Policy HR11 – Employment Advertising provides that in special circumstances, the responsible executive may waive UBC’s advertising requirement. Refer to section 5.2 of Policy HR11 for full details. 

A request for a waiver must be made and fully approved in advance of any job offer using the UBC Employment Advertising Waiver Request Form (HR11):

Waiver Request Form

UBC Employment Advertising Waiver Request Procedure:

1. Department, Faculty or Provost’s Office completes the UBC Employment Advertising Waiver Request Form (HR11) and:
   • Attaches appropriate and relevant supporting documentation (e.g. CV for faculty appointments), and
   • Obtains Requestor’s signature as outlined by the relevant UBC policy.
2. For both staff and faculty, the initiator forwards form with supporting documentation:
   • For UBCV requests, to Central HR Advisory (hr.info@ubc.ca)
   • For UBCV requests requiring the President’s approval, to the Director, Human Resources, Office of the President, Office of the Provost and VP Academic, Office of the VP Research and Innovation (patrizia.todaro@ubc.ca)
   • For UBCO requests, include the hiring request form with your submission to Human Resources (ubco.hr@ubc.ca).
3. HR will review the rationale and supporting documentation to facilitate completion of approval process.
4. Once approval has been obtained, HR will return a fully executed copy of the UBC Employment Advertising Waiver Request Form to the initiator.
5. When processing the appointment, the initiating unit will attach the approved Employment Advertising Waiver Request Form to the Business Process in Workday. The Initiator will need to ensure that the appropriate reason is selected in the Business Process to indicate that a waiver has been approved.

Approved special circumstances (Waiver Exemption – HR11 5.2); attach approved UBC Employment Advertising Waiver Request Form (faculty/staff).

It is required that the approved Employment Advertising Waiver Request Form is attached to the applicable Business Process in Workday.

• Parenting
• Racial Trauma-Informed
• Abuse
• Trauma
• Gender-Affirming Care (TGNB)
• Indigenous Healing Practices
• Palliative/End-Of-Life Care
• LGBTQ2S+
• Systemic Oppression
• Workplace Issues
• Executive/Leadership counselling
• First Responders
• Psychosocial Oncology
• Developmental Disabilities
• Grief and Loss
• Chronic Illness or Pain
• Learning or Intellectual Disabilities
• Life Coaching
• Marriage and Romantic/Sexual Relationships
• Behavioural Addictions
• Domestic or Intimate Partner Abuse Violence
• Religion and Spirituality
• Racial/Cultural Identity
• Harassment and Bullying
• Military Veterans
• Migrants/Immigrants/Refugees
• Physical Disabilities
• Infertility
• Polyamory/Non-Monogamy
• Continuous Displacement/Homelessness
• Victims of Narcissistic Abuse
• Sports Psychology

• Christianity: Catholicism
• Christianity: Protestantism
• Christianity: Other
• Judaism
• Islam
• Hinduism
• Buddhism
• Sikhism
• Indigenous Spiritualities
• Non-religious Spirituality
• Baháʼí Faith
• Taoism
• Shinto
• Falun Gong
• Jainism
• African Traditional Spiritualities/Religions
• Asian Traditional Spiritualities/Religions
• Land/Earth Based Spiritualities
• Shamanism
• Wiccan/Paganism
• Atheism
• Other

If you are a new or returning resident coming to BC from outside Canada, you should arrange for private coverage during the period you are waiting for your BC Medical Services Plan coverage to become effective. Normally, the waiting period consists of the balance of the month of your arrival, plus two months. If you are a Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) with a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) work permit please review the section below for additional information and the requirements for private medical coverage.

When and how do I arrange for private coverage?

Make arrangements for private coverage as soon as you arrive in Canada. If you are a Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) with a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) work permit, you must have private coverage in place on the day you arrive in Canada (please review the section below for private coverage options that are available on the date of arrival). 

We have presented two options below, but you can make arrangements with other private insurance agencies. No matter which insurance policy you purchase, it is important that you familiarize yourself with the details of the plan before you buy it.

