Do you need a visa?
A study permit is not a visa. Depending on your passport, you also need a visitor visa or an eTA (electronic travel authorization) to enter, issued with your first permit.
| Your passport | To enter |
|---|---|
| Canadian passport | No permit, no visa. A dual citizen flies with their Canadian passport: they cannot apply for an eTA.IRCC — eTA: Citizens from some visa-required countries |
| US citizen or US permanent resident | No visa, no eTA. You can apply for your study permit at the border when you arrive, as can residents of Greenland and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. A permanent resident travels with their green card and the passport of their country.IRCC — What you need to enter Canada; IRCC — Study permit: How to apply; IRCC — Study permit: Get the right documents |
| Visa-exempt passport (European Union, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, Japan, South Korea, United Arab Emirates…) | An eTA to board your flight, issued with your first study permit at no extra fee. It lasts 5 years, or until your passport expires: travel with the passport you applied with.IRCC — What you need to enter Canada; IRCC — Do I need an eTA or visa to study in Canada?; IRCC — Study permit: After you apply |
| Hong Kong, Israel, Romania, Taiwan, Vatican | An eTA only with the passport IRCC names: a Hong Kong SAR passport, a national Israeli passport, an electronic Romanian passport, an ordinary Taiwanese passport with the personal identification number, a Vatican passport. With any other passport of these places, you need a visa.IRCC — What you need to enter Canada |
| Visa-required passport that can use an eTA under conditions (17 countries, including Morocco, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, the Philippines and Thailand) | For a visit by air, an eTA is enough if you held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years or hold a valid US visa. To study, IRCC issues the visa or the eTA with your first permit at no extra fee.IRCC — eTA: Citizens from some visa-required countries; IRCC — Do I need an eTA or visa to study in Canada? |
| Every other passport (China, India, Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Colombia, Vietnam…), stateless people and refugees | A visitor visa, placed in your passport. It is issued automatically with your first study permit: no separate application, no extra fee.IRCC — What you need to enter Canada; IRCC — Do I need an eTA or visa to study in Canada?; IRCC — Study permit: After you apply |
- Visa or eTA with a first permit
- no extra fee
- IRCC — Do I need an eTA or visa to study in Canada?
- issued when your permit is approved, with no separate application
- Applied for alone, for a visit
- eTA CAD 7, visa CAD 100
- IRCC — Citizenship and immigration application fees: Fee list
- eTA validity
- 5 years
- IRCC — Study permit: After you apply
- or until your passport expires, whichever comes first
- By land or sea
- no eTA
- IRCC — What you need to enter Canada
- a valid passport is enough for visa-exempt passports; the others still need the visa
Temporary measures from 27 May 2026 to 27 November 2026: if the last country of residence on your application is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan or Uganda, your documents are suspended and your application is not finalized, even with a visa, permit or eTA already approved. Since 20 July 2026, no one can board a flight to Canada after being in the DRC within the past 21 days. An exemption is decided case by case.
Not verified
No official page read says whether IRCC issues an eTA or a visa to the 17 countries that can use an eTA under conditions, once the study permit is approved. The Ebola measures may be extended. Diplomatic passports and transit are not covered here.
The study permit
You apply online, generally before you come. A border services officer gives it to you when you arrive in Canada.
- Study permit
- CAD 150
- IRCC — Citizenship and immigration application fees: Fee list
- per person, extensions included
- Biometrics
- CAD 85
- IRCC — Study permit: How to apply
- per person, CAD 170 at most for a family applying together; from age 14 to 79, once every 10 years, within 30 days of IRCC’s letter
- Length
- your programme + 90 days
- IRCC — Study permit: While you study
- if you finish early, the permit stops being valid 90 days after your studies end
- Programme of 6 months or less
- no permit
- IRCC — Study permit: Who can study without a permit
- but without a study permit, you cannot work while you study
- Doctorate
- faster processing possible
- IRCC — Study permit: How to apply
- for you and the family coming with you
To get it, you are enrolled at a designated learning institution (DLI), you show enough money, you have no criminal record, you are in good health and you satisfy the officer that you will leave Canada when your permit ends. You may be asked for a medical exam, for example if you stay more than 6 months, and for a police certificate in some cases.
