How to Apply for Canada Student Permit?

What is the process to apply for a Canada study permit? If you want to study in Canada for 6 months or more than that then, It is mandatory to get a student visa. You need to prove your eligibility to get the study permit by showing your academic documents, financial documents and letter of acceptance from a Canadian University.

Before you start applying to institutes in Canada, you should know about the Immigration laws and Canada study permit. Getting a Canadian student visa is the last and most important step of your dream to study in Canada. The Canada study permit processing time for Indian students is 4 weeks, so it is advisable to apply as soon as you get an admission letter from a Canadian university.

The Embassy fee for a Canada study visa is CAD 150 (INR 9,296 approximately) for Indian Students. Many students apply to get a Canadian student visa but few of them face rejections due to several reasons. A popular reason behind the rejection of the Canadian Study Permit is not submitting the application form correctly. In this blog, we will help you to know the step-by-step process to submit your application process and get it approved.

Related Read:

•  Checklist for International Students Going to Canada
• Canada Student Visa Rejection Reasons

What is Canada Study Permit?

A Study Permit is identified in the form of a Student Visa. It stands for permission granted to students to study in a foreign land. This permit along with the student's passport is issued by the government, which has received an offer letter from the abroad universities/colleges. This permit is however valid for a certain period of time, as long as the course lasts. It cannot be used to grab a job opportunity, migrate to a country, or apply for citizenship. Students may seek a job only when they are on their stay-back period after the course they had enrolled for is completed.

Applying for a Canada Study Permit

In order to apply for a Study Permit, you need to have a letter of acceptance from a designated learning institute. If you have recently applied to Universities in Canada, the new rules apply as amended and enforced from June this year. A list of designated learning institutes is available on the CIC Website.

You need not apply for a Study Permit if you are planning a short-duration course from Canada. In case, however, you wish to get a Study Permit, it would be advisable to check the list. The designated institutes have been provided with a code that would be required by you for applying for a Study Permit. You can apply for a study permit at your city’s visa office. For Indian Residents, the visa application centres (VACs) can be checked on the website india.gc.ca.

Standard Eligibility Criteria for a Study Permit

If applying for a study permit you must adhere to the following standard eligibility criteria, namely:

• You must prove that you have enough money to pay for your:
• Tuition fees
• Living expenses for yourself and any family members who come with you to Canada
• Return transportation for yourself and any family members who come with you to Canada
• You must be a law-abiding citizen with no criminal record and not be a risk to the security of Canada. You may have to provide a police certificate. 

• You must be in good health and willing to undergo a medical examination, if necessary.
• You must satisfy an immigration officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your authorized stay.

Document Checklist

Every Visa Office would have a specific set of documents, the list of which is easily available on the websites. However, primarily you would need:

1. Original Letter of Acceptance from the University: You would be asked for the Letter of Acceptance from the designated institute in the original. The list of requirements for a Letter of Acceptance is available on the website and is provided by the universities.

1. Proof of Identity: A list of accepted documentation would be provided to you and is available from the visa office as well as on the official website.
2. Proof of Funds: One important part of the documentation would include relevant proof of funds. Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) from a participating Canadian financial institution is an important document required to apply for Canada study permit. GIC is evidence that you can support your tuition, living expenses for you and your family member accompanying you for the duration of the stay in Canada as well as funds to provide for return transportation from Canada.

The table given below provides an idea of the funds required for applicants (outside Quebec):

The table given below provides the funds required for applicants (in Quebec):

Additional Documents

These documents include verification of the standard eligibility and might include a police certificate for security checks, and a medical certificate for you and the other members of your family accompanying you. Here are the other documents that you require:

• Immigration Medical Examination (IME)
• English Language Proficiency Exam Score
• Letter of Explanation
• You need to pay a fee of CAD 150 in order to obtain a Canada Student Visa

Interview and Temporary Resident Visa

You would require a temporary resident visa to enter Canada and ask for an interview as part of the process. On the completion of the same, your application would be processed.

Obtaining the Permit

If your application is approved, you would be provided with a letter of introduction. It is important to note that the letter of introduction is not equivalent to your Study Permit. You are required to carry the original letter to Canada with you.

On arrival, you will be interviewed by an officer from the Canada Border Services Agency. He would check/verify the following documents:

1. Letter of introduction from the visa office
2. Passport or other valid travel documents
3. Letter of acceptance from the school you will be attending
4. Proof of funds documents
5. Temporary Resident Visa

Once the documents are verified, the officer will give you your Study Permit.  The permit would automatically expire within 180 days of the completion of the course. A course is said to be completed when the institute gives you in writing about the same or provides you with the degree/ diploma. It would be wise to keep your Study Permit updated and apply for a renewal before the current has expired in case you believe it would be required.

For help with university applications, students seeking to study abroad can contact our Shiksha Study Abroad Counsellors. The comments section below allows candidates to contact us as well.