial Attestation Letters
Starting Jan 1, 2026, Master’s degree and Doctoral degree students attending a public university, such as UBC, will be exempt from the requirement to provide a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) when applying for a study permit. If you will submit your study permit application before Jan 1, 2026, you still need to include a PAL with your application.
Faster processing for Doctoral degree students
On Nov 6, 2025, IRCC announced that Doctoral degree (PhD) students and their accompanying family members may be eligible for faster processing of their applications. Make sure that you are eligible and follow the instructions to benefit from this update.