Studying in Canada: Study permits—Documents needed

to apply for a study permit

You need the following documents to apply for a study permit:

1. Proof of acceptance
2. Proof of identity
3. Proof of financial support
4. Letter of explanation

In addition to these documents, you may have to provide other information when you apply
for a study permit. Check the website of the visa office responsible for your country or
region for local requirements. You can find a list of visa offices in the I Need To… section on
the right-hand side of this page.

If you are not a citizen of the country where you submit your application, you may have to
provide proof of your present immigration status in the country where you apply.

If the government that issued your passport or travel document requires a re-entry permit,
you must obtain one before you apply for a Canadian visa. Other documents may also be
required.

1. Proof of acceptance

If you plan to attend any school (primary or secondary), college, university or other
educational institution in Canada, the school must complete and send you a letter of
acceptance. You must include the original letter with your study permit application. You can
find a standard letter of acceptance in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.

2. Proof of identity

You must provide:

 A valid passport or travel document for you and each accompanying family member.
The passport or travel document must allow you to return to the country that issued
it. Citizens and permanent residents of the United States, St. Pierre and Miquelon,
and Greenland do not need a passport, but do need proof of status and citizenship,
such as a national identity card or an alien registration card.
 Two recent passport-size photos of you and each accompanying family member. The
name and date of birth of the person should be written on the back of each photo.
You can find information on photo specifications in the Related Links section at the
bottom of this page.

3. Proof of financial support

You must prove that you can support yourself and the family members who accompany you
while you are in Canada. You can prove that you have sufficient funds to support yourself in
Canada by showing some of the following:
  proof of a Canadian bank account in your name if money has been transferred to
Canada;
 your bank statements for the past four months;
 a bank draft in convertible currency;
 proof of payment of tuition and accommodation fees;
 a letter from the person or institution providing you with money; and
 proof of funding paid from within Canada if you have a scholarship or are in a
Canadian-funded educational program.

The following table shows the minimum amounts that you will need.

Number of All provinces Quebec

persons except Quebec

Single Tuition plus $10,000 Tuition plus

student for a 12-month $11,000 for a 12-
period (or $833 per month period (or
month) $917 per month)

+ one family $4,000 for a 12- $5,100 more for a

member month period (or person 18 years of
$333 per month) age or older for a
12-month period (or
$425 per month)

$3,800 more for a

person under
18 years of age for
a 12-month period
(or $317 per
month)
+ each $3,000 for a 12- $5,125 more for a
additional month period per person 18 years of
family dependent child of age or older for a
member any age (or $255 12-month period (or
per month) $427 per month)

$1,903 more for a

person under
18 years of age for
a 12-month period
(or $159 per
month)

If there are foreign-exchange control measures in your country, you must provide proof that
the exchange control authorities will allow you to export funds for all of your expenses.

4. Letter of explanation
In some cases, you may wish to apply for a study permit even if you do not need one right
away. There are benefits to having a study permit, even if you do not require one. 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; and
 apply to renew your study permit from within Canada, if you decide to continue
studying in 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.

If you are applying for a study permit even though you do not need one, you should include
a letter that explains why you are applying. The letter will inform the visa officer that you
understand your options. For example, the letter might say:

“Dear Visa Officer,

I would like a study permit for my eight-week English course because I would like to apply
to a Canadian-university program after I finish the English course.”

Related Links

Some of the documents are available to you in Portable Document Format (PDF). This is a
universal file format that allows you to read, print or download an online document while
maintaining the fonts, graphics and general layout of that document. To view
a PDFdocument, you must have a PDF reader installed. If you do not already have such a
reader, there are numerousPDF readers available for free download or for purchase on the
Internet.

 Letter of Acceptance [PDF format, 540 KB]

 Visa Application Photograph Specifications