Source: IRCC — Study permit: Who can apply; IRCC — Study permit: Get the right documents
The refusal reasons IRCC lists: no valid letter of acceptance, not enough money shown, a failed medical exam, a stay whose main purpose is not study, doubt that you will leave when the permit ends.
Not verified
No official page read gives a number of weeks for processing: IRCC points to a tool that varies by country.
The province’s letter: PAL or TAL
Canada caps the number of study permits. The province confirms it has a space for you in an attestation letter (PAL, or TAL in a territory), which your school gives you.
| Your situation | PAL or TAL |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s, college | Required. In most cases, the school gives it to you once you have accepted its offer and paid part or all of your tuition. Send it with your permit application, not after.IRCC — Study permit: Get the right documents; IRCC — Provincial attestation letter or territorial attestation letter |
| Master’s or doctorate at a public school | No PAL since 1 January 2026. The official DLI list lets you find these programmes.IRCC — 2026 provincial and territorial allocations under the international student cap; IRCC — Designated learning institutions list |
| You move from a bachelor’s to a public master’s or doctorate | No new PAL.IRCC — Provincial attestation letter or territorial attestation letter |
| You change schools | A new PAL before your permit application, since 22 January 2025.IRCC — Provincial attestation letter or territorial attestation letter |
| In Quebec | The attestation letter of your CAQ serves as your PAL.IRCC — Provincial attestation letter or territorial attestation letter; Gouvernement du Québec — Présenter une demande de sélection temporaire pour étudier au Québec |
- Validity of a 2026 PAL
- until 31 December 2026
- IRCC — Provincial attestation letter or territorial attestation letter
- it must be valid on the day you apply for your permit, not on the day classes start; a PAL from a past year no longer works
- Study permits expected in 2026
- 408,000
- IRCC — 2026 provincial and territorial allocations under the international student cap
- extensions included
- Applications open under the cap
- 309,670
- IRCC — 2026 provincial and territorial allocations under the international student cap
- including 104,780 in Ontario, 93,069 in Quebec and 32,596 in British Columbia
Each province shares its spaces among its schools: your PAL depends on the school that admits you.
Source: IRCC — 2026 provincial and territorial allocations under the international student cap
Not verified
The 2027 spaces are on no official page read. A 2026 PAL only works for an application sent by 31 December 2026.
Studying in Quebec: the CAQ
For a programme of more than 6 months in Quebec, you need two authorizations: the Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ), issued by Quebec, then the study permit, issued by Canada.
The order: your letter of admission, then the CAQ, then the study permit, as soon as you receive the CAQ attestation letter.
Source: Gouvernement du Québec — Autorisations requises pour étudier au Québec
- CAQ fee
- CAD 135
- Gouvernement du Québec — Présenter une demande de sélection temporaire pour étudier au Québec
- adjusted every 1 January; credit card only, not refunded if refused
- Where
- online, with an Arrima account
- Gouvernement du Québec — Présenter une demande de sélection temporaire pour étudier au Québec
- payment within an hour of sending, documents within 15 days
- Decision
- 25 working days
- Gouvernement du Québec — Présenter une demande de sélection temporaire pour étudier au Québec
- for 80% of complete applications; the attestation letter arrives in your online file
- Cap
- per institution
- Gouvernement du Québec — Présenter une demande de sélection temporaire pour étudier au Québec
- from 17 December 2025 to 16 December 2027: once your institution’s cap is reached, you can no longer apply, unless exempt
| Your situation | What changes |
|---|---|
| You live in the United States, Greenland or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon | You can get your CAQ up to 6 weeks after you arrive.Gouvernement du Québec — Autorisations requises pour étudier au Québec |
| Programme of 6 months or less | No CAQ. If the full programme lasts more than 6 months, you need one.Gouvernement du Québec — Autorisations requises pour étudier au Québec |
| Programme fully online | No CAQ possible.Gouvernement du Québec — Autorisations requises pour étudier au Québec |
Your CAQ can be cancelled if you do not meet its obligations: study at the institution and level stated, full time, and keep health and hospital insurance for your whole stay.
