Last updated October 8, 2024
On September 18, 2024, Canada announced changes to the temporary residence programs, which includes study and work permits. We recognize that some announced changes likely have raised concerns for prospective and current students. We are committed to supporting our students during this time.
At this time, based on ongoing conversations with the provincial government and anticipated enrolment plans, we are confident that international students who accept a UBC graduate program offer will receive a supporting provincial attestation letter for their study permit application.
Please take note of these important details relevant to graduate applicants/students:
- As of 2025, master's and doctoral students will be included in the cap and require a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL).
- Admitted applicants will receive a PAL from UBC after they accept their offer of admission.
- Graduate certificate, graduate diploma and visiting students already required a PAL since 2024.
- The cap does not impact study permit validity or study permit extension applications in Canada.
- As of 2025, if your study permit is expiring and you need to extend it to start a new/different program, you will need a PAL. You will not need a PAL to extend your study permit to continue in the same program.
- Graduate students of master’s degree programs continue to be eligible for Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP) for 3 years, even if their program of study is less than 2 years, so long as they meet PGWP eligibility requirements. Graduate certificates and diplomas are not master's degrees and thus do not qualify for this.
- While graduates from master's and doctoral programs will continue to be eligible for Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP) without a field of study requirement, there are proposed changes to the requirements, such as proof of language skills having been introduced. Graduates from Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma programs must graduate in an eligible field of study and provide proof of language skills.
- Later this year, spouses and common-law partners of Master's degree students will only be eligible for spousal work permits if the program the student is enrolled in is at least 16 months in duration. There are no changes for spouses or common-law partners of doctoral students.
You can review the original governmental news release for background information.
On Dec 7, 2023, Canada announced that the cost-of-living financial requirement for study permit applicants will be raised because the value had not been changed since the early 2000s and hasn’t kept up with living costs over time. Moving forward, this threshold will be adjusted each year when Statistics Canada updates the low-income cut-off (LICO). This change applies to new study permit applications received on or after January 1, 2024.
We will provide further updates as they become available.
UBC is a government-approved Designated Learning Institution (DLI) with DLI number O19330231062.
For the latest updates please review the information published by UBC's International Student Development