UBC documents required for your study permit

You may need a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) before you can apply for a study permit.

Overview

Depending on your situation, you will need one or two documents from UBC before you apply for your study permit, since these must be included in your application among other documents.

If your program is 6 months or less, you do not need to apply for a study permit—read the section below.

Letter of Admission (required for all students)

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.

Provincial Attestation Letter (required for most students outside Canada)

IRCC announced a temporary measure to stabilize the number of new study permits issued for 2 years. As of January 22, 2024, study permit applications from outside Canada require a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) in addition to a Letter of Admission. Master’s degree and doctoral degree students do not need a PAL. 

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.

If you are outside Canada

Apply for your study permit as soon as you receive your Letter of Admission and Provincial Attestation Letter, if needed. You cannot travel to Canada until you receive your Letter of Introduction (study permit approval letter).

New undergraduate students

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.

New and returning Master’s degree and Doctoral degree students

You do not need a PAL since Master’s degree and Doctoral degree students are exempt from the PAL.

Apply for your study permit as soon as you receive your Letter of Admission, even if it has conditions. 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.

New two-term exchange students and VIRS studying more than 6 months

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.

New Certificate and Diploma students

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.

New Graduate Certificate and Diploma students

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.

New Diploma in Accounting Program students

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.

New Juris Doctor students

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.

New non-degree seeking students studying 6 months or less

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:

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. 

New unclassified, access studies and visiting students studying for more than 6 months

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.

Current and returning UBC students

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 the Student Services Centre. 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 Enrollment 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.

If you are inside Canada

Current UBC students in all programs

Your study permit validity and study permit extension application from inside Canada are not impacted by these changes, and you do not need a PAL for study permit extensions.

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. Learn how to apply for your study permit extension 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.

New undergraduate students with a study permit

Your study permit validity and study permit extension application from inside Canada are not impacted by these changes. You do not need a PAL and can apply for your study permit extension before it expires with your UBC Letter of Admission.

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, or if you are outside Canada.

  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.

If you are coming from a Canadian high school

You should apply for your study permit extension as soon as you receive your Letter of Admission. You can include a letter of explanation to request conditions to work in Canada.

If your study permit expires more than 6 months from now, contact International Student Advising for support.

If you are coming from another Canadian post-secondary institution

If your study permit is still valid, you can use the same study permit to study at UBC. However you must notify IRCC by changing your DLI number online.

Contact International Student Advising for support with your study permit validity if you completed a program in Canada, as well as with your status in Canada if you will have more than 150 days between institutions.

New students in Canada as a visitor, worker, or asylum seeker

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.

If you have questions

For support with obtaining your Letter of Admission:

For support with getting your Provincial Attestation Letter, contact ubc.pal@ubc.ca.

For support with your study permit application, travel documents, or other immigration questions, contact International Student Advising.

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