VIRS FAQs

VIRS students may not have an employment relationship with the University in any capacity related to their research during their VIRS visit. Some VIRS students with valid study permits may work on campus in an area unrelated to their main research (e.g. café, store, restaurant, or research unrelated to the main purpose of their visit).

There are three ways for you to provide money to a VIRS student:

1. Cover the VIRS Program Fee
   Indicate on the VIRS approval form that you will cover the fee, or contact Go Global. We will arrange a JV for the payment.
2. Reimbursement for expenses
   This would be done through your departmental admin and subject to the department's financial policies and procedures. VIRS students are sometimes reimbursed for travel and living expenses, as well as the medical insurance that they are enrolled in at UBC (IMED).
3. VIRS Grant (Award 5139) through enrolment services
   This would involve recommending your student for an award and transferring funds to Enrolment Services. The only restriction is that the source of funding cannot be from a Canadian tri-agency grant. Please contact Go Global for the steps and more information.

Go Global provides admitted VIRS students with an official Letter of Acceptance which is normally sufficient for students to apply for immigration documents (study permit, visa). Including additional letters carries the risk that visa officers may misinterpret the student’s status at UBC and refuse required immigration documents.

Occasionally, students require a letter of invitation to apply for an award/scholarship. In such cases, we are happy to provide a template to use for this. Please contact the Go Global advisor for VIRS at go.global@ubc.ca.

The role of the supervisor varies depending on the nature of the research and the arrangement between the student and the professor.

The basic expectations can be described as:

1. Student selection
   It is the responsibility of the UBC host professor and/or department to determine the qualifications of prospective VIRS students to undertake research at UBC. Go Global reviews applications for basic eligibility, but we do not assess students’ academic history or English language ability.
2. Provide a workspace and appropriate access to departmental facilities
   VIRS students should have a reasonable space to undertake their research. Upon arrival, the student will be able to obtain a UBC Card if needed to access facilities.
3. Mentorship and accessibility
   Accessible to the student for consultation and discussion of the student’s academic progress and research. The frequency of meetings will vary according to the discipline, stage of work, nature of the project, independence of the student, full- or part-time status, etc.
4. Discuss mutual expectations, deadlines and forms of communication
   It’s recommended that the host supervisor discusses mutual expectations with the student and defines a research plan.
5. Departmental and safety orientation
   Ensure your VIRS student is introduced to relevant students, staff and faculty in your lab, or department and provide the student with relevant safety training.
6. Report accidents and consider accident insurance
   Should any accidents occur involving the student, please report it on UBC’s Centralized Accident / Incident Reporting System (CAIRS). You may obtain optional student accident insurance on the student’s behalf through UBC Risk Management. The cost is $7/year per student and the insurance must be purchased through the department administration.

It may be helpful to review the list of Graduate student supervisor responsibilities.

VIRS is the senate-approved pathway for all international students that are visiting UBC for research purposes (unless  formally appointed as staff through Human Resources and will be obtaining a work permit). The pathway was created to offer a consistent status and set of support resources for faculty and their visiting research students, and to avoid risks associated with being on campus without formal affiliation.

VIRS students are admitted to the university with full-time student status for the period of the research studies. They obtain a university student number, online login and UBC student Card. The Login ID and the UBC Card are used to access our Libraries and related systems, online research tools, and may be used to access certain physical locations on campus (labs, computer labs, departmental lounges, etc).

VIRS students are also invited to an orientation meeting and some social events where they meet other VIRS students that are on campus.

If for whatever reason you need to withdraw your application before your arrival in Canada or you need to return home before your planned end date, you will need to follow these steps: 

• Inform our host supervisor and/or department
• Inform Go Global by email at go.global@ubc.ca

VIRS students can initially only apply to visit for 12 months, but you may extend your stay up to one additional year (maximum stay of 24 months) given that you meet the following conditions:

1. your host professor agrees to continue supervision during the extension period
2. you remain enrolled at your home university

To request an extension, contact Go Global. We will ask you to complete a VIRS Extension Request Form (pdf). You should request your extension at least 4 weeks before your end date but we recommend you submit your extension as soon as you make that decision. 

If your extension is approved, we will provide you with a Letter of Extension which you may use to extend your Canadian study permit or visa, if necessary.

VIRS students are charged the $423.25 program fee once per 12-month period.

If your extension increases the total length of your stay at UBC to more than 12 months, you will be charged the fee for the extension.

UBC has excellent recreation facilities:

• Recreation (sports, fitness)
• Aquatic Centre

VIRS students pay the public or staff rates for these facilities. Unfortunately, VIRS students do not qualify for the student rates.

The most accessible activities will be drop-in sports and fitness classes.

We also recommend using public services through the Vancouver Park Board Community Centres. There are recreation activities in every neighbourhood in Vancouver.

VIRS students can access library resources online by logging in with your Campus-Wide Login (CWL).

Your UBC Card will act as your library card to borrow materials.

No, you are not eligible for the U-Pass transit pass, as you are not assessed tuition or AMS fees upon VIRS registration.

All VIRS students should be able to access the Secure Network on their laptops and smartphones while on campus.

You will have to set this up using the AutoConnect application online. See the steps on the UBC IT website. You will use your UBC Campus-Wide Login (CWL) and password to access the network.