Canada Updates Financial Support Requirements and Documentation for Study Permit Applicants

What changed

On 15 October 2026, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Programme (BC PNP) issued 16 invitations to apply to candidates registered under its Temporary Rural/Remote Health Support Initiative. These invitations were extended to individuals who achieved a minimum score of 54 points. This recent draw signals the province's continued focus on attracting skilled workers to rural and remote healthcare sectors, allowing invited candidates to proceed with their application for provincial nomination, which supports their permanent residency application in Canada.

What changed

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has updated its 'Visit visa: guide to supporting documents'. This new version came into effect on 8 October 2026. The updated guidance now states that child applicants under 18, who are doing an Erasmus+ traineeship or job shadowing placement, must provide proof that both their parent or guardian and their home institution have given permission. This update makes the document requirements clearer for this specific group of young visitors, ensuring their applications meet the current policy for educational exchanges.

What changed

South Korea's Ministry of Justice has announced a significant reorganisation of its visa policy for foreign students. The system is moving away from simply attracting international students to one that supports their development, helps them find jobs, and encourages them to settle in South Korea for the long term. The Ministry released this new strategy on 7 October 2026. It comes after about five months of work by the public-private Foreign Student Visa System Improvement Council, which was set up in April. This strategy has been developed as South Korea anticipates having around 400,000 foreign students.

What changed

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Programme (OINP) has changed the scoring for Canadian work experience earnings history within its Ontario Workforce Priority (OWP) stream's Expression of Interest (EOI) system. As of 5 October 2026, candidates who have earned CAD 80,000 or more in a single year during the last five years will receive 10 points. This update is automatically applied to all existing EOIs and aims to make the assessment process smoother for highly paid candidates in Ontario's workforce.