Gouvernement du Québec — Conditions requises pour étudier au Québec
Not verified
The full list of exemptions from the cap and the ministry’s processing time by country are on no official page read.
The money to show
You show that you can pay, without working in Canada, your tuition, your living costs and the return trip, for you and the family coming with you. The amounts below cover living costs: tuition and travel come on top.
| You and your family | A year |
|---|---|
| On your own | CAD 23,448 outside Quebec; CAD 24,617 in QuebecIRCC — Study permit: Proof of financial support; Gouvernement du Québec — Coût du séjour d’études au Québec |
| Two people | CAD 29,192 outside Quebec; CAD 34,814 in QuebecIRCC — Study permit: Proof of financial support; Gouvernement du Québec — Coût du séjour d’études au Québec |
| Three people | CAD 35,888 outside Quebec; CAD 42,638 in QuebecIRCC — Study permit: Proof of financial support; Gouvernement du Québec — Coût du séjour d’études au Québec |
| Four people | CAD 43,572 outside Quebec; CAD 49,234 in QuebecIRCC — Study permit: Proof of financial support; Gouvernement du Québec — Coût du séjour d’études au Québec |
Outside Quebec, these amounts apply to applications sent on or after 1 September 2026. In Quebec, the immigration ministry (MIFI) sets its own for the CAQ, since 1 January 2026. For a programme longer than a year, you show the first year and explain how you will pay for the rest.
Source: IRCC — Study permit: Proof of financial support; Gouvernement du Québec — Coût du séjour d’études au Québec
Accepted proof includes: your bank statements for the past 6 months, a guaranteed investment certificate (GIC) from a Canadian bank, a Canadian bank account in your name, a student loan, a scholarship, proof that your tuition and housing are paid, or a letter from the person paying for you, with proof of your relationship.
For Quebec, if you live in Austria, the United States, France, Greenland, Hong Kong, Réunion, Monaco, Mexico or Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, you send your proof through Arrima. Otherwise, you give it to the visa office handling your permit.
Source: Gouvernement du Québec — Présenter une demande de sélection temporaire pour étudier au Québec
If your country controls foreign exchange, you also show that you will be allowed to take this money out for all your expenses.
Getting a place
It all starts with a letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution (DLI): a school its province allows to host international students.
Check that the school is on the official DLI list and note its number: you write it in your permit application.
- Letter of acceptance
- confirmed by your school
- IRCC — Study permit: Get the right documents
- IRCC asks it to confirm the letter; if it does not answer in time, your application is returned and your fee refunded
- Where to attach it
- in the space reserved for the letter
- IRCC — Letter of acceptance verification process for designated learning institutions
- only there, in the online application
- Changing schools after approval
- a new application
- IRCC — Study permit: Prepare for your arrival
- with a new letter of acceptance, and all the fees paid again
A school that fails its obligations can be suspended from hosting international students. If it loses its designation, you can study until your permit ends, but not extend it.
IRCC — Designated learning institutions list; IRCC — Study permit: While you study
Not verified
Admission requirements (language, grades, tests) are set by each school and are not covered here.
From admission to permit
- Get admitted to a DLIA letter of acceptance from a school on the official list.IRCC — Designated learning institutions list
- Get your PALFrom your school, usually after accepting the offer and paying part of the tuition; not for a public master’s or doctorate.IRCC — Study permit: Get the right documents
- In Quebec: apply for the CAQAs soon as you have your letter of admission; CAD 135, a decision within 25 working days for 80% of applications.Gouvernement du Québec — Présenter une demande de sélection temporaire pour étudier au Québec
- Apply for the study permit onlineWith your letter of acceptance, your PAL or CAQ and your proof of money; CAD 150 plus CAD 85 for biometrics.IRCC — Study permit: How to apply
- Give your fingerprints and photoWithin 30 days of IRCC’s letter.IRCC — Study permit: How to apply
- Wait for the decisionYou may be asked for an interview, a medical exam or a police certificate.IRCC — Study permit: After you apply
- Receive the letter of introductionIt is not your permit: keep it for the border. The visa or eTA is issued at the same time.IRCC — Study permit: After you apply
- TravelWith your passport, the letter of introduction, a copy of your letter of acceptance, your visa or eTA, your proof of money and, if you had one, your medical exam, still valid.IRCC — Study permit: Prepare for your arrival
- Get your permit on arrivalThe border services officer gives it to you at the port of entry.IRCC — Study permit: After you apply
Not verified
No official page read gives the total time from admission to arrival.