Purchasing private coverage through Sun Life

Sun Life is UBC’s Extended Health and Dental benefits provider. The company also offers a private health insurance plan, called the Inpatriate Plan, that covers medical expenses during the MSP waiting period, including coverage for pre-existing medical conditions and pregnancy and childbirth for UBC faculty and staff (excludes those who are ineligible for UBC benefits such as Visiting Faculty and Adjunct Professors). 

This plan is available on your date of arrival to Canada provided that you submit an application within 60 days of arrival. However, it is advisable to apply in advance of arrival.

If you decide to purchase a plan from Sun Life, your Department/Faculty will be charged the expense (Sun Life will not charge you). However, your Department/Faculty may require you to reimburse them for this cost. The current monthly rate as of January 1, 2025 is $183.00 (single); $366.00 (couple) and $549.00 (family). 

If you purchase this plan

• your Sun Life Inpatriate Plan will begin on your date of arrival.
• your UBC Extended Health Plan that supplements your MSP coverage and Dental Care coverage will begin on your date of hire and once you have enrolled in the plan.

In order to purchase the Inpatriate Plan, UBC Human Resources requires an emailed authorization from your Supervisor with the UBC ledger account, spend category and worktag that the premiums are to be paid from. Your Department or Supervisor should email the authorization to janet.mchugh@ubc.ca as confirmation of payment of the premiums. Please note that without this confirmation you will be unable to purchase the Inpatriate Plan.

Note the following payment options that you should discuss with your department prior to enrolling and purchasing:

Option 1:

Your Department covers the cost of the Plan for you and reimburses Human Resources within 31 days of notification

Option 2:

Your Department submits payment on your behalf to Human Resources within 31 days of notification (in this event, you will be required to pay back your Department for these costs).

Once confirmation of your application has been received by UBC HR from your Department/Faculty, you will be sent an application form. If you enrol within 60 days of your arrival in Canada, you do not need to provide a Health Statement. However, if you apply late (after 60 days following your arrival), you (and your dependents) will be required to provide a Health Statement that is subject to review and approval by Sun Life. If you are applying for coverage for your dependents only, they will need to provide evidence of good health by submitting a Health Statement regardless of the timing of the application.

Note to Departments: once the amount of premiums owing has been reconciled with Sun Life, this amount will be processed in Workday by UBC Human Resources and forwarded to the department for approval.

Purchasing private coverage through David Cummings Insurance Services

David Cummings Insurance Services (DCIS) is an insurance brokerage specializing in health insurance. DCIS offers a range of temporary private health insurance options to cover the MSP waiting period.

This plan generally has some limitations for coverage of pre-existing medical conditions and on coverage for pregnancy and childbirth. However, there are coverage options available and it is important for you to discuss your particular circumstances with the DCIS agent to ensure you get the right coverage for you and your dependents.

To apply:

• Submit a quotation request form or contact a DCIS agent for more information or to enrol in the plan.
• Advise DCIS of your UBC employment/affiliation.

If you decide to purchase a plan from DCIS, you pay them the full cost. For information on rates, contact DCIS directly.

• If you are a faculty member, you may be eligible for reimbursement from the UBC Relocation Fund.
• If you are a staff member, you may be eligible for reimbursement depending on your employment group. 

For more information, contact the Administrator in your hiring Department or Faculty.

If you purchase this plan

• Your private plan with DCIS will begin on the day you arrive in Canada if you purchase it before you depart for Canada. Otherwise, if you purchase your private plan after arrival in Canada, the accident coverage starts on the date of purchase, and the sickness coverage would start after a waiting period (typically 48 hours after the policy start date). To avoid being uninsured for any amount of time in Canada, it is advisable to contact DCIS before travelling to Canada.
• Your UBC Extended Health Plan that supplements your MSP coverage will begin once you have met the MSP waiting period and you have enrolled in the plan.
• Your Dental Care coverage will begin on your date of hire and once you have enrolled in the plan.

