Immigration Frequently Asked Questions

A two-year cap was put in place on the number of new study permits that will be issued by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). To implement the cap, most study permit applications submitted to IRCC will  require an attestation letter from a province or territory. Provinces and territories are expected to establish a process for issuing attestation letters to students by no later than March 31, 2024. 

• This cap does not apply to students who are currently in Canada and will be applying to extend their study permits. 
• The announced cap will also not apply to students in master's and PhD programs

As part of the Study Permit application, applicants are required to submit a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) to IRCC. Designated learning institutions (DLIs) in Canada (i.e. Post-secondary institutions) are required to verify the letter of acceptance of all post-secondary study permit applications. This process is called the LOA verification process. 

The PAL process and the LOA Verification process are two different processes. 

• The Provincial government is responsible for administering the PAL process. If you are not exempt from the PAL requirement, this process must be completed before you submit your Study Permit application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and you must submit your PAL to IRCC along with your Letter of Acceptance when applying for Study Permit. For University of Alberta students, the PAL process is administered by the Province of Alberta; details are here. 
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is responsible for administering the LOA Verification process. Students are not required to take additional steps to initiate this process.

If you are physically outside Canada, and your program allows you to register online during your first term of study, you do not require a valid study permit or study permit approval to start your program remotely.

Notes:

• If you are physically inside Canada as a Visitor, you are not authorized to start studying until you possess a valid Study Permit, even if the courses you are enrolled in are offered online.
• If you are physically inside Canada as a worker and your work permit meets the eligibility requirements listed under the temporary public policy announced in June 2023, you may be eligible to study without a study permit. You are advised to connect with an advisor to determine whether a study permit will be needed.

If you have the option to start your program online before a decision has been made on your study permit application, please note:

• Starting your program before receiving final approval will not guarantee that your study permit application will get full approval.
• For detailed information on the temporary measure that allows students to count time spent studying online from outside Canada towards the length of their Post Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), please visit the IRCC website here). 
• Should your study permit application get refused, you will have the option to re-apply for the study permit after addressing the grounds for refusal. There are no guarantees that you will be approved the second time.
• For students who started their program online, a study permit is required to complete the in-person components of their program. If you are not able to obtain a study permit, you will need to withdraw from your program.
• Students enrolled in courses will follow University of Alberta tuition payment policies and deadlines, regardless of outcome of study permit application. 

Students who do not have a final decision on their study permit application in time for their program start date should seek alternate options. Please be aware of registration and tuition payment deadlines as you consider your options.

Graduate Students: contact your department/program coordinator to understand the process and deadline to request a deferral of the start of your program.

Undergraduate Students: Contact your faculty advisor for available options regarding deferring your start date.

If deferral is not an option, you will need to submit a new admission application to your program of choice for the next available intake. Deadlines to submit admission applications can be found here.

We also advise students whose study permit application has exceeded the posted processing time, to submit an IRCC web form to inquire about the status of their application.

If you have any questions about refund for tuition fee payments, please contact the Student Service Centre. 

Contact University of Alberta Residence Services at housing@ualberta.ca if you need to cancel your housing offer or to update your application for your new planned arrival.

The University of Alberta is unable to contact IRCC on behalf of individual students to expedite the processing of their application; however, we continue to actively advocate on behalf of all students who are affected by these delays to IRCC.

Graduate Students: if you deferred to a later start date and your study permit application is still under process, you are advised to upload a copy of your updated admission letter to IRCC via an IRCC web form to update your Study Permit application. If your deferral is processed after your study permit application has been approved, you do not need to inform IRCC; however, you will be expected to have your updated offer of admission at the time of entry to Canada.

Undergraduate students who receive an admission to start in the Fall semester and defer their start until Winter term: if you receive a request from IRCC to provide an updated Offer of Admission (Letter of Acceptance), ensure you are registered in your upcoming Winter term classes and request a Verification of Enrollment through BearTracks. You can then provide this with a brief explanation that the University doesn’t issue new acceptance letters since your offer of admission gives you the option to start in either Fall or Winter terms.

Ideally, you want to plan to enter at least 2-3 weeks before the start of classes to allow you to get settled. When to enter Canada will depend on flight and accommodation availability.

There is no set time frame for you to arrive in Canada before you begin your studies. However, you should just arrive to give yourself a reasonable amount of time to prepare before you start your program. 

You are not allowed to work on or off campus until you begin your studies in Canada. Students will still need to provide evidence to demonstrate that they have the means to support themselves as a temporary resident in Canada.

To better prepare for your entry to Canada, we recommend you read our Travel to Canada information and IRCC’s “Study permit: Prepare for arrival.”

If you are a temporary resident in Canada and wish to extend your legal stay beyond the expiry date of your current status, you are advised to apply for the extension online prior to the expiry date of your status (i.e., before the expiry date listed on your current study permit).

You can apply to restore your status. We ask that you connect with an International Student Specialist as soon as possible to discuss your options

When you complete the application form, make sure you do all of the following:

• Select Restore my status under section 3 at the top of page one of the applicable form.
• Include a note explaining the reason you need to extend your stay and the reason your status expired.
• You must also pay the restoration fee in addition to the study permit processing fee.

If your temporary resident status is restored, you'll receive the appropriate permit by mail, which will outline the conditions of your stay in Canada. Your temporary resident status in Canada will be extended until a specified date.

Note: students in Canada with expired student status must stop studying until their student status is restored.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the temporary lifting of the 20-hour-per-week off-campus work limit for certain international students during the time period November 15, 2022, to April 30, 2024. 

During the specified time period, eligible international students who have a study permit that allows them to work off-campus and who meet the eligibility requirements to engage in off-campus work will be eligible to work any number of hours off-campus during regular academic terms. 

The Co-op work permit requirement is still in place, and international students must obtain a Co-op work permit prior to engaging in any work-integrated learning (WIL) component during their study program. Some students may be eligible to use their Study Permit work authorization to engage in a WIL component that is a mandatory component of their study program.

To determine if you meet the requirements to use your Study Permit work authorization for co-op/internship/placement work that is part of your study program, please contact an International Student Specialist.

Foreign nationals are ineligible for the PGWP program if they participated in the International scholarships for non-Canadians program funded by Global Affairs Canada, other than Study in Canada Scholarship recipients in the following programs: 

• the Canada-China Scholars' Exchange Program
• the Organization of American States Academic Scholarship Program

You may be eligible to study without a study permit while you work under a recent IRCC public policy. 

To be eligible, you must be authorized to work in Canada with either of the following:

• a valid work permit that was issued on or before June 7, 2023, or
• a letter authorizing you to work while we process your work permit extension application issued on or before June 7, 2023.

If you applied for a work permit after June 7, 2023, you’re not eligible for these measures.

If you are eligible under this public policy, you can study without a study permit until the earliest of the 2 following dates:

• the expiry date on your work permit
• June 27, 2026 (the date this public policy expires)

If the program of study will end after the date which applies to you (your WP expiration date or June 27, 2026); you are advised to apply for the study permit well in advance of the applicable date. In the meantime, you would be eligible to start your program without the study permit.