Canada student visa documents checklist

At a glance

The checklist

• Valid passport with sufficient validity, plus any expired passports showing prior travel history
• Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from a Designated Learning Institution, showing the DLI number and program details
• Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter (PAL/TAL) — or a Quebec CAQ — or documented proof you qualify for a PAL/TAL exemption
• Proof of financial support: GIC certificate, four months of bank statements, sanctioned education loan letter from an Indian bank, proof of paid tuition/housing, or sponsor affidavit with their income and bank proof
• Form IMM 1294 — Application for Study Permit Made Outside Canada
• Form IMM 5707 — Family Information
• Document Checklist IMM 5483 (plus IMM 5476 Use of a Representative if a consultant is filing on your behalf)
• Digital photograph meeting IRCC's temporary resident visa photo specifications
• Academic records: Class X and XII marksheets, degree or provisional certificate and consolidated transcripts
• English language test result (IELTS, PTE, TOEFL or equivalent) where your DLI required one for admission — IRCC itself sets no language score for the study permit
• Upfront immigration medical exam confirmation / eMedical receipt from an IRCC panel physician
• Statement of purpose or letter of explanation setting out your study plan and ties to India (commonly requested through the personalised online checklist)
• IRCC fee payment receipt with barcode (CAN$150 + CAN$85)
• Police clearance certificate, if requested by the visa office
• Certified English or French translations plus the translator's affidavit for any document not already in English or French

The three rules that decide a document

1. Consistency. Your name, date of birth and parents' names must match across passport, certificates and bank papers. A single spelling difference needs an affidavit and weeks.
2. Translation and certification. Anything not in the accepted language usually needs a certified translation, and "certified" has a specific meaning that varies by country.
3. Currency. Bank statements, medicals and police clearances all expire. A document valid when you gathered it may not be when you submit.

Assembling the file

• Start with the documents you do not control — transcripts from an old university, police clearances, attestations.
• Scan everything at the required resolution before you need it.
• Keep originals together; several routes ask to see them at biometrics or interview.
• Make one list of what has an expiry and when, and check it the week you submit.

The most common avoidable refusal in every route is a document that was not asked for being missing — people read the list as exhaustive. It is a minimum; an officer may ask for anything that supports your case.