Canada Study Permit Requirements
To study in Canada for more than 6 months, you need a study permit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Canada's immigration office. It is the paper that lets you study in Canada. The border officer gives it to you at the airport.
Who Can Get a Canada Study Permit
You can get a study permit if a designated learning institution (DLI) accepts you and you meet IRCC's money, health and security rules.
- A letter of acceptance from a DLI.
- A PAL/TAL in most cases, or a CAQ for Quebec.
- A program of at least 6 months that leads to a degree, diploma or certificate, if you want to work off campus.
- Your first year of tuition.
- Living costs: CAD 23,448 for one person, for study outside Quebec, if you apply on or after 1 September 2026.
- Return travel for you and any family who come with you.
- For programs longer than a year, a plan for how you will pay for the rest.
You need an immigration medical exam if you will stay more than 6 months. It applies if you lived in or travelled to a listed country for 6 months or more in a row in the year before you come.
India and Pakistan are on IRCC's list.
Only a panel physician (a doctor IRCC approves) can do the exam. Your own doctor cannot.
The exam result is valid for 12 months and must be valid on the day you enter Canada.
Non-Immigrant Intent
- You must convince the officer that you will leave Canada when your study permit ends.
Immigration Status
- If you do not live in the country that gave you your passport, show your right to live in the country where you live.
Special Cases
- Master's or PhD at a public DLI: no PAL/TAL needed since 1 January 2026.
- Quebec: get a CAQ before you apply for the study permit.
- Children under 17 who come without a parent need an adult in Canada who takes care of them (a custodian).
Documents for a Canada Study Permit
IRCC has one main list of papers for everyone. Your visa office adds its own papers. India: use the New Delhi checklist. Pakistan: use the Islamabad checklist.
Keep your papers in the same order as your visa office checklist.
Check that your name and birth date match on every paper.
Send as many papers as you can with the application. IRCC will not decide on your application until you send all the papers.
- Two passport size photos.
- On paper files, write the person's name and birth date on the back of each photo.
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Letter of acceptance | From your designated learning institution (DLI). Your school must tell IRCC that the letter is real. Upload it in the box for the letter of acceptance, and nowhere else. | Required |
| PAL/TAL (most students) | A letter from the province or territory (a region of Canada) that says it has a place for you. Your school helps you get it. Not needed for a master's or PhD at a public DLI since 1 January 2026. | Required |
| Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ), Quebec only | Only if you study in Quebec. You need it instead of a PAL/TAL. | Required |
| Past mark sheets and certificates | India: the New Delhi visa office wants mark sheets for the whole program. One combined mark sheet is not accepted. | Required |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Passport | Upload the information page. Pakistan: the passport must be valid for at least 6 months from your travel date. | Required |
| Old passports | You can add old passports to show your travel history. | Optional |
| National identity card | Pakistan: the Islamabad visa office asks for a copy of your national identity card. | Optional |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Proof of funds | Money for your first year of tuition, living costs and return travel. You must not count on a Canadian job. | Required |
| Bank statements | IRCC: the past 6 months. Pakistan: the Islamabad visa office asks for the past 12 months. | Required |
| Income tax returns | India: for you and your parents, for the past 2 years. | Required |
| Letter from your sponsor | India: from each person who pays. It gives how they pay, how they are related to you, their job and contact details. | Required |
| Tuition receipt or scholarship letter | Shows money already paid or awarded. | Optional |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Immigration medical exam | Needed if the medical rule applies to you. See the Health part of Who Can Apply. | Required |
| Police certificate | IRCC may ask for one. Pakistan: you need one from each country where you lived for 6 months or more in a row since you turned 18. | Optional |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Letter of explanation | Recommended. Explain why you want to study in Canada and that you know your duties as a student. | Optional |
| Family information form | Pakistan: the Islamabad visa office asks for the Family Information form (IMM 5645). | Optional |
| Study permit questionnaire | India: part of the New Delhi checklist. Name any education agent who helped you, and list your study and work since age 18. | Optional |
Important Document Guidelines
Which Canada Permit Do You Need?
You need a study permit to study. Students from India and Pakistan also need a visitor visa to enter. Students going to Quebec need a CAQ first.
Key Features
Lets you study at a designated learning institution (DLI) in Canada.
Fee: CAD 150 (Canadian dollars). Biometrics cost CAD 85 more.
You apply online, before you travel.
If your study permit says you may work: up to 24 hours a week off campus (a job outside your school) while classes run.
Eligibility Requirements
- You are enrolled at a DLI and have its letter of acceptance.
- You can pay your tuition, living costs and return travel without working in Canada.
- You have no criminal record, and you get a police certificate if asked.
- You are in good health, and you get a medical exam if asked.
- You can show an officer that you will leave Canada when your permit ends.
Restrictions
- You must stay enrolled and keep making progress in your program.
- You cannot start work until your program starts.
- To change to a different college or university, you must apply to extend your study permit.
| Point | Study permit | Visitor visa | CAQ (Quebec only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who gives it | IRCC | IRCC | Quebec government |
| What it does | Lets you study | Lets you enter Canada | You need it before you can apply for a study permit in Quebec |
| Fee | CAD 150 | Comes with the study permit | CAD 135 |
| When you get it | At the airport, on arrival | In your passport, after IRCC approves your study permit and before you fly | Before the study permit |
Almost every student from India or Pakistan needs both. Add the CAQ only if your school is in Quebec.
Show That You Come to Study
An officer must believe that you come mainly to study and that you will leave Canada at the end. Your papers and letter should tell one clear, honest story.
- Say why you want to study in Canada.
- Show that you understand your duties as an international student.
- Explain any gaps in your studies or work.
- Show money for the first year of study.
- For programs longer than a year, say how you will pay for the rest.
- If a large amount of money came into your bank account just before you apply, explain where it came from.
- Family, a job, a home or money in your home country can show that you will go back.
- Pakistan: the Islamabad visa office asks for papers that show your ties to Pakistan.
The visa office may ask you to come for an interview.
Know your program, your school and your money plan well.
Give the same facts you gave in your forms.
Common Red Flags to Avoid
Study history
Mark sheets and certificates for your past studies
Letters from your job that explain any gaps (only for students in Pakistan)
Money
Bank statements
Income tax returns for you and your parents for the past 2 years (only for students in India)
Letter from the person who pays, with their job and how they are related to you
Key to Success
Be honest. False statements or fake papers lead to refusal. You can also be banned from Canada for 5 years.
Useful Links and Common Questions
Links to the official Canada study permit pages, and answers to the questions students ask most.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Your Visa Office Checklist
Biometrics and Visa Centres
Get your letter of acceptance from a DLI. Get your PAL/TAL from the school too, if you need one.
Get your medical exam from an approved doctor (a panel physician) before you apply.
Apply online and pay the permit fee and the biometrics fee.
Give your fingerprints and photo at a visa centre. Do it within 30 days after IRCC sends you a letter asking for them.
Fly to Canada with the approval letter from IRCC. The border officer at the airport gives you your study permit.
Need More Help?
Rules can change. Before you apply, check the IRCC study permit pages and the checklist from your visa office.
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