How to apply for a Canada student visa

At a glance

The process

1. Get a Letter of Acceptance from a DLI. Secure admission to a school on IRCC's Designated Learning Institution (DLI) list and obtain your Letter of Acceptance (LOA). Check the DLI number and, if you want to work after graduation, confirm the specific program is PGWP-eligible before you commit — PGWP eligibility now depends on your level and field of study. IRCC verifies every LOA directly with the institution through the IRCC Portal, and post-secondary DLIs must respond within 10 days, so a fake or altered LOA fails immediately.

2. Obtain the Provincial/Territorial Attestation Letter (PAL/TAL). Almost all college and undergraduate applicants need a PAL (or TAL, or a CAQ for Quebec) confirming you fall within that province's share of the national cap. Your DLI issues it on behalf of the province, and in most cases you must accept your offer and pay tuition in part or in full first. It must be issued in the year you apply (1 Jan–31 Dec 2026 for the 2026 cap) and be valid on the day you submit. Exemptions: from 1 January 2026, master's and doctoral students at public DLIs no longer need a PAL/TAL, and neither do K-12 students, exchange students paying no tuition to the DLI, Global Affairs Canada scholarship holders, and some extension applicants — if exempt, upload proof in the Client information field.

3. Arrange and document your proof of funds. Assemble evidence covering first-year tuition, first-year living costs (CAN$22,895 for a single applicant outside Quebec) and return transportation. Since SDS ended, a GIC is optional, not mandatory — you can use a GIC, four months of bank statements, an education loan sanction letter from an Indian bank, proof of paid tuition and housing, a bank draft, or a sponsor letter backed by their income and bank evidence. For programs over one year, also show how you will fund the remaining years. Because India uses foreign-exchange controls, be ready to show the funds can legally be remitted out of India.

4. Book an upfront immigration medical exam. Because India is a designated country and your stay exceeds 6 months, book an IRCC panel physician (available in major Indian cities) and complete the exam before you apply. Carry your passport, glasses/contacts, any medical reports and current medication list, and vaccination records if you have them. You pay the physician directly. Doing this upfront rather than waiting for IRCC to request it typically saves several weeks.

5. Create an IRCC account and submit the online application. Study permit applications must be filed online (paper is allowed only for applicants with a disability preventing online filing, or holders of certain non-national travel documents). Answer the eligibility questions to generate your personalised document checklist, then complete IMM 1294 (Application for Study Permit Made Outside Canada) and IMM 5707 (Family Information), and upload the LOA, PAL/TAL, funds evidence, passport bio-page, photo and supporting documents. Submit as complete an application as possible — IRCC may return an incomplete application without processing it.

6. Pay the fees. Pay CAN$150 study permit processing plus CAN$85 biometrics (CAN$170 maximum for a family of 2 or more applying together) by credit card, Debit MasterCard or Visa Debit, and print the IRCC receipt with barcode. Both fees should be paid at the same time and by the same method to avoid delays. Fees are not refunded if the application is refused.

7. Give biometrics at a Visa Application Centre. IRCC emails a Biometric Instruction Letter after submission. Book an appointment at a VAC in India and attend within 30 days of the date on the letter to give fingerprints and a photo. Skip this and the application can be refused for non-compliance. Biometrics stay valid for 10 years.

8. Decision, Port of Entry letter and arrival. IRCC's published time for India is 5 weeks. If approved you receive a Port of Entry Letter of Introduction (this is NOT your study permit) plus a temporary resident visa in your passport. Carry the letter, passport with TRV, LOA, PAL/TAL and proof of funds and present them to a Canada Border Services Agency officer, who issues the actual study permit at the airport. Check the printed conditions — especially the off-campus work condition — before leaving the counter, then apply for a SIN in Canada if you plan to work.

Where the dependencies bite

• The offer comes before almost everything. Most routes cannot begin without an unconditional place.
• Financial evidence has a holding period, which starts before the application and cannot be compressed.
• A loan sanction letter, where you are using one, sits between the offer and the application.
• Biometrics and medicals are appointment-based, and appointment availability is the hidden constraint in peak season.

Before you submit

1. Read your own application back as an officer would, looking for anything unexplained.
2. Check every date and figure against the supporting document it comes from.
3. Confirm the fee and the route are the current ones on the official source below.
4. Keep a complete copy of everything you submitted, in the order you submitted it.

A refusal is far more expensive than a delay: it must be disclosed on future applications to several countries, and it is harder to explain than a late submission. If something is not ready, the cost of waiting a week is usually lower than it feels.