Canadian Study Permit Requirements

You, too, can enjoy the much-respected educational system that Canada has to offer. In order to obtain your study permit, you will need first to have to be accepted in a recognized Canadian institution. Aside from this, you will also need to demonstrate a number of other basic requirements.

In order to be eligible, as the applicant:

• 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 at the end of your authorized stay.

As you are also applying for temporary status in Canada, you will also need to demonstrate ties to your home country as you will need to satisfy an officer that you will leave Canada once your authorized stay is over.

Though you may have intentions of one day applying for another status like a postgraduate work permit or for PR-Canadian Experience Class, for example, you will still need to prove the temporary nature of your stay with the Study Permit application. Future intentions can be discussed during later applications should you consider other options to remain in Canada.

The processing time for a Study Permit can be extensive depending on the visa office you will be applying to. It is common practice to apply at least three months in advance to allow the visa office an appropriate amount of time to process the application in time for you to travel to Canada and begin your studies.

In some cases, it may be wise to apply for a Study Permit well in advance. You may wish to apply for a Study Permit even if you do not need one right away.

If you have a valid study permit, you can:

• work part-time on campus at the college or university at which you are registered as a full-time student
• apply to renew your Study Permit from within Canada if you decide to continue studying in Canada.