Application Frequently Asked Questions

PALs will include your name, date of birth, and address, which will be automatically pulled from the program application.

You should double check your personal details in the graduate application system eVision and on the admission letter before accepting the offer. You should confirm that your name matches your name as it appears on your passport, and that your date of birth and address are correct. If changes are required, please contact graduate.apply@ubc.ca. The PAL will be issued based on this information and a PAL cannot be reissued if your personal details are incorrect.  

• PALs only support first and last names, they do not take middle names into account. You are advised to enter your legal first and last names as shown on your passport as part of your program application to ensure that the information on the admission letter is consistent with the information on the PAL. If your passport has a separate field for middle name(s) and you entered your middle name into the graduate application, it will show on your admission letter, but not on your PAL. This cannot be changed and based on experience and correspondence with IRCC is not a cause for concern.
• When you are considering whether to use a current address at the time of application or your permanent address, you should be consistent and use the same address which you will have continued access to. The address on your admission letter, PAL and study permit application should be the same.  
• Not all address details you enter in the graduate program application form will be shown on the PAL. Information from address line 2, postal code and province/state will not be included on the PAL. This is not an issue of concern and won't cause problems with your study permit application.

If your PAL has already been issued with incorrect information, you must write a letter of explanation in your study permit application to explain the discrepancy. Contact International Student Advising for support.

PALs only support first and last names, the provincial system does not offer an option to record middle names. If your passport has a separate field for middle name(s) and you entered your middle name into the graduate application, it will show on your admission letter, but not on your PAL. This cannot be changed and based on experience and correspondence with IRCC is not a cause for concern.

The PAL only needs to be valid when you submit your complete study permit application to IRCC. The PAL does not need to be valid when you travel to Canada or when you begin your program.  

For example: if an applicant starts in May 2026, they can apply with a PAL issued in 2025, as long as the complete study permit application is received by IRCC before Dec 31, 2025. Applications must be submitted before 11:59pm EST on December 31, 2025, in order for their PAL to be valid, and IRCC considers applications based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) 11:59pm, not local time zones, so applicants should not apply at the last minute and should submit their study permit application at least a day before December 31. 

There are two kinds of level of studies, where there are different PALs for each level of study:

• Graduate-level PALs: for master’s degree and doctoral degree programs
• Undergraduate-level PALs: for all other programs (including undergraduate bachelor’s degrees, graduate certificates and graduate diplomas)

This means:

• A UBC undergraduate student going into a master’s or Doctoral degree who needs to extend their study permit will require a graduate PAL.
• A UBC student in a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma program changing/laddering into a master’s program will require a graduate PAL.
• A UBC Visiting International Research Student going into a master’s or Doctoral degree program will require a graduate PAL.
• A UBC master’s student going into a Doctoral degree program will not require a PAL since it is the same graduate level of study.