Tuition fees
No national fee: each university sets its own fees for international students. Here is what four universities publish for 2026-2027.
- Université Laval (Quebec), bachelor’s
- CAD 933.53 per credit
- Université Laval — Droits de scolarité, 1er cycle, étudiants de l’international, automne 2026 – hiver 2027
- that is CAD 14,116.48 for a 15-credit term, public transit included, before student association fees; group insurance of CAD 900 a year
- University of Waterloo (Ontario), arts
- CAD 27,010 per term
- University of Waterloo — Fee Schedule for International Undergraduate Students, Fall 2026
- at most, for the fall 2026 term; CAD 34,942 in co-op engineering, first term
- UBC (Vancouver), arts
- CAD 1,717.68 per credit
- UBC Academic Calendar — Undergraduate tuition fees
- CAD 2,222.61 in commerce; for a start in 2026-2027, increases capped at 3% a year for four years
- McGill University (Montreal), French and Belgian francophone citizens
- CAD 324.35 per credit
- McGill University — Undergraduate Tuition Rates Fall/Winter 2026-27
- for a bachelor’s, with a valid CAQ
| Your nationality | In Quebec |
|---|---|
| French or Belgian (francophone) | For a bachelor’s, the preferential rate of Canadians from outside Quebec (CAD 324.35 per credit at McGill). For a master’s or doctorate, the Quebec rate. At college, French students also pay the Quebec rate. CAQ and study permit required.Gouvernement du Québec — Exemption des droits de scolarité supplémentaires en vertu d’ententes internationales; McGill University — Undergraduate Tuition Rates Fall/Winter 2026-27 |
| About forty other countries | Agreements with a limited number of places: you apply through the person in charge in your country.Gouvernement du Québec — Exemption des droits de scolarité supplémentaires en vertu d’ententes internationales |
| Exemption “by programme and region” | No new exemptions from the fall 2026 term.Gouvernement du Québec — Exemption des droits de scolarité supplémentaires selon le programme et la région |
| 15-credit term | CAD 14,116.48 |
|---|---|
| Group health insurance, for the year | CAD 900 |
| CAQ | CAD 135 |
| Study permit | CAD 150 |
| Biometrics | CAD 85 |
| Before housing, student association fees and daily life | CAD 15,386.48 |
Laval bills term by term; the whole year’s insurance is on the first fall bill. French and Belgian francophone students pay a lower rate.
Source: Université Laval — Droits de scolarité, 1er cycle, étudiants de l’international, automne 2026 – hiver 2027; Gouvernement du Québec — Présenter une demande de sélection temporaire pour étudier au Québec; IRCC — Citizenship and immigration application fees: Fee list
Not verified
McGill’s international bachelor’s rate and the amounts of the universities of Ottawa and Toronto are on no official page read. Waterloo only publishes the fall 2026 term.
Health cover
Your health cover depends on your province, and in Quebec, on your country.
| Where you study | Cover |
|---|---|
| Ontario, at university | The UHIP plan is compulsory: CAD 948 for a September 2026 start, CAD 632 for January 2027, CAD 316 for May 2027; CAD 1,896 with one dependant. Tax included.UHIP — University Health Insurance Plan, rates September 2026 – August 2027 |
| British Columbia | The public plan (MSP) can cover you if your permit is valid for 6 months or more. It has no premiums, but it only starts after the rest of your arrival month plus 2 months: get private insurance before you leave.Province of British Columbia — Eligibility for MSP; Province of British Columbia — Coverage wait period for MSP; Province of British Columbia — MSP monthly rates (premiums) |
| Quebec, if you come from one of the 11 agreement countries (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Sweden) | Quebec’s public plan (RAMQ), at no cost. Ask your social security body for the certificate of coverage before you leave, then register with the RAMQ when you arrive. Usual waiting period: 3 months.RAMQ — Ententes de sécurité sociale avec d’autres pays; Gouvernement du Québec — Conditions requises pour étudier au Québec |
| Quebec, every other country | Private health and hospital insurance, compulsory for you and your family for the whole stay. Some institutions have a group plan (CAD 900 a year at Laval).Gouvernement du Québec — Conditions requises pour étudier au Québec; Université Laval — Droits de scolarité, 1er cycle, étudiants de l’international, automne 2026 – hiver 2027 |
Before British Columbia’s public plan starts, you pay the full cost of emergency care unless you have other insurance.
