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In this article, we will provide a detailed guide on how you can apply for a Canadian study permit. It is a similar process to other visa types. We will describe what a study document is, who is exempt from acquiring it, document requirements and description of documents, application methods and procedures, and links to important document formats to download and fill out. It should give much of what you need to know about applying for Canadian study permits or visas.
That is what it’s called in Canada: study permit, not student visa. The study permit is a document issued by the Canadian government to let foreign nationals study at universities in Canada. As an international student, chances are that you need a study permit to enter Canada. You must fulfill all requirements before application and before you travel to Canada.
You will still need a visitor visa or travel document to enter Canada. But that is no problem because when the Canadian authorities approve your study permit, they send it along with a visitor visa or electronic travel document. You won’t need to apply separately. If you are a permanent resident of Canada, you need a Permanent Resident (PR) card. If it is expired or you lost it, you can still apply for another before traveling to Canada.
Most international students are expected to have a study permit to enroll in any university in Canada. There are a few exceptions to this rule where you don’t need a study visa. We will describe it below.
You can study at any school in Canada without a study permit if:
If you’re taking prerequisite courses, you should get a study permit, even if the courses are less than 6 months long. If you don’t, you’ll have to apply for a study permit before you can start your full-study program. Depending on processing times, you may not get it in time to start your studies.
You may not need a study permit if you’re a family or staff member of a foreign representative to Canada that has been accredited by Global Affairs Canada (GAC). Your embassy can contact GAC to find out if you need one.
If you’re a member of a foreign armed force on official duties in Canada, you don’t need a study permit. If your family members, including minor children, want to study in Canada, they may need one.
You don’t need a study permit if you have Registered Indian status in Canada, even if you’re a citizen of another country.
Minor children don’t need a study permit if:
When minor children reach the age of majority (18 or 19 years old, depending on the province or territory), they must apply for a study permit if they want to keep studying. Learn more about minors studying in Canada.
There are 2 reasons you may want to get a study permit even if you don’t need one:
Examples of this are:
If you apply for a study permit even though you don’t need one, you should include a letter explaining why you want one with your application.
If you already have a study permit and your study situation changes (for example, you want to study for more than 6 months or apply to a longer study program), you can continue studying in Canada while your permit is valid. If you need to extend your permit, or it expires while we process your application for an extension, you’ll also be able to continue studying because you have implied status.
However, if you don’t have a study permit already, you would need to stop studying or wait until you get a study permit to start or continue your studies.
An example of this is if you’re taking prerequisite classes required for a longer study program. You may not need a study permit for your prerequisite classes, but you may need one for your full study program.
In this case, you should get a study permit even though you don’t need one right away. If you don’t, you may not be able to start your longer study program, depending on whether or not your study permit is processed in time.
If you have a study permit and you’re registered as a full-time student at a DLI, you may be able to work on-campus or off-campus. If so, your study permit will include a condition that says you’re allowed to work while studying.
Note that if you don’t have a study permit, you can’t work while you’re studying in Canada. In this case, you need to apply for a work permit.
Not every school in Canada has the permission to host international students. Before you apply to any Canadian university, it is important to confirm that the institution has been granted the right to admit international students. Universities that can take international students are referred to as Designated Learning Institutions (DLI). Unlike tertiary institutions, all primary and secondary schools in Canada are designated learning institutions. So when you find a university of your choice, check with the right authorities for the status of that university.
International eligibility of a university is not the only advantage of a background check. Some universities make you eligible to work in Canada after graduation. Not all universities approved for international students make you eligible for the postgraduate work permit program.
To check the status of your institution of choice, visit the Canadian government website responsible for listing such institutions. Note that primary and secondary schools are not listed here; they qualify by default. You must first know the province under which the university falls. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select a province from the combo box. A drop-down list appears when you choose a province with a list of Designated Learning institutions.
Look for the university on the list. You can also use the filter box to quickly find the institution by typing all or a part of its name. If you can’t find the university on the list, and you are sure that is the province under which it is located, it means that the institution cannot admit foreign students.
Having found your institution, you should check if it offers PGWP (postgraduate work permit) programs. The information is displayed in front of that university. Also, copy the Designated Learning Institution number because you will need it during the application for a study permit.
You need a number of documents to apply for a study permit. We list all documents below and proceed to describe each in greater detail.