You should apply for MSP coverage as soon as you arrive in BC rather than at the end of the waiting period. It is very important that you apply as soon as you arrive in BC to allow time for your application to be processed.
You can enrol for MSP directly with Health Insurance BC (administrator of MSP).

After your application has been processed by MSP, you will receive a health card called a BC Services Card with a unique lifetime identifier for health care called a Personal Health Number. If you are re-establishing residency in BC and previously received a Care Card, you will not receive a new one, as your former coverage will be reinstated.

Effective September 26, 2022, under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), if you are a TFW with a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) work permit, your department is obligated to pay for your private health insurance upon arrival to Canada. As noted in the above section Do I Need Private Coverage, UBC provides access to two private health insurance programs: 

• Sun Life Inpatriate Plan: available on day of arrival provided the application is made within 60 days of arrival to Canada.
• David Cummings Insurance Services (DCIS): available upon the day of arrival provided it is purchased in advance of arrival. This plan generally has some limitations for coverage of pre-existing medical conditions and on coverage for pregnancy and childbirth. It is important for you to discuss your particular circumstances with the DCIS agent to ensure you get the right coverage for you and your dependents.

Given that private health insurance coverage is required to be in place on your date of arrival, it is important that you apply and ensure you are covered for the Sun Life Inpatriate Plan or the  David Cummings Insurance Services (DCIS) plan for your arrival well in advance of arriving in Canada. You can connect with your department to ensure payment to DCIS or enrolment and payment to Sun Life. 

Submit a quotation request form or contact a DCIS agent for more information or to enrol in the plan.

​​​​​​To ensure no gaps between the private and public health coverage, ensure you apply for BC Medical Services Plan public insurance as soon as you arrive (BC Government Website: How to Apply for MSP).

If you are working in British Columbia under a work permit and you are enrolled in MSP, your medical coverage will end at the end of the month that your work permit expires. If you have not received your new work permit prior to the expiry of your current one, we recommend that you purchase private coverage while you are on Maintained Status (and not covered for MSP) if you have a pre-existing condition, pregnant (or your spouse is) or anticipate that you and/or your dependents will obtain doctor and/or hospital services and you do not want to wait until your new work permit is issued in order to be reimbursed. You can purchase private coverage through Sun Life. 

There is more information for people on Maintained status on our Medical Service Plan page, under the section Work permits and MSP coverage.

For information on MSP:

You can visit the MSP website at www.health.gov.bc.ca/msp.

For information on the Sun Life Inpatriate Plan and all other questions:

UBC Human Resources, Benefits Administration
Telephone: 604-822-6823
Email: janet.mchugh@ubc.ca

David Cummings Insurance Ltd.:

David Cummings Insurance Ltd.
Telephone: 604-228-8816
Toll-free (within North America): 1-800-818-3188
Fax: 604-228-9807
Email: info@david-cummings.com

If you have a full-time monthly paid appointment for 12 months or more, you are eligible for all of the benefits outlined in the table below.

If you have a full-time monthly paid appointment for more than 3 months but less than 12 months, you are eligible for the first three benefits listed in the table:

• Extended Health Plan
• Dental Plan
• Employee and Family Assistance Program

If your full-time monthly paid appointment is extended to a total of 12 months or more, you:

• will automatically be enrolled in the Disability Benefit Plan,
• will automatically be enrolled in Basic Life Insurance, and
• will be automatically enrolled in the Staff Pension Plan when enrolled in the Basic Life Insurance, and
• you will be eligible for Optional Life Insurance and AD&D at this time; however, you must submit a Health Statement with your application, which is subject to approval by the insurer.

If you have a full-time appointment that is less than 3 months, you are not eligible for benefits. You will still need to login to Workday to sign up for payroll.

If you have a part-time monthly paid appointment for 12 months or more and you work at least 17.5 hours per week, you are eligible for all of the benefits outlined in the table below.

