Canada student visa — step by step

Study permit (issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada). The study permit is not a visa — if approved, IRCC also issues a temporary resident visa (visitor visa) or eTA in the same decision so you can travel to Canada. Indian passport holders receive a TRV stamped in the passport.

Two IRCC fees, both in Canadian dollars: study permit processing fee CAN$150 per person, and biometrics CAN$85 per person (maximum CAN$170 for a family of 2 or more applying together). Total for a single Indian applicant: CAN$235. There is NO separate visitor visa (TRV) fee — the visa is issued with the approved study permit at no extra cost. IRCC does not publish a fee for the immigration medical exam; you pay the panel physician directly at their own rates, and those fees are not refunded if the application is refused. Fees are subject to change and are non-refundable regardless of the decision.

IRCC's published processing time for a study permit applied for from OUTSIDE Canada by an applicant in India is 5 weeks (IRCC processing-times tool, "Study permit outside Canada — India", last updated 12 August 2026; the tool is refreshed weekly). IRCC states these times are an estimate, not a maximum or a guarantee, and the clock only starts once a complete application has been submitted — missing documents cause delays. Time spent booking and giving biometrics, and any medical exam, is in addition. Quebec-bound students should also allow separate time for the Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) from the province before applying to IRCC.

For applications submitted on or after 1 September 2025, for study OUTSIDE Quebec, you must show living-expense funds for the first year of CAN$22,895 for a single applicant. With accompanying family members: 2 people CAN$28,502; 3 people CAN$35,040; 4 people CAN$42,543; 5 people CAN$48,252; 6 people CAN$54,420; 7 people CAN$60,589; each additional person beyond 7 adds CAN$6,170. These amounts EXCLUDE tuition and transportation — on top of them you must also show first-year tuition and return transportation for yourself and any accompanying family. For programs longer than one year you must also explain how you will fund the full duration. IRCC updates these amounts annually, so re-check before applying. IMPORTANT CHANGE FOR INDIAN STUDENTS: there is no longer a mandatory GIC. The Student Direct Stream (SDS), which required a CAN$20,635 GIC and an English test score, ended at 2:00 p.m. ET on 8 November 2024; all Indian applicants are now processed under the regular study permit stream. A GIC from a participating Canadian financial institution is still an accepted proof of funds, but so are 4 months of bank statements, a sanctioned education loan from a bank, proof of paid tuition and housing, a bank draft convertible to CAD, or a sponsor's letter supported by other evidence. Quebec applicants must instead meet the financial thresholds set by the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration for the CAQ.

Off campus: up to 24 hours per week during regular school terms or semesters (you may hold more than one job to make up those hours), and unlimited hours during breaks scheduled by your DLI such as summer/winter holidays and reading week. If your existing permit still says "20 hours per week", IRCC confirms you may work up to 24 hours as long as you remain eligible. On campus: no limit on hours, during terms or breaks. Conditions: you cannot work at all before your study program begins; you must be a full-time student at a DLI in a post-secondary academic, vocational or professional program of at least 6 months leading to a degree, diploma or certificate; your study permit must carry a printed work condition; and you need a Social Insurance Number. Students only in ESL/FSL, general-interest or pre-admission prerequisite courses cannot work off campus. Remote work for an employer outside Canada does not count toward the 24-hour limit. Co-op/internship placements need a separate co-op work permit. Spouses/common-law partners get an open work permit only if you are in a master's program of 16 months or longer, a doctoral program, an eligible program, or a listed professional degree (MD, JD/LLB, DDS/DMD, DVM, PharmD, OD, BScN/BSN/BNSc/BN, BEd, BEng/BE/BASc) — a rule in force since 21 January 2025 that removed eligibility for most college and bachelor's students.

There is no routine visa interview for a Canadian study permit — unlike the US F-1, most Indian applicants are never called in. IRCC states only that after you apply "we may also ask you to go to an interview with our officials in your country or send us more information". What IS mandatory for Indian citizens is biometrics: fingerprints and a digital photo, fee CAN$85, given in person at a Visa Application Centre after IRCC emails you a Biometric Instruction Letter (BIL). You have up to 30 days from the date on the BIL to attend; IRCC advises booking as soon as possible because delays here delay the whole application. Biometrics remain valid for 10 years, so if you gave them for any Canadian visa or permit in the last 10 years they are attached automatically and you do not repeat them — though IRCC cannot issue a permit that runs past your biometrics expiry, so long programs may warrant giving them again. A medical exam is also effectively mandatory for Indian students: India is on IRCC's list of designated countries (visa office New Delhi), so anyone coming for more than 6 months who has lived in India for 6+ consecutive months in the year before travel needs an immigration medical exam by an IRCC panel physician — your own doctor cannot do it. IRCC recommends getting an upfront medical exam before you apply. A police certificate may also be requested.