Canada Student Visa

The Canadian Universities and the colleges in Canada are renowned for the standards of education the world over. There is a very rich variety of Canadian Universities and Canadian colleges offering courses in every stream. A prospective student needs a student visa to study in Canada, and it is also called Canada Student Visa.

Before you can apply for a Canada student visa you must have been accepted at a recognized school, university or college in Canada. In most cases, you must obtain a Canadian student visa also known as student visa for Canada if you want to study in Canada. To be eligible to study in Canada and student visa in Canada, you must fulfill the Canadian student visa requirement.

• You must have been accepted by a school, college, university or other educational institution in Canada.
• 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 complete a medical examination, if necessary.
• You must satisfy an immigration officer that you will leave Canada when you have completed your studies.

In some cases, you do not require a student visa to Canada to go to school in Canada.

• If you wish to study in a short-term course or program

You do not need a study permit if you plan to take a course or program in Canada that lasts six months or less. You must complete the course or program within the period authorized for your stay in Canada.

Even if you do not need a student visa from Canada, it is a good idea to apply for a permit before you come to Canada. If you decide that you want to continue your studies in another program after you complete your short-term course or program, you must apply through a Canadian visa office outside Canada for a study permit if you do not already have one.

• Foreign representatives to Canada

If you are a family member or staff member of a foreign representative to Canada accredited by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, you may not need a permit to study in Canada. You should contact your embassy in Canada. Your embassy can contact the Office of Protocol at Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada to find out whether you need a study permit.

• Members of foreign armed forces

If you are a member of a foreign armed force under the Visiting Forces Act, you do not need a permit to study in Canada. If your family members, including minor children, want to study in Canada, they must meet the requirements.

1. Check the application processing times in the Quick Find section on the right-hand side of this page. This will give you an idea of how long it will take to process your application.

2. Obtain and print the application kit.

You can download and print the Canada student visa application from Internet.

Depending on your citizenship or where you live, you may need a temporary resident visa as well as a study permit. If you are from one of the designated countries, a visa officer will process your application for a temporary resident visa at the same time. You do not need a separate application.

3. Determine where you will submit your application:
You must submit your application to the visa office that is responsible for the country or region where you live. You can find a list of visa offices in the Quick Find section on the right-hand side of this page.

4. Collect the documents you need to apply:
You can find a list of the documents you will need to apply for a study permit and information on fees and other local requirements on the website of the visa office serving your country or region.

5. If studying in Quebec, check the provincial guidelines:
This step only applies if you want to study in the province of Quebec. If you apply to study in Quebec, you need a certificate of acceptance or CAQ. You can find a link to the website of Quebec’s ministry overseeing provincial immigration in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page. Your school can also provide you with information about applying to study in Quebec. You must have received the certificate of acceptance before you apply for a study permit.

6. Complete your application for a study permit:

Fill in the forms carefully and completely:

• Type or print clearly, using black ink.
• Add appropriate characters for languages that do not use the Latin alphabet, such as Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic, Japanese, Hebrew, etc.
• Answer all questions carefully, completely and truthfully. Incomplete application packages will not be processed, but will be returned to you.

7. Pay the correct processing fee:
There is a fee to apply for a study permit. For information about current rates, go to Fees in the Quick Find section on the right-hand side of this page. In many countries, the processing fee can be paid in the local currency. You should check the website of the Canadian visa office serving the country or region where you live for additional information on fees, including how to pay them. The processing fee will not be refunded, even if your application is not accepted.

8. Check your application:
Make sure your Canadian student visa application is complete and that you include the necessary documents. Use the document checklist that is included in the application kit. Consult the website of the Canadian visa office serving the country or region where you live to determine if you need to fill out any additional forms or provide any additional documents.

9. Submit the application form:
Sign and date the application form, and be sure you include the receipt for the processing fee. Submit the application form to the Canadian visa office that serves the country or region where you live. You can find a list of visa offices in the Quick Find section on the right-hand side of this page.

If you are from the United States, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon or Greenland, you can apply at the point of entry when you arrive in Canada.

10. Supply additional information or documents.After the visa office receives your application, it might request more information or documents.

These may include the following:

• Medical information

In most cases, you will need a medical examination. A visa officer will send you instructions if you need a medical examination. This may add more than three months to the processing time of your application. You can find more information about medical examinations in the Quick Find section on the right-hand side of this page.

• Security information

If you want to study in Canada, you and any family members who come to Canada with you, and who are 18 years of age and over, may have to provide police certificates. You can find more information about the security checks that may be required in the Quick Find section on the right-hand side of this page.

Checking the status of your application: Processing times vary depending on the Canadian visa office where you submitted your application. You can check processing times in the Quick Find section on the right-hand side of this page.

The visa office will review your application to make sure you have completed it correctly and have included all the required documents. If your application is incomplete, it will not be processed—it will be returned to you. If your application is complete, the visa office will review it and decide if an interview is necessary. If so, the officer will inform you of the time and place.

Change of address: If you move or change your address, telephone number or any other contact information after you submit your application, you must notify the visa office where you submitted your application.

If your application is approved, you will receive the following:

• A letter of introduction will be sent to you confirming the approval. This letter is not your study permit. Bring the letter of introduction with you to show to immigration officials at the point of entry when you arrive in Canada.


• A temporary resident visa (TRV) will be issued if you are from a designated country for which Canada requires a visa. (You can find a list of designated countries in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.) The TRV will be in your passport. The expiry date on this visa indicates the date by which you must enter Canada. You must enter Canada before your TRV expires. The TRV will also indicate if you can enter Canada only once (a single-entry visa) or if you can enter Canada multiple times (a multiple-entry visa).

If your application is not approved, the visa office will send you a letter explaining why your application has been refused. An application might be refused for several reasons:

• You have not shown proof that you have enough money to support yourself while studying in Canada.
• You have not passed the medical examination if one was required.
• You have not satisfied the visa officer that your primary intention in Canada is to study.
• You have not satisfied the visa officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your period of study.

If you have questions about your refusal, contact the visa office that issued the refusal letter.