As of January 1, 2026, international master’s and doctoral students at public universities are exempt from the PAL requirement. Please visit the IRCC's website for up-to-date information about immigration procedures and documents including PAL/TAL. Please also visit the USask's PAL FAQ. 
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Update on the required proof of funds

As of September 1, 2025, the required funds for the study permit application purposes have increased. Please see more information here. 

IRCC - Study permit: Get the right documents

Аs a designated learning institution (DLI), the University of Saskatchewan must now verify documents proving acceptance or enrolment for the following applications of international students: 

  • post-secondary study permit applications submitted outside Canada
  • post-secondary study permit applications submitted within Canada including study permit extensions.

All USask international students must use the official USask Letters of Acceptance (LOA) and the official USask Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) Letters for IRCC application purposes. Any alterations to any USask issued documents are strictly prohibited and can result in negative implications for IRCC application and USask admission purpose

Required Immigration documents

As an international student, you have a temporary resident status in Canada. You are required to have the following documents and you are responsible for keeping them valid at all times during your stay in Canada.

Passport

Your passport is your most important immigration document. Your Canadian immigration documents will not be issued for a period of time longer than the expiration date on your passport. Learn more about passports here. 

Study Permit

A study permit is an immigration document issued by the Canadian government that gives you permission to remain in Canada, on a temporary basis, to study. To find out more about how to apply, keep your study permit valid, and comply with the permit conditions, keep reading further below. 

Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)

Whether you need a TRV or an eTA to travel to and enter Canada depends on your country of citizenship. Everyone (except American Citizens) will require either a TRV or an eTA to travel to and enter Canada. 

Temporary Resident Visa (TRV)

A Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) is also commonly known as a visitor visa. When you apply for your initial study permit from outside of Canada, a TRV is issued automatically. It will say "student" visa in your passport.

Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)

An eTA is an electronic visa, obtained through an online application and is usually processed within minutes. When you apply for your initial study permit from outside of Canada, you are automatically issued an eTA. 

Time away from studies

If you currently not registered or you have been notified already that you will not be able to register in your program of study in the upcoming terms, because you are Required to Discontinue

⇒ Act fast - talk to ISSAC as soon as possible to discuss the immigration implications this may have and to access or be referred to supports and resources you may need ⇐

You will be required to:

  • Take care of your immigration status and your study permit validity, if possible
  • Stop working both on- and off-campus
  • Reapply for a new study permit to resume studies at USask if being RTD'd for more than 150 days, or leave Canada
  • Change status to visitor, worker (if at all possible), or leave Canada
  • Change institutions, if possible 

Everyone situation is different and unique. Please seek advice from ISSAC's Regulated International Student Immigtration Adviser. 

If you are an undergraduate international student and are not registered/enrolled in your program of study because of a compassionate, parental, medical, or any other reason, speak to an International Education Officer at ISSAC to enquire about the Designated Learning Institution (DLI) Authorized Leave Request for Undergraduate International Students.

Requests for DLI Authorized Leaves for Undergraduate International Students are handled through ISSAC. An International Education Officer will work with your college to complete the process. The decision on whether to grant or deny the leave is made by your college.

A request for leave is only considered for international undergraduate students for immigration purposes. If your leave request has been approved, when the University of Saskatchewan is required to report on your enrolment status to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), you will be reported as being on an “authorized leave” from study.

  • Leaves can only be requested for one academic term at a time, up to a maximum of two approved leaves within one academic year (May 1 to April 30).
  • No extensions will be granted and each new request will require new supporting documentation.
  • Retroactive leaves will not be considered – you can only request a leave by the deadline for registration changes in the Fall and Winter terms only.
  • When an international student is on an authorized leave, they are considered to be in compliance with their study permit and may still be eligible for their post-graduation work permit (PGPW). Here is more information about authorized leaves and PGWP eligibility: Post-graduation work permit eligibility requirements - Canada.ca . 
  • When on a leave, the student can stay in Canada, provided they are legally here - have a valid immigration document, e.g., study permit, visitor record, or go home. However, the student is not allowed to work either on or off-campus while on the leave even if they hold a valid study permit.  
  • As of Fall 2025, once approved, the leave will be entered into our registration system as a placeholder course.
  • As of Fall 2025, the student's confirmation of enrolment will display an approved authorized leave as "Withdrawal from term in student's college" . The student's transcript will display "On Authorized leave" for the affected term. 
  • Since you will be registered in a placeholder course, the fees below will be assessed: tuition fact sheet 25-26_V16 (002).pdf 
    • USSU – USSU Undergrad Student Fee
    • SSF – Student Wellness and Services
  • Health and Dental Coverage: If a student wishes to have health and dental coverage, they can self-enroll as per the usual process during the change of coverage period at an additional cost:  (https://www.studentcare.ca/rte/en/UniversityofSaskatchewanundergraduatestudentsUSSU_ChangeofCoverage_SelfEnrolment )

If you will not be registered in your program of study for a compassionate, parental or medical leave, or for any other reason, please refer to the College of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies Policy Section on Appeals, Leaves of Absence, and Extensions to Time in Program and speak to your graduate administrator in your academic unit.

