Deloitte has published an advisory titled "New rules for study permits," alerting prospective international students and their sponsors to changes in how study permit applications are handled. The advisory, released through the firm's immigration practice, signals that applicants should review the updated requirements before filing.

At this stage, the headline advisory itself is the story: a Big Four professional services firm with an active immigration law practice has formally flagged that study permit rules have moved. Readers planning to apply should treat this as a prompt to verify the current requirements directly with the official immigration authority in the destination country rather than relying on older guidance, checklists or agency templates circulated before the change.

Who does this affect?

The affected group is prospective international students — anyone preparing a study permit application, plus dependants and sponsors who support those applications. Where a student has already submitted an application, the applicable rules generally depend on the date of receipt by the immigration authority; applicants should confirm which version of the requirements governs their file.

What should applicants do now?

Because the Deloitte notice does not, in the material available to this desk, enumerate every threshold or deadline, we advise readers to act on three practical steps:

• Check the official government immigration portal for the destination country and read the current study permit instruction guide, which reflects rules in force on the date of application.
• Compare any documents already prepared — acceptance letters, proof of funds, identity documents — against the current checklist before submission.
• If using a licensed representative or employer-sponsored relocation programme, ask them to confirm in writing which rule version they applied to your file.

Why announcements like this matter

Study permit systems change frequently. Caps on applications, financial requirements and documentary standards can shift between intake cycles, and an application prepared under old rules can fail under new ones. When a firm such as Deloitte publishes a client alert, it typically means the change is significant enough to affect pending plans — enough that corporate relocation teams and education-sector clients need a summary quickly.

This desk will update the story as the full text of the Deloitte advisory and the underlying regulatory change become available. In the meantime, the governing rule is simple: the official immigration authority's published instructions are the only authoritative source for eligibility, and any advisory — including this one — is a signal to check them, not a substitute.

The bottom line

A new set of study permit rules is in circulation, flagged by Deloitte's immigration team. If you are preparing a study application, verify the current requirements with the relevant government immigration department before you file. Confirm the effective date of the change, check which documents the new checklist demands, and make sure your representative is working from the same version of the rules that the immigration authority will apply to your case.

Passport File does not provide individual legal advice. For case-specific guidance, consult the official immigration authority or a licensed immigration representative in the destination country.