If you have a part-time monthly paid appointment of more than 3 months but less than 12 months and you work at least 17.5 hours per week, you are eligible for the first three benefits listed in the table:

• Extended Health Plan
• Dental Plan
• Employee and Family Assistance Program

If your part-time monthly paid appointment is extended to a total of 12 months or more and you work at least 17.5 hours per week, you:

• will automatically be enrolled in the Disability Benefit Plan,
• will automatically be enrolled in Basic Life Insurance, and
• will be automatically enrolled in the Staff Pension Plan when enrolled in the Basic Life Insurance, and
• you will be eligible for Optional Life Insurance and AD&D at this time; however, you must submit a Health Statement with your application, which is subject to approval by the insurer.

If you have a part-time monthly paid appointment and you work less than 17.5 hours per week (regardless of the length of your appointment), you are not eligible for benefits. You will still need to login to Workday to sign up for payroll.

If you have an hourly paid appointment, you are not eligible for benefits until 3 months after your date of hire. After 3 months, UBC Financial Operations – Payroll will review your hours to see if you are eligible for benefits and, if eligible, send you the benefits enrolment task in Workday. You will still need to login to Workday and sign up for Payroll.

If you have an hourly paid appointment of 12 months or more and you work at least 17.5 hours per week, you may be eligible for the benefits shown in the table below after you have worked for 3 months.

If you have an hourly paid appointment of more than 3 months but less than 12 months and you work at least 17.5 hours per week, you may eligible for the first three benefits listed in the table after 3 months of continuous service:

• Extended Health Plan
• Dental Plan
• Employee and Family Assistance Program

If your hourly paid appointment is extended to a total of 12 months or more and you work at least 17.5 hours per week, you will be:

• automatically enrolled in the Disability Benefit Plan,
• automatically enrolled in Basic Life Insurance, and
• eligible for Optional Life Insurance and AD&D; however, you must submit a Health Statement with your application, which is subject to approval by the insurer.

If you have an hourly paid appointment and you work less than 17.5 hours per week (regardless of the length of your appointment), you are not eligible for benefits. You will still need to login to Workday to complete your payroll forms.

Did you know that many of alumni UBC‘s benefits partners also offer discounts and services to UBC faculty and staff? From new car purchases and theatre tickets to meal prep and insurance benefits, there’s something on this list for everyone.

Review the perks available through Alumni UBC

The ARC & BirdCoop Fitness Centres offer over 15,000 sq. ft. of combined workout space. The two facilities are equipped with day lockers, showers, and change facilities so that you can schedule workouts around your workday. The two facilities can be accessed through a single discounted membership for staff and faculty. Memberships also include access to spin and group fitness classes.

Additionally, there are regularly scheduled boot camps, yoga and Pilates, martial arts, and dance programs offered at discounted rates for UBC faculty and staff. 

Visit the UBC Vancouver Recreation page for more information. Please note, you will need to use you CWL to sign to access the faculty and staff discounts. 

Learn more  

UBC departments wishing to offer private or semi-private programs for their employees (including off-site or alternate campus locations) can also book classes at discounted rates by contacting fitness.programs@ubc.ca.

Explore UBC’s spectacular biological collections through exhibits and programs at the Beaty biodiversity museum. More than two million specimens of plants, marine invertebrates, insects, fish, vertebrates, fungi, and fossils showcase the stunning natural history of British Columbia and beyond. The Beaty is also home to the largest blue whale skeleton on display in Canada.  UBC faculty, staff and students can visit for free with their valid UBC Card.

UBC faculty and staff can claim a free Basic Membership, which will give members 10% off up to 2 tickets per Chan Centre-produced event. The free membership will also ensure you get early access to purchase tickets, free ticket exchanges, and more. The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts celebrates homegrown talent alongside global artists — whether they’re musicians, storytellers, or big thinkers. Explore what they have to offer and get inspired! 

Faculty and staff at UBC Vancouver can access on-campus resources in addition to exclusive discounts from our cycling partners. 

• Bike-share passes with Mobi
• Options for secure parking

Learn more

Since 1995, the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery has developed a program of collecting significant works by Canadian and international artists and mounts four exhibitions each year together with associated programs and events. Admission is always free.