Immigration information:

  • For immigration purposes, leaves can be up to a maximum of 150 days at one time. 
  • If your leave request has been approved, when the University of Saskatchewan is required to report on your enrolment status to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), you will be reported as being on an “authorized leave” from study.
  • When an international student is on an authorized leave, they are considered to be in compliance with their study permit and may still be eligible for their post-graduation work permit (PGPW). Here is more information about authorized leaves and PGWP eligibility: Post-graduation work permit eligibility requirements - Canada.ca . 
  • When on a leave, the student can stay in Canada, provided they are legally here - have a valid immigration document, e.g., study permit, visitor record, or go home. However, the student is not allowed to work either on or off-campus while on the leave even if they hold a valid study permit.  

Immigration Requirements for Visiting Research Students (VRS)

All Visiting and Visiting Research Students (VRS) are admitted to USask as students. It is important that you apply for the Visiting Research Student (VRS) admission and obtain your Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from the College of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies (CGPS) prior to commencing the immigration process and regardless of the type of the award/funding you may have. USask does not facilitate the work permit option for this student category. 

Must apply for a study permit, regardless of the country of citizenship and source of funding. You also require a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) for your study permit application.

⇒ Prepare to apply for your study permit: 

  • Review IRCC instructions 
  • Review USask Gude on Study Permit Applications
  • Must create and use the IRCC Secure Account
  • When in your IRCC Secure Account → click on Apply to come to Canada → select Study more than 6 months in the online questionnaire to trigger the online application setup 
  • Gather USask documents, such as Letter of Acceptance (LOA), PAL (if required), scholarship/funding information (if available)
  • Start writing your Study Plan (required for both Study Permit and TRV applications - see under "How to write a Study Plan?")
  • Start collecting required documents while consulting and reviewing application instructions

No study permit is required if your VRS period is 6 months or less in duration.

Instead: 

  • Must apply for a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) if from a visa-required country.
    • TRV is commonly called a visitor visa, travel visa, or simply visa.
  • Must apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) if from a visa-exempt country.

⇒ Prepare to apply for your TRV:

  • Review IRCC Instructions for TRV (must apply online in most situations)
    • Create your IRCC online account
      • We highly recommend using the IRCC Secure Account (not the IRCC Portal, old or new) when applying for your TRV 
      • Go to: Application for a Visitor Visa (Temporary Resident Visa - TRV)
      • Click on Apply Online →Visitor Visa →Apply for a visitor visa
      • Answer Why are you applying for a visitor visa? → select None of the above → read instructions, collect documents, proceed to → Apply through the IRCC Secure Account
      • When in your IRCC Secure Account → click on Apply to come to Canada → select Study less than 6 months in the online questionnaire to trigger the online application setup 
  • Gather USask documents, such as Letter of Acceptance (LOA), PAL (if required), scholarship/funding information (if available)
  • Start writing your Study Plan (required for both Study Permit and TRV applications - see under "How to write a Study Plan?")
  • Start collecting required documents while consulting and reviewing application instructions

If you wish, Regulated International Student Immigration Advisers (RISIA) from ISSAC can help guide and advise on the application process, gathering and preparing application documents. We recommend booking an appointment for step-by-step guidance and using drop-in for quick questions and assessment. To make the best out of your meeting, prepare in the following way:

  • Review IRCC instructions 
  • Review USask Gude on Study Permit Applications
  • Review IRCC Instructions for TRV (must apply online in most situations)
  • Create your IRCC online account
  • Gather USask documents, such as Letter of Acceptance (LOA), PAL (if required), scholarship/funding information (if available)
  • Start writing your Study Plan (required for both Study Permit and TRV applications - see under "How to write a Study Plan?")
  • Start collecting required documents while consulting and reviewing application instructions

Some students choose to use authorized representatives while some apply entirely on their own. Whatever your case may be, ISSAC is ready to assist when you are!

 

Immigration documents for your family or friends

As an international student at the University of Saskatchewan, you may be considering inviting your family to visit and/or accompany you during your studies in Canada.

Travelling to and outside of Canada

If you are planning on travelling to or outside of Canada, you must have proper and valid immigration documents to be able to enter/re-enter Canada. 

Reporting Enrolment Status

Canadian Designated Learning Institutions Compliance Reporting

Reporting to IRCC International students’ Enrolment Status

Since June 1, 2024, as a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in Canada, the University of Saskatchewan is required to report to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) the enrollment status of international students who are study permit holders. To learn more about the compliance reporting and student enrollment status options, please visit the IRCC website.

Reporting will take place twice a year at the discretion of IRCC. The University of Saskatchewan will receive an email notification from IRCC when a report becomes available for completion and submission.

The International Student and Study Abroad Centre is taking the lead to report to IRCC the enrolment status of international students. We will be contacting international students if we have questions about their enrollment status at the time of reporting. Please check your PAWS account regularly.

Overview of the Compliance report

The University of Saskatchewan will be completing the Compliance report using the Government of Canada online portal. To overview the structure of the compliance report, please visit the IRCC website here.

There are two types of compliance reporting requests according to IRCC:

  • Periodic verification: The report is submitted to the IRCC twice a year usually in the fall and in the winter term, subject to the IRCC notice.
  • Ad-hoc verification: Reporting can take place outside of the regular reporting periods upon IRCC’s request.
Need more help? Please contact ISSAC to speak with an adviser.

Staying in Canada permanently

You may choose to apply for permanent residency to stay in Canada permanently. Advisers at ISSAC are not authorized to advise on permanent residency (PR). However, ISSAC hosts workshops on permanent residency. To see when our next workshop will take place check out the events calendar.

More information on PR process: 

If you have become a permanent resident, please notify Student Central to update your student record at USask.