APPLY FOR A CO-OP WORK PERMIT
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced changes to the International Student Program starting January 1, 2026, including new rules for Provincial Attestation Letters (PALs).
Graduate students (Master’s or PhD) at public institutions will be exempt from the PAL requirement starting January 1, 2026. In addition, PhD students and their accompanying family members may also qualify for expedited processing, if they apply within the same application. Please note that applications may still be subject to background checks, which could affect processing times.
For full details on PAL requirements and other updates, please review our 2026 PAL Requirement News Post.
Co-operative Education provides an opportunity to alternate degree-related, paid work terms with academic study. Co-op positions may be available on campus, in Vancouver, across Canada and even overseas! Many international students participate in Co-op. If you're interested, do your research early to find out the GPA requirements and deadlines. Contact the Co-op Co-ordinator in your faculty for more information.
After being accepted into Co-op you must apply for a work permit. Your Co-op work permit will only allow you to work in jobs which are part of the Co-op program and only while you are enrolled at SFU.
Your Co-op Co-ordinator will issue a letter for you to include with your work permit application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Co-op work permits are free (fee exempt). For instructions on how to apply, please review the "Co-op/SFU-Approved Internship Work Permit" handout on our Instruction Guides page.
Important: If your study permit will expire in the next few months, you should apply for both your study and work permit at the same time, using one application. You will need to include all documents and pay a fee for your study permit extension. See Extend your study permit for details.