Not verified
The plans of Ontario colleges and the price of private insurance are on no official page read.
Working while you study
- Off campus, during classes
- 24 hours a week
- IRCC — Work off campus as an international student
- several jobs allowed within this limit
- During scheduled breaks
- no limit
- IRCC — Work off campus as an international student
- summer, winter or reading week set by your school
- On campus
- no limit
- IRCC — Work on campus as an international student
- for your school, a professor, a student association or a business on campus
- Permit still printing 20 hours
- 24 hours
- IRCC — Work off campus as an international student
- as long as the conditions are still met
The conditions: study full time at a DLI, have started your programme, a programme of at least 6 months leading to a degree, diploma or certificate, the work condition printed on your permit and a social insurance number (SIN).
Working more than 24 hours a week during classes breaks the conditions of your permit, and you can lose your student status. You cannot work before your studies start.
IRCC — Work off campus as an international student; IRCC — Study permit: Prepare for your arrival
A co-op placement needs a separate co-op work permit.
Not verified
The date of the change from 20 to 24 hours is on no official page read.
Coming with family
| Who | What applies |
|---|---|
| Spouse or common-law partner | An open work permit, since 21 January 2025, only if you study a master’s of 16 months or longer, a doctorate, a programme on IRCC’s list or one of these professional degrees: dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, nursing, education, engineering. With a general bachelor’s, your spouse does not qualify.IRCC — Help your spouse or common-law partner work in Canada |
| Minor child | A study permit to apply for before entering Canada, with no letter of acceptance if they come with you.IRCC — Studying in Canada as a minor |
| Child under 17 | They come with a parent or legal guardian, or have a custodian in Canada. The age of majority is 18 or 19, depending on the province.IRCC — Studying in Canada as a minor |
| Child in Quebec | No CAQ for a child in preschool, or for a child already in Quebec who must attend primary or secondary school.Gouvernement du Québec — Autorisations requises pour étudier au Québec |
- Your spouse’s permit
- the same length as your permit
- IRCC — Help your spouse or common-law partner work in Canada
- most of the time
Not verified
The total cost of the spouse’s work permit and public school fees for children are on no official page read.
After the degree: the PGWP
The post-graduation work permit (PGWP) lets you stay and work in Canada after your studies. You can only get it once.
- When to apply
- within 180 days
- IRCC — Post-graduation work permit: Who can apply
- of the confirmation that you completed your programme; your study permit must have been valid at some point in that period
- Programme
- at least 8 months
- IRCC — Post-graduation work permit: Who can apply
- 900 hours in Quebec; at an eligible DLI, full time every term, the last one can be part time
- Length
- up to 3 years
- IRCC — About the post-graduation work permit (PGWP)
- 3 years for any master’s of at least 8 months and for a programme of 2 years or more; otherwise the length of your programme; never beyond your passport
- Language
- level 7 for university, 5 for college
- IRCC — Post-graduation work permit: Who can apply
- CLB in English or NCLC in French, in all 4 skills
- Accepted tests
- CELPIP General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core, TEF Canada, TCF Canada
- IRCC — PGWP: How to find your language level based on your test results
Bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate: no field of study required. For other programmes and for college, if you applied for your study permit on or after 1 November 2024, your field must be on IRCC’s list.
No PGWP after a language-only programme (English or French), general interest courses or a programme taken more than 50% at a distance, or if you already had one. If your study permit expires before you apply, you have 90 days to apply for the PGWP and restore your status.
IRCC — Post-graduation work permit: Who can apply; IRCC — About the post-graduation work permit (PGWP); IRCC — Post-graduation work permit: How to apply
Not verified
The list of eligible fields of study is not reproduced here. Access to permanent residence is outside the scope of this guide.