tater tot

Hello all! I am a fellow American who will be starting at UBC next fall. I appreciate the advice in this column and also have questions about the student visa/ study permit process. Regarding study permits--from what I've seen online, US citizens can apply either beforehand online or at the border upon arriving to Canada. I am curious if one method is better than the other? I think it might be easier to do it at the border but I want to make sure I'm not messing anything up...