Study Permit Checklist for Kelowna Students (UBCO & Okanagan College)
If you’re planning to study at UBC Okanagan (UBCO) or Okanagan College this year, congratulations — and welcome to the paperwork stage. Canada’s study permit rules changed substantially in 2024 and 2025, and several of those changes are still in effect for 2026. This checklist walks through what’s actually required right now, verified against Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) own pages on 2026-08-31, so you’re not relying on outdated blog posts or forum threads.
Do you need a study permit?
Most international students studying in Canada for more than six months need a study permit before they arrive. Both UBCO and Okanagan College are Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs) — the official status a school needs before international students can study there on a study permit. Always confirm your specific program’s current DLI number directly on IRCC’s designated learning institutions list before you apply, since DLI numbers and program eligibility are occasionally updated.
Step 1: Get accepted, then get your Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL)
Since January 22, 2024, Canada has capped the number of study permit applications it accepts each year, and most post-secondary applicants now need a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) — sometimes called a TAL for territories — before IRCC will even open their study permit application. Without one, your application is returned, along with your fees.
Here’s how it works in practice for a UBCO or Okanagan College applicant: you apply and get accepted first. The institution then requests a PAL on your behalf from the BC government, confirming you have a spot within BC’s allocation for that year. BC forwards the PAL to your DLI, which sends it to you. You then submit the PAL together with your study permit application.
One genuine change for 2026: as of January 1, 2026, students starting a master’s or doctoral degree at a public DLI (UBCO qualifies) no longer need a PAL/TAL at all. If you’re applying to an undergraduate program, a college diploma, or most other post-secondary programs — which covers the large majority of prospective UBCO and Okanagan College students — you still need one.
BC’s 2026 allocation is 24,786 new study permits expected to be issued to PAL/TAL-required applicants, out of 180,000 nationally (against a total national target of 408,000 study permits for the year, itself down from 437,000 in 2025 and 485,000 in 2024 as Canada continues reducing international student intake). The takeaway: apply early. A late application into a nearly-full provincial allocation can mean waiting for the next intake period.
Step 2: Show proof of financial support
You must prove you can cover tuition, living expenses, and return transportation for yourself (and any accompanying family) — without needing to work in Canada. IRCC updates the living-expense figure annually. As of this writing (2026-08-31):
- Applications submitted through August 31, 2026: $22,895 for a single applicant, for one year’s living costs, on top of tuition and travel.
- Applications submitted on or after September 1, 2026: $23,448 for a single applicant — IRCC’s own scheduled increase, confirmed directly on canada.ca.
These figures rise for each accompanying family member. If your program runs longer than a year, you also need to show a credible plan for funding the rest of it — proof of a multi-year scholarship, evidence of a parent’s ongoing income, and so on, not just the first-year amount.
Step 3: Understand that the Student Direct Stream no longer exists
If an older blog post or agent mentions the Student Direct Stream (SDS) — the faster-processing option that required a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) and was available only to applicants from a specific list of countries — be aware IRCC ended it on November 8, 2024. There is no separate fast-track stream anymore. Every study permit application, regardless of your home country, now goes through the same regular process. A GIC can still help demonstrate proof of funds as one acceptable financial document, but it no longer buys faster processing on its own.
Step 4: Think ahead to the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)
Many students choose their program partly with the PGWP in mind, so it’s worth checking eligibility before you commit, not after you graduate. As of 2026, to qualify for a PGWP you generally need to:
- Complete a program at a PGWP-eligible DLI that is at least 8 months long
- Maintain full-time student status every semester (part-time is allowed in your final term)
- Apply within 180 days of receiving confirmation that you completed your program
- Meet the language proof requirements
- If your program isn’t a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree — for example, most college or polytechnic diploma programs — graduate from a program linked to an occupation IRCC has identified as a long-term labour shortage. Degree-level graduates are generally not subject to this field-of-study restriction.
Because these field-of-study rules can change and are program-specific, confirm your exact program’s PGWP eligibility on IRCC’s official list before enrolling, not after.
Your study permit checklist
- Confirmed acceptance letter from UBCO or Okanagan College
- Valid passport
- Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) from BC, unless you qualify for the 2026 master’s/doctoral public-DLI exemption
- Proof of financial support meeting the current threshold ($22,895 through August 31, 2026; $23,448 from September 1, 2026, for a single applicant)
- Any additional documents your visa office requests (e.g., a letter of explanation, or past study/travel history)
- A plan for funding the full length of your program if it runs longer than a year
- PGWP eligibility checked against your specific program before you commit, if that’s part of your plan
Local support in Kelowna
Once you’re here, KOI Immigration’s study permit services can help with extensions, PGWP applications, and — if your circumstances change — pathways from a study permit toward permanent residence. If you’re also settling into Kelowna more broadly, our newcomer guide to moving to Kelowna covers housing, jobs, and settlement services.
Rules around PALs, financial requirements, and PGWP eligibility have shifted more than once in the past two years and will likely shift again. Before you submit anything, double-check the current requirements on IRCC’s official pages, or book a consultation.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. For advice about your situation, book a consultation with Luning Chen, RCIC.
