International Post-Doctoral Fellows

Visa-required nationals do not have the option to apply at the port of entry. They must apply online via IRCC secure account for:

1. the issuance of a work permit pre-approval letter, and
2. the issuance of a temporary resident work visa counterfoil into their passport.

This must be done before making any travel arrangements to come to Canada. If you are a visa-required national, please proceed to 'Step 3b: Work Permit Application Process for Visa-Required Nationals'.

Unless a US citizen or US lawful permanent resident, visa-exempt nationals must hold a valid electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). The eTA is needed before boarding a plane or other commercial transporter to Canada. This is required for the principal applicant and their family members before their travel. An eTA is electronically linked to a traveler's passport.

If you do not already hold a valid eTA, please follow the instructions on how to apply for an electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).

Upon entry to Canada, please state that you wish to enter Canada as a worker and wish to apply for a work permit. When you arrive at one of Canada's international airports, you will be asked to verify your identity and make an on-screen declaration at one of CBSA’s primary inspection kiosks. You will present your printed declaration receipt to a CBSA officer at primary inspection who will refer you to the secondary services and inspections area to apply for your work permit.

Please present the immigration officer at secondary inspection with the following documents:

• Valid Passport (please ensure the passport is valid for the duration of appointment)
• Valid electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) (unless US citizen or US permanent resident)
• Valid US green card (for US permanent residents only)
• UBC Employment Offer Letter (provided by Department/School)
• LMIA-exempt Employment Offer Number (# starts with an A) – (provided by Department/School)
• Employer compliance fee receipt for CAD 230 - (provided by Department/School)
• Copy of Ph.D., and certified translation if original is not in English or French (If certificate is not yet available, please provide an official letter from institution confirming completion of all Ph.D. requirements)
• Copy of Work Resume/CV
• Proof of Funds (if position at UBC is unpaid)
• Work Permit Processing Fee of CAD 155 (may be paid in cash or by credit card)
• Biometrics Fee of CAD 85 (may be paid in cash or by credit card – not applicable to US citizens)
• Confirmation of Upfront Medical, i.e. e-Medical Information Sheet (if applicable, please see section below)

The immigration officer issues the work permit directly at the first point of entry. The work permit allows the Post-Doctoral Fellow to work at UBC temporarily. Please check the information listed on the work permit for accuracy upon receipt. The employer should be listed as “UBC” and occupation as “Postdoctoral fellow”. Any errors or issues with the work permit should be addressed while you are in front of the issuing officer. It is significantly harder to request corrections after you leave the port of entry. 

A temporary work permit will normally be issued for the dates outlined in the UBC offer letter. An immigration officer will consider other factors when issuing a work permit, such as passport expiry date. A work permit may not go beyond the applicant's passport validity date.

After arrival, the Post-Doctoral Fellow must apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN) to Service Canada [for paid positions]. Upon receipt of the SIN, this information and a copy of the work permit must be provided to the Department/School. A work permit of at least 6 months duration is required to be eligible for medical coverage under the BC Medical Services Plan.

Please note – if you or your accompanying family members have lived or travelled in a designated country for 6 months or longer in the 12 months before you travel to Canada – please check here whether you may need to schedule and undergo an upfront medical exam with an IRCC panel physician before travelling to Canada.

A country or a territory is designated if there is a "yes" in the column entitled "Immigration Medical Examination (IME) required" in the designated country and territory list.

Please note – if you or your accompanying spouse/common-law partner will be working in a location or an occupation that puts you in close contact with patients and/or children (i.e. in the health sciences field, at a hospital or a clinical laboratory, as a medical student/medical elective/physician or at an elementary/secondary school/kindergarten) you or they may equally need to undergo an upfront medical exam as a worker before traveling to Canada.

An accompanying spouse or common-law partner if applicable will be eligible to apply for an open spousal work permit concurrently as long as the foreign national Post-Doctoral Fellow has a valid offer of at least 6 months at the time of application. An open spousal work permit allows the spouse or common-law partner to search for and take up employment in Canada.

In the immigration context, a person is your spouse if your marriage is a legally valid civil marriage. A common-law partnership means that a couple have lived together for at least one year in a conjugal relationship.

There is no provision in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for fiancé(e)s or intended common-law partners. If your partner does not meet the definition of a spouse or common-law partner, they will not be eligible to apply for a spousal open work permit until you get married or have live together for at least 12 months and established a common-law relationship. Accompanying partners may still apply for a visitor status.

