Canada student visa- All about the application process
Canada student visa - With 14,000 study permits issued in 2013, Canada has witnessed a four-fold increase in the number of Indian students travelling to the country in the last four years. Also, the over 30,000 Indians currently studying in Canada cements the country’s position as one of the most popular destinations for Indian students studying abroad.
Do you know that as a student travelling to study in Canada, you require a special study permit issued by the Government of the country?
Here, we have decoded the Canada student visa application process through a series of questions and steps.
Read below to get a comprehensive understanding of the Canada student visa process and how to apply for a student visa:
Q: What do you need?
A: You need a study permit to pursue education in Canada.
Q: What is a study permit?
A: A study permit is the official document granted by the Government of Canada that gives you permission to study in Canada. It also gives you the right to remain in Canada for the duration of the permit – one to 4 years.
Q: When should you apply for student permit?
A: It can take up to 60 business days or 3 months to process a study permit application.
Q: What makes you eligible to apply for a study permit to Canada?
A: You need to fulfill some important criteria before applying for a study permit to Canada. Let us find out what makes you eligible:
Acceptance by a designated learning institution in Canada is mandatory.
You must prove that you have enough money to pay for your tuition fees, living expenses and return journey.
You should not have any criminal background
You should be willing to complete a medical examination, if necessary.
An assurance that you will leave Canada at the end of the study period is necessary.
The course duration should be more than 6 months. You need not apply for a study permit if the duration of your course is less than 6 months .
Q: How to get started with the application process?
A: First step: Designated learning institution
- The first step to take before applying for a study permit is to get your letter of acceptance from the designated learning institution in Canada.
Q: What is a designated learning institution?
A: Designated learning institutions (DLIs) are those educational institutions in Canada, which have been designated to receive international students. According to the Canadian government’s policy, every individual who wants to apply for a study permit has to get a letter of acceptance from his institute, which in his/her case would be a Designated learning institution.
One of the most important aspects of a letter of acceptance is the DLI number allotted to every designated institute that the applicant has to fill in the permit form.
CLICK HERE to find all the designated learning institutions in Canada and their DLI numbers.
Second step- Select application mode
There are two modes of applying for a study permit to Canada- Online and Offline.
A. Online: You can apply for the study permit online. Of course, you need to create electronic copies of your documents for uploading and have a valid credit card for payment.
Follow the steps below to apply online:
Determine your eligibility
You will be asked to determine your eligibility to study in Canada through a series of questions.
CLICK HERE to know if you are eligible to study in Canada
Arrange the documents listed on your personal document checklist
Q: What is a personal document checklist?
A: A personal document checklist is a list of forms and documents you need to complete and send with your application for a study permit. The checklist is based on the answers you give in an online questionnaire.
Get your personal checklist code
A personal checklist code is a unique code assigned to your personal document checklist. You need to enter this code to begin an online application for a study permit.
You can get your personal checklist code if you have completed the online immigration eligibility questionnaire.
Apply
Once you have your personal checklist code, you can apply online by opening MyCIC account.
You will be required to do the following things after you have opened the MyCIC account:
Enter your personal checklist code;
upload your application form(s);
upload the documents on your personal document checklist;
pay your fees; and
submit your application to CIC.
- You can apply online by using either Sign in Partner or GCkey
You can use the Sign in Partneronly if you use one of the financial partners mentioned.
However, if you do not use any of the partners mentioned you can apply through the GCkey
Q: What is a GCKey?
A: A GCKey consists of a username and password that allows you to access the Government of Canada’s online services.
B. Paper application: There are three major steps to follow if you are applying online.
Get your application package: You can get your application package from the Canadian Visa application Centre. The application package consists of the application forms and guide books to fill up the form.
You can also download your application package online: Click here to download the application package
In addition, Canadian government has set up biometric centres for applicants to give their fingerprints and photographs.
Get your documents ready
Q: What are the required supporting documents?
A: There are mainly four documents one needs to arrange:
- Proof of acceptance: You need to have a letter of acceptance from the university/institute you are going to join.
- Proof of identity: Identity includes a passport and passport size photographs of the applicant.
- Proof of financial support: You are required to prove your financial stability to the Canadian authorities. This may include bank statement, loan statements, proof of payment of tuition fee etc.
- Letter of explanation: You can apply for a student permit even if you do not want one right away. In that case, you have to include a letter in your application package that explains why you are applying.
- Payment of application fees
You are required to pay a fee for a study permit, which can be in the form of processing fee. However, the fee is not refunded even if your application is not accepted.
Currently, the fee for a study permit is $150.
In addition, you also need to pay your VAC services fee if you apply through a Visa Application Centre.
- Submit your application
The last step in the paper application process is to submit the form. Submit your application form at the visa office.
Third step: Track your application
After the authorities receive the application (online or offline), they generally take 3 weeks for the study permits to be processed in India.
After you have applied for the student permit, the visa office will review your application call for an interview.
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Questions related to Canada
i have 49.4% in 12th and 62% in graduation. Can i apply for post graduate diploma program in canada?
Dear Baldeep,
Thank you for your query. You can surely get admission for PG Diploma in Canada. But the University you will be getting may not be the most prestigious one. You also will have to get a score between 6.5 to 8.0 in IELTS. The living costs in Canada are cheaper than in other foreign countries ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 CAD.
All the best
Answer laterThe student got acceptance letter from the University of Canada now she has decided not to go there, She already paid the fees there, What is your resourse to her?
A lot of universities has the policies if you paid the fee for four years, In lot of cases they may not refund your fees, The students not to go to the university, They may not get the fee back. Having said that it depends on the reason why student is not going to attend the university if possible they may have the fee back. It’s worth having the conversation with the university because the universities in Canada, Australia, US are different in scenario, decision but in this time, no more situation & chances are unfortunately that