Experience one of the world’s finest displays of art from Northwest Coast First Nations at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC. Explore more than 9,000 magnificent traditional and contemporary objects from cultures around the world in a spectacular Arthur Erickson-designed building overlooking mountains and sea. Enjoy the extraordinary architectural beauty, provocative programming and exciting exhibitions. MOA also offers the elegant MOA Shop, Café MOA and free daily tours. UBC students, staff and faculty can visit for free with their valid UBC Card.

Across the street from the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, the Pacific Museum of the Earth displays rocks, minerals, fossils, Canada’s only OmniGlobe, and exhibits relating to ocean and atmospheric sciences. Also on display are the skeletons of a Lambeosaur and Elasmosaur – over 80 million years old! Admission to the museum is by donation. Donations can be placed in the donation box, located near the front entry of the Earth and Ocean Science Main Building.

The UBC Aquatic Centre offers UBC staff and faculty discounts for drop-in passes, memberships, locker rentals, adult lessons, a selection of advanced courses and fitness classes. Membership includes access to the public swim times, steam room, sauna and a selection of aquacize classes.  Please show your valid UBC Staff/faculty ID card at the front desk.  We encourage all patrons to visit the UBC Aquatic Centre Drop-in Schedule prior to any visit.

UBC staff and faculty have access to:

• Complimentary access to UBC Botanical Garden and Nitobe Memorial Garden
• Discounted admission to the Greenheart TreeWalk treetop eco-adventure (only $10 + tax)
• Complimentary tickets to Roseline Sturdy Amphitheatre Summer Series performances
• Invitation to the annual holiday Members’ Sale in the Shop in the Garden at the end of each year
• Discounted rates on team building experiences through the Sustainable Communities Field School and select workshops and events
• 5% off facility rental fees

To enhance your visit, explore UBC Botanical Garden’s collection online with the mobile-friendly Garden Explorer tool. Click on “tours” for monthly highlights and specialty tours.

UBC Camps is a leading provider of high quality camps for children ages 3-17. They offer a vast selection of summer camps, including adventure, art and music, enrichment, and sport and recreation programming. UBC staff and faculty receive a 5% discount on summer camps. For more information, visit the UBC Camps website.

Register and receive your 5% discount.

All UBC staff and faculty have access to a range free ergonomics training and opportunity to become a department ergo rep.

Save 5% off food and non-alcoholic beverages at UBC Food Service locations when you pay with your pre-loaded UBC Card. Find out more about the UBC food plan.

At the UBC School of Music you can take in intimate noon-hour guest-artist recitals and chamber music. There are exciting fully-staged operas, extraordinary symphony orchestra, band, and choral concerts. You can also enjoy smaller dynamic ensembles including jazz bands, Early Music, Contemporary Players, Chinese Music, Balinese Gamelan, Korean Drumming, African Dance, and more! Many of UBC School of Music's events are free.

• Large Ensemble concerts at the Chan Centre: $5 discount off the GA ticket price for Large Ensemble (Bands, Choirs, Symphony Orchestra) events for UBC faculty and staff with the online promotional code: UBCSTAFF or with your UBC Card when purchasing tickets in person.
• UBC Opera Ensemble at the UBC Old Auditorium: $5 discount off the ADULT ticket price for UBC faculty and staff for the main staged opera productions with the online promotional code: UBCSTAFF or with your UBC Card when purchasing tickets in person.
• Wednesday Noon Hours concerts at Barnett Hall: $5 discount off the GA ticket price for UBC faculty and staff with the online promotional code: UBCSTAFF

For more information visit music.ubc.ca/events.

The UBC Student Recreation Centre is home to three gym courts and has regular offerings of drop-in sports that are free to staff and faculty with a valid UBC Card. Choose from basketball, volleyball, badminton, and futsal (indoor soccer) which are all available on a weekly schedule.