Depending on your case, you may also need:
Your school must send you an acceptance letter. Include the original letter with your study permit application. The letter must be issued by the Canadian institution (e.g. school district, University, etc.) on official letterhead and show the exact amount of tuition fees you are required to pay, the anticipated starting and finishing dates and the date by which you need to register. Once you have your acceptance letter, you can complete and submit an application for a study permit.
If you need to take some courses before you are accepted into your program (conditional acceptance), we will only issue your study permit for the length of those courses. Once you are accepted into the main program, you will need to apply to extend your stay as a student.
You and each family member who comes with you to Canada must have:
You must prove that you can support yourself and the family members who come with you while you are in Canada.
You can prove your funds with:
In addition to providing an acceptance letter from a DLI, you must demonstrate to the officer that:
As a study permit holder, you must remain enrolled at a DLI and make reasonable and timely progress towards completing your program. Failing to do so may lead to your removal from Canada. For post-secondary study permit holders, the DLI will report your continued academic enrolment and status to us.
An officer may also impose, change, or cancel conditions on your study permit. These may include one or more of the following:
Citizens of certain countries or territories may require a TRV in order to travel to Canada, while others may require an eTA.
A TRV is an official document issued by an officer that is placed in your passport to show that you have met the requirements for admission to Canada as a temporary resident. An eTA is a paperless document that is electronically linked to your passport; it too demonstrates that you have met the requirements for admission to Canada as a temporary resident.
If you need a TRV or an eTA, you do not have to complete a separate application or pay additional fees. It will be issued by the officer at the same time as the documents you need for your entry to Canada as a student.
You may have to do some document translations to complete your registration, whether online or offline. This can be done in your country by an authorized party. You must submit the following for any document that is not in English or French, unless otherwise stated on your document checklist:
Note this: Translations must not be done by the applicants themselves nor by an applicant’s parent, guardian, sibling, spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, grandparent, child, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or first cousin.
Translators who are certified in Canada don’t need to supply an affidavit. A certified translator will provide both a certified translation and certified copies of the original documents.
An affidavit is a document on which the translator has sworn, in the presence of a person authorized to administer oaths in the country where the translator is living, that the contents of their translation are a true translation and representation of the contents of the original document.
The affidavit must be sworn in the presence of:
In Canada:
Authority to certify varies by province and territory. Consult your local provincial or territorial authorities.
Outside of Canada:
Authority to administer oaths varies by country.Consult your local authorities.
To have a photocopy of a document certified, an authorized person must (as described below) compare the original document to the photocopy and must print the following on the photocopy:
Only authorized people
Note this: Certifying of copies must not be done by the applicants themselves nor by an applicant’s parent, guardian, sibling, spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, grandparent, child, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or first cousin.
Persons authorized to certify copies include the following:
In Canada:
Authority to certify varies by province and territory. Check with your local provincial or territorial authorities to learn who has the authority to certify.
Outside Canada:
Authority to certify international documents varies by country. Check with your local authorities to learn who has the authority to certify in your country.
There are two ways to complete your application: Online or paper. The former is the most preferred choice for most. Applying online will eliminate the mail postage fee you will be required to pay with paper application. It also leads to a faster processing of your application because the time wasted to deliver your paper application is eliminated as the Canadian authorities will get your information instantly.
Online application also helps you respond quickly to any request of additional documents, as sometimes is the case. You get updates on the status of your application directly in your online account.There are a host of other advantages for applying online. However, the ones listed here should be a good-enough indication that you are better off applying online. We will describe both processes in great detail and you pick which one to go with.
To apply online, visit the application portal and click on “Register” towards the bottom of the page. Read the information on the succeeding page, as this will give you some guides on how to proceed.
There are 2 ways you can proceed from here.
A GCKey lets you securely access the Government of Canada’s online services.It includes a username and password that you choose. You must also create security questions. These steps keep your data secure and let you recover your account.
Follow the steps below to register
This is a secure way for you to sign in to your online account using information you already have.
Sign-In Partners are groups such as banks and credit unions that partner with SecureKey Technologies (a company that provides online identity services). If you’re a customer of a bank or credit union, you can use the same sign-in that you use to access their services to access Government of Canada services.
To register with a Sign-in Partner
If you don’t see your financial institution listed, you need to register with GCKey.
With this method, you will manually fill the form and submit to Visa Application Center close to you, probably in your country. To see it, visit this link and search for a location by scrolling through the pages or using the “filter” option to execute a search using the name of your location.
