About Immigration Advising

All newly admitted and current international graduate students in the College of Education, whether located in Canada or abroad, can access advising services to ask questions and receive information about immigration matters related to studies, work or life in Canada.  

Megan Fillatre is a Graduate Program and Internationalization Specialist in the College of Education, supporting graduate students, programs, and international initiatives within the college and across the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

Megan is a licensed Regulated International Student Immigration Advisor (RISIA) and can provide legal immigration advice to international students regarding:

  • study permits (initial and extensions)
  • visas
  • work eligibility
  • post-graduation work permit (PGPW)
  • spousal work permits
  • entry to Canada requirements
  • inviting family and friends to Canada

*Specific information about permanent residence (PR) cannot be provided as this is outside the RISIA scope of practice.

Non-immigration questions specific to your graduate program and academic requirements should be directed to your department’s graduate administrator/support person, as follows:

For undergraduate students, please contact the College of Education Undergraduate Programs Office: Contact Us - College of Education | University of Saskatchewan

Immigration Drop-in Advising – Virtual Sessions

All immigration drop-in advising is confidential, one-on-one, 15-minute virtual Zoom sessions with Megan Fillatre (RISIA), on a first-come, first-served basis (no appointment necessary). If more time is needed for special cases, it will be determined at the drop-in session and a longer appointment may be offered, in-person would be optional.

The virtual drop-in will be closed once the capacity has been reached, or 15 minutes prior to the drop-in end time, whichever is earlier.

Do you know your time zone? Use this online time converter if zooming from another country or outside Saskatchewan.

This virtual drop-in advising is available to all international graduate students in the College of Education.

Immigration Drop-in—Dates, Times & Zoom Access

Drop-in immigration advising is offered every Thursday from 1:00-3:00 pm, Central Standard Time, no appointment necessary.

Thursday Drop-in Zoom or Telephone Links:

When you access the Zoom link, you will be placed in a queue in a virtual waiting room. When it’s your turn, the advisor will let you into the session. The wait times are determined by the number of students in the queue. 

Please come to the session prepared with concise questions and your immigration documents at hand, if needed for reference.

Important: If a Thursday session is not available, a note will be provided here, and the Zoom link will not be accessible.

*Sessions will not be available on: April 16, April 30, May 21, June 18, July 16

For urgent questions when Thursday sessions are not running, students can use the ISSAC international student immigration drop-in advising: https://students.usask.ca/international/international-student-advising.php

For issues connecting to the drop-in session, or any other questions, please contact megan.fillatre@usask.ca

Other Student Immigration Resources

The International Student and Study Abroad Centre (ISSAC) is a central support unit and a campus partner for all students, staff, and faculty. ISSAC is dedicated to fostering a welcoming, globally aware and inclusive campus community. https://students.usask.ca/international/issac.php  

USask International Student Guide: https://students.usask.ca/international/index.php  

USask Immigration Info & Guide: https://students.usask.ca/international/immigration.php  

ISSAC international student advising: https://students.usask.ca/international/international-student-advising.php 

Provincial Attestation Letters (PAL) 

On November 5th, following the tabling of Budget 2025, IRCC announced changes in relation to Provincial Attestation Letters (PALS).

Effective January 1 2026, international master’s and doctoral students at public universities will be exempt from the PAL requirement. Students pursuing a graduate certificate program, postgraduate diploma, or coming as a Visiting Research Student (VRS) for more than six months will still require a PAL.

If you are meeting one of the PAL exceptions (i.e. masters or doctoral student), you must provide a letter of explanation as part of your online study permit application. The USask PAL FAQ has samples of an explanation letter that you could use as a guide to help you write your own, as per your own specific situation. Please note USask cannot write letters of explanation on your behalf.

Please visit the IRCC's website for up-to-date information about immigration procedures and documents including PAL/TAL. Please also visit the USask's PAL FAQ.