Student visa for Canada

What is a Study Permit for Canada?
A study permit is a legal document provided by the Canadian immigration authorities that work as authorization for foreign students to study in Universities or polytechnic colleges in Canada. International students can not study in Canada without getting a valid study permit. Apart from this, students who get a study permit are allowed to enrol just in Designated Learning Institutions. The study permit is usually valid for the length of your study, plus 3 or 4 months extra for any kind of preparation to leave Canada or apply to extend your stay in Canada.

Getting the Study Permit for Canada
You are required to bring the Letter of Introduction together with all the defined files to Canada. At the airport, you would meet with an Immigration Officer. Present the Passport and the Letter of Introduction to the border control agency officer who would then verify the same and if discovered sufficient, issue you your Study Permit.

Please also check:
SDS Canada (Student Direct Stream) program for Study Permit

Eligibility requirements for Canada Student Visa – General stream
You can make an application for a Canada Study visa if you satisfy the following criteria:

• You have been accepted by a designated learning institute (DLI)
• You have to pay your 1st-year tuition fee of approximately 15,500 to 22,000 CAD$/year. (It’s not compulsory to pay 1st-year fees, instead, you can just pay 6 months’ fees but by paying the first-year fees visa surety gets high)
• You have to show that you have sufficient funds (10,000 CAD$ )to cover your living expenses in Canada and to do so, you need to open a GIC ( Guaranteed Investment Certificate ) account either from Scotia or ICICI bank.
• Also, you have to show next year tuition fee in terms of saving statement, Fixed deposit or Bank loan, (It’s not compulsory but due to this visa surety gets high)
• You are required to prove that you have no criminal record and a clean background. The aspirants need to produce a police certificate to show this.
• You need to do a health checkup and produce a medical certificate that certifies that you remain in health.
• At the time of the visa interview, you are required to satisfy the visa officer that you will leave Canada once you complete your studies.

You should make an application for a student visa after you get the college acceptance letter. If intending at the September intake, you need to start with the visa process around May and for January intake you need to start the visa process around October. The following are the papers needed to make an application for a Canada Student Visa.

1. Evidence of Acceptance by a Canadian Designated Learning Institution (DLI)
You would require the acceptance letter from the university/institute you are planning to participate in. In case you are applying for Quebec, you would likewise require a CAQ which you would be appropriately notified of.

2. Canada student visa financial requirement
At the time of application for your Study Permit, you would have to present proof of funds. Based on the present standards, you would have to show that you would have enough funds to pay our tuition fees as well as take care of living costs. The Canadian Immigration deems a student would need a minimum of CAD 10,000 for every year of your stay. Apart from the above 2, the student would also have to prove that he/she has sufficient funds for a return fair also.

Please Keep in mind:
While filling the application form, you would need to present the proof of fees paid along with the specified cost of living @ CAD 10,000. , if you are applying for Quebec you require at least CAD 11,000 for every year of your stay.

• evidence of a Canadian bank account in your name, if you’ve transferred cash to Canada
• Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) from an approved Canadian financial institution
• proof of a student or education loan from a bank
• your bank statements for the past 4 months
• a bank draft that can be converted to Canadian dollars
• proof you paid tuition and housing charges
• a letter from the individual or school offering you money or proof of funding paid from within Canada, if you have a scholarship or remain in a Canadian-funded educational program

3. Valid Passport
You would require a Valid Passport to be able to make an application for a Study Permit. Since the Canadian High Commission, you must have a passport whose credibility covers the intended remain in Canada. If you plan to take a trip to Canada in September 2019 for a two-year course, your passport should be legitimate up until at least September 2021.

4. English Language Proficiency Exam Score.
Though not mandatory for the General stream to have at the time of application, we highly advise that you have appeared for and get your English Language Proficiency Score before you start your Visa Application Process. As it is, you would have needed to send your English language efficiency score to confirm your admission to the Canadian University. TOEFL, IELTS, PTE and so on are all appropriate.

5. Passport Size Photographs
If you have chosen an offline application, you would require two passport-sized photographs that comply with the offered standards. For online application, you need to acquire a digital copy of the photograph which need not be more than 4MB. Other requirements are basic about neutral facial expression, plain background along with no headgear (unless for spiritual purposes). Keep in mind:

The size of the image needs to be at least 35 mm x 45 mm
The image should be recent (not older than 6 months).

6. Immigration Medical Examination (IME).
Canadian Immigration requires international students from India to undergo a compulsory Immigration Medical Examination from impanelled doctors. Students would have to schedule an appointment and go to the noted doctors for a medical exam, ideally a week before they start their Visa Application. This is to give the physician enough time to validate and upload the necessary files. Reserving an appointment beforehand with the closest facility/ practitioner based on the list of impanelled doctors is recommended.

The panel doctor will carry out a complete medical exam and may refer you for chest x-rays and lab tests. When your test has been completed, the physician will send out the results to CIC. The validity of the medical examination is 1 year.

7. Declaration of Purpose / Statement of Purpose for Canada
When applying for a Canadian Study Permit, you would be required to submit an essay stating the function of your journey to Canada and why you have chosen the particular institution. This would be triggered as an optional file in the checklist however we highly advise that you submit the same.This letter helps the visa officer to understand you and your objectives.

8. Credit Card.
In case you are making an online application, you would also require a credit card to pay the application fee. The Visa Application Fee for Canada is CAD$ 150 and for Biometric is 75 CAD$. So you have to pay a total of 235 CAD$ at the time of visa submission.

9. Certificat d’acceptation du Québec
If you want to study in Quebec, you need a certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ) issued by the Gouvernement du Québec. Your school can give you all the information on how to make an application for the CAQ.

If your application for a CAQ got authorized by the ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI), but you’re still waiting to get the CAQ, you can make an application for your study permit with the approval letter from the MIFI. You don’t require to wait for the CAQ to apply.

Apart from the above, if applying online, you would need access to a digital scanner. If you are using offline, you need to have real copies of all the above-mentioned files. It is essential to note that while applying online, you would be required to download a few documents, fill them, print them, sign them, and then upload them.

During the individual interview, additional documents might be asked for by the interviewer. These might be documents to show evidence of scholastic or monetary status. These may consist of:

• Transcripts, diplomas, degrees, or certificates from schools you attended.
• Ratings from tests, such as the TOEFL, SAT, GRE, or GMAT, PTE.
• Your intent to depart from Canada upon conclusion of the core curriculum.
• How you will pay all instructional, living and travel expenses.

While studying in Canada you need to:

• make progress towards completing your program
• regard any conditions noted on your study permit
• If you no longer meet the requirements and, stop studying
• leave Canada when your permit ends

• if you’re permitted to work in Canada
• if you’re permitted to travel within Canada
• the date you need to stop studying