The UBC Tennis Centre is Vancouver’s only public indoor facility and has 12 indoor courts and one outdoor court. A new facility houses eight of these indoor courts with the outdoor court just west of this building. They also have four courts inside the UBC Tennis Bubble, which offer another great playing option. You can book a court for play or register in one of their programs available for all ages, levels and abilities. UBC Staff and Faculty are eligible for discounts on adult and youth programs, as well as some designated staff-only programs. UBC Students are also eligible for discounts on programs, have designated student-only programs, and discounted court rentals during applicable times. For information on UBC Tennis Centre programs and court rentals, visit www.recreation.ubc.ca/tennis or call 604-822-2505.

UBC staff and faculty receive 2-for-1 admission to UBC Theatre season productions. To access this discount visit theatrefilm.ubc.ca/buy-tickets. Enter the promotional code: FACSTAFFUBC

If you have a full-time monthly paid appointment for 12 months or more, you are eligible for all of the benefits outlined in the table below.

If you have a full-time monthly paid appointment for more than 3 months but less than 12 months, you are eligible for the first three benefits listed in the table:

• Extended Health Plan
• Dental Plan
• Employee and Family Assistance Program

If your full-time monthly paid appointment is extended to a total of 12 months or more, you:

• will automatically be enrolled in the Disability Benefit Plan,
• will automatically be enrolled in Basic Life Insurance, and
• will be automatically enrolled in the Staff Pension Plan when enrolled in the Basic Life Insurance, and
• you will be eligible for Optional Life Insurance and AD&D at this time; however, you must submit a Health Statement with your application, which is subject to approval by the insurer.

If you have a full-time appointment that is less than 3 months, you are not eligible for benefits. You will still need to login to Workday to sign up for payroll.

If you have a part-time monthly paid appointment for 12 months or more and you work at least 18 hours per week, you are eligible for all of the benefits outlined in the table below.

If have a part-time monthly paid appointment of more than 3 months but less than 12 months and you work at least 18 hours per week, you are eligible for the first three benefits listed in the table:

• Extended Health Plan
• Dental Plan
• Employee and Family Assistance Program

If your part-time monthly paid appointment is extended to a total of 12 months or more and you work at least 18 hours per week, you:

• will automatically be enrolled in the Disability Benefit Plan,
• will automatically be enrolled in Basic Life Insurance, and
• will be automatically enrolled in the Staff Pension Plan when enrolled in the Basic Life Insurance, and
• you will be eligible for Optional Life Insurance and AD&D at this time; however, you must submit a Health Statement with your application, which is subject to approval by the insurer.

If you have a part-time, monthly paid appointment and you work less than 18 hours per week (regardless of the length of your appointment), you are not eligible for benefits. You will still need to login to Workday to sign up for payroll.

If you have an hourly paid appointment, you are not eligible for benefits until 3 months after your date of hire. After 3 months, UBC Financial Operations – Payroll will review your hours to see if you are eligible for benefits and, if eligible, send you the benefits enrolment task in Workday. You will still need to login to Workday to complete your payroll forms.

If you have an hourly paid appointment of 12 months or more and you work at least 18 hours per week, you may be eligible for the benefits shown in the table below after you have worked for 3 months.

If you have an hourly paid appointment of more than 3 months but less than 12 months and you work at least 18 hours per week, you may eligible for the first three benefits listed in the table after 3 months of continuous service:

• Extended Health Plan
• Dental Plan
• Employee and Family Assistance Program

If your hourly paid appointment is extended to a total of 12 months or more and you work at least 18 hours per week, you will be:

• automatically enrolled in the Disability Benefit Plan,
• automatically enrolled in Basic Life Insurance, and
• eligible for Optional Life Insurance and AD&D; however, you must submit a Health Statement with your application, which is subject to approval by the insurer.

If you have an hourly paid appointment and you work less than 18 hours per week (regardless of the length of your appointment), you are not eligible for benefits. You will still need to login to Workday to complete your payroll forms.

If you have an hourly paid appointment and receive a higher salary in lieu of benefits, you are not eligible for the benefits below. However, you will still need to login to Workday to complete your payroll forms.