You need to fill out and submit a number of forms as listed below. you may just click on any from on the list to go to the download page. However, you may be required to complete additional supporting documents upon request of a visa officer.
Please note: It is a serious offence to give false or misleading information on these forms. The information you provide on your application is subject to verification.
Complete all sections. If a question or a section does not apply to you, write “Not Applicable” or “NA”, except for your name (last name and given names).
If your application is incomplete, it may be rejected, and this will delay the processing of your application.
Note that if you need more space for any section, print out an additional page containing the appropriate section, complete it and submit it with your application.
After filling your form, you need to pay application and biometric fees for you and any other person that will be going with you. You may be asked to pay in your local currency. Fees paid are cannot be refunded. Your application will be delayed or not processed if you paid the wrong amount. You will be refunded any excess payments made so you need not contact them in case you paid higher.
To pay your fees for your application, you’ll need:
Visit this link and follow the onscreen instruction to pay. You will select which service you are paying for from the combo box. When you have checked out using your ATM card, make sure to click on the button to print the IRCC official receipt with barcode. Print two copies.Attach a copy of this receipt to your completed application, and keep the other copy for your records. If you have problem paying your fees (which is unlikely), visit the Pay your fees page to learn about the methods of payment accepted by Canadian visa offices.
Note: do not exit without printing the receipt at the end of your payment process.
Submit the document checklist
Make sure you complete the Document Checklist (IMM 5483) and include it with your application forms and supporting documents.
| Outside Quebec | ||
| Persons coming to Canada | Amount of funds required per year (additional to the tuition) | Amount of funds required per month (additional to the tuition) |
| You (the student) | $10,000 | $833 |
| First family member | $4,000 | $333 |
| Every additional accompanying family member | $3,000 | $255 |
Example:
If you and two family members want to come to a province outside Quebec for a year, you will need:
| In Quebec | ||
| Persons coming to Canada | Amount of funds required per year (additional to the tuition) | Amount of funds required per month (additional to the tuition) |
| You (the student) | $11,000 | $917 |
| First family member (18 years or older) | $5,100 | $425 |
| First family member (under the age of 18) | $3,800 | $317 |
| Every additional accompanying family member (18 years or older) | $5,125 | $427 |
| Every additional accompanying family member (under the age of 18) | $1,903 | $159 |
Example
If you and two family members (over the age of 18) want to come to Quebec for a year, you will need
If your country uses foreign-exchange controls, prove that you will be allowed to export funds for all of your expenses.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to get your study permit faster through the Student Direct Stream (SDS). SDS is processed in 20 days, but some may take longer. Only a handful of countries are given this option. There is no paper application for SDS.
Every country may have something unique about the application process for a Student Direct Stream. To know the specific application steps for your country, visit this page, scroll to the bottom and select your country for the combo box, then click “continue”. Information regarding your country will be displayed, plus links to the documents requirement and a PDF link to visa instructions. Right at the bottom of this page is a “Create an account or sign in” button. Proceed by hitting the button. You will be taken to a page where you will create an IRCC secure account.
An IRCC account lets you start an application, submit and pay for your application, get messages related to your application, check the status of your application and update your information.
As of December 3, 2019, for all three methods of application, you are required to have your biometric captured in person. Visit a Visa Application Center in your country or close to you in order to have your biometric captured. You will receive a letter from the Canadian authorities asking you to go for biometric capture. This letter will be delivered via your email or online account. Do not go to any VAC until you get this letter requesting you to have a biometric capture and where you should do that. We have provided a link earlier to help you locate VACs in any country where they are available. It is important that you pay biometric fee during application to avoid delays, as your application will not be processed without it. You don’t need to pay biometric fee for transit visa.
You need to bring this letter when you give your biometrics. Note that you also need to bring your valid passport.
How fast you get the letter depends on how you apply and when you pay for your biometrics fees. Answer a few questions to find out.
You can go to one of these official locations to give your biometrics:
To locate a place close where to give your fingerprints and photo (biometrics), visit this page and select a location from the list of centers in different countries. Not all VACs are displayed on one page. You need to click “next” to navigate through the pages. You can save time by using the “filter” search box at the top left of the list. Type the name of your country and hit “enter” on your keyboard. The page will refresh and display only VACs in that country. You must visit a VAC only by appointment.
Read Also: USA Visa Application Guide 2024
This post was last modified on September 13, 2024 12:39 pm