A visa-exempt spouse or common-law partner may also apply for their work permit or visitor status upon entry to Canada provided that they are equally considered as fully vaccinated.

Visa-exempt children may be issued their Canadian status documents upon arrival as well. Unvaccinated children, youth and adult dependents may accompany a parent, step-parent, guardian or tutor who qualifies as a fully vaccinated traveler when they enter Canada. For full information, please see the government’s requirements for traveling with children and dependents

The following support documentation will need to be provided to the officer for a concurrent status application of a spouse or common-law partner or dependent child as applicable:

• Valid passports (please ensure the passports are valid for the duration of stay)
• Marriage certificate & certified translation if original is not in English or French (for spouse only)
• Statutory Declaration of Common-Law (for  common-law partner only)
• Birth certificates & certified translation if original is not in English or French (for children only)
• Spousal open work permit processing fee of CAD$255 if applicable (may be paid in cash or by credit card)
• Biometrics fee of CAD$170 for families of two or more
• Confirmation of Upfront Medical (if applicable, please see section below)

Important: If any accompanying family member is not a visa-exempt but a visa-required national, please note that they will not be eligible to apply upon arrival, i.e. at the port of entry. In this case, it is recommended for the whole family to apply online and await their approval notices prior to traveling to Canada.

Visa-exempt dependent children accompanying a foreign national Post-Doctoral Fellow may be issued a Canadian visitor record for the same duration as the Post-Doctoral Fellow work permit. Please review the document and length for accuracy before leaving the port. With a Canadian visitor record, visa-exempt children under the age of 19 are authorized to study in Canada without a Study Permit.

Dependent children attending primary or secondary public school will be exempt from international school fees, as long as the foreign national Post-Doctoral Fellow has a work permit that is at least one year in duration or longer. 

We suggest that you contact the school board in your area of residence before you arrive at UBC to review specific requirements and to ensure that your children will be eligible to attend elementary or secondary school.

Important: Please note that a Study Permit is required for children 19 and older and those attending a post-secondary institution. The afore-mentioned study permit application cannot be made upon entry (unless your child is a US citizen) and should be submitted online via IRCC secure account.

If you are visa-required incoming foreign national Post-Doctoral Fellow outside of Canada applying for their first work permit, please follow the below steps:

1. Create and log into your IRCC Secure Account
2. Select “Apply To Come To Canada”.
3. Under ‘I do not have a personal reference code’, please select ‘Visitor visa, study and/or work permit’.
4. Complete the Questionnaire to Create Your Work Permit Application Checklist.
   • You are coming for work purposes.
   • You are not part of the Global Skills Category.
   • You are applying for “ A work permit with a Labor Market Impact Assessment exemption”.
   • If you have any accompanying spouse or common-law partner or dependent child(ren), please select that you will be applying on behalf of a family
   • Select that you will be paying the application fees.

Your account should create a work permit application checklist with an Application for Work Permit Outside of Canada (IMM1295) form. Please also double check the paper checklist from your country’s visa office to ensure that they are not requiring anything additional to what is noted in your online checklist.

​​​​​​Once you have selected that you are applying “Online (recommended)” and have selected “the country” that you are applying from, please select the PDF file “visa office requirements in [COUNTRY]” to view any additional instructions that might apply. Please note, not all countries will have an additional paper checklist for the application.

Please save the Application for Work Permit made Outside of Canada’ (IMM1295)’ Form on your desktop and open from your computer (not within your web browser). When you are ready to finalize the form, please type your name into the signature box and validate the form. This will create a barcode at the end of the form. The form may only be uploaded in said format. You will not be able to upload a scan of the printed form.

For the foreign national Post-Doctoral Fellow:

For the Spouse/Common-Law Partner - Spousal Open Work :

1. Employment Reference Letter: You must provide an employment reference letter (and up-to-date reference from current or past employers.) Specifics on the details to be included on said letter are mentioned in the help button. If you have previously been a student, and do not have any work history yet, you may include a reference letter from one of your previous supervisors, or an explanation letter.
2. Employment Contract: Please upload your UBC Offer letter.
3. Proof that you Meet the Requirements of the Job Being Offered: Please include a copy of your PhD, and certified translation if the document is not in English or French. If you have not yet received your PhD certificate, you may also include an official letter from your institution that you have completed all of the requirements of your PhD.
4. IMM5802 Offer of Employment to a Foreign National LMIA-exempt: This is not a form that needs to be completed as the necessary details have been transmitted online.