Study permits

Documents

Letter of acceptance

You will need to provide a letter of acceptance (LOA) from UVic as part of your study permit application.

If you are an undergraduate student:

• you will receive an admission letter and a letter of acceptance via email from UVic Undergraduate Admissions after you have been accepted to UVic
• these 2 letters need to be included in your study permit application as your letter of acceptance
• if you have been admitted to a credit program at the Division of Continuing Studies, contact admsadmin@uvic.ca to request a letter of acceptance for your study permit application

If you are a graduate student:

• you will receive an admission letter and a letter of acceptance via email from UVic Graduate Admissions and Records after you accept your offer
• these 2 letters need to be included in your study permit application as your letter of acceptance

PLEASE NOTE: After you submit your study permit application, IRCC will send your letter of acceptance to UVic for verification. Please do not alter the information in your UVic documents in any way, as UVic will not be able to verify their authenticity if the information does not match our records.

Provincial attestation letter (PAL)

Most study permit applicants outside Canada require a provincial attestation letter (PAL) as part of their study permit application, unless exempt. For more information, including a full list of PAL exemptions, visit the IRCC website.

If you are an undergraduate student:

• you will receive your PAL via email from UVic Undergraduate Admissions after UVic has received your acceptance deposit
• if you have questions about the PAL process, email admsadmin@uvic.ca

If you are a graduate student:

• a PAL is not required if you are applying for a study permit for a UVic master's or doctoral degree program
• if you have been admitted to a graduate certificate or graduate diploma program, contact the International Centre for Students at icsinfo@uvic.ca for guidance on the appropriate immigration document for your studies in Canada
  • depending on the structure and delivery mode of your program, a study permit may or may not be required
  • if a study permit is required, an International Student Adviser will help you request a PAL from UVic Graduate Admissions and Records
• if you have been admitted to UVic as a graduate visiting research student (GVRS), contact the International Centre for Students at icsinfo@uvic.ca for guidance on the appropriate immigration document for your visit
  • depending on the details of your visit, you may require a study permit or a work permit
  • if a study permit is required, the ICS Immigration Consultant will help you request a PAL from UVic Graduate Admissions and Records

If you have been admitted to a non-credit program in the Division of Continuing Studies and have questions about the PAL process, contact uvcsimmigration@uvic.ca.

All documents submitted to IRCC must be in English or French. If your documents are in another language, refer to Translation of supporting documents for applications.

Apply online

Study permit applications must be submitted online unless you are eligible to apply on paper.

Follow IRCC's instructions to apply online. 

• depending on your situation you may be directed to apply via either the IRCC secure account or the IRCC portal
  • if you are applying with a spouse or common-law partner who needs a work permit, or if you are applying from inside Canada, you must use the IRCC secure account
  • if you are applying from outside Canada and you are not applying for a work permit for your spouse or partner, you are encouraged to use the IRCC portal
• you may be eligible to submit an application via the Student Direct Stream (SDS)

Apply at a port of entry

Most students should travel to Canada only after they receive their study permit approval.

Visit the Justice Laws website to see if you qualify to apply for a study permit at a port of entry (POE) (e.g., your airport of arrival, sea or land border crossing into Canada).

• if you apply for a study permit at a POE, your application will be processed by a border services officer

Apply from within Canada

If you are already in Canada as a visitor, you are allowed to apply online for a study permit. (Note: IRCC will process your application as if you were applying from your home country.)

If you would like to stay in Canada while your application is processed, you must maintain valid visitor status until you receive your study permit.

• if your visitor status will expire before you receive your study permit, you should apply to extend your stay or leave Canada before your visitor status expires

After you apply

1. If your application is approved, you will receive a POE letter (also known as a study permit approval letter or letter of introduction). 
   • a POE letter is not a study permit, it is proof that your study permit application is approved
2. You must show your POE letter to a Canadian border services officer and ask for your study permit to be issued.
   • if you are already in Canada, you will need to leave the country to reach a POE

You may also need to provide fingerprints and a photo (biometrics).

Maintain your documents

You are required to maintain your documents and comply with your study permit conditions, which include actively pursuing studies in Canada and making reasonable progress toward completing your program. Learn more about:

• study permit conditions
• how and when to extend your study permit
• how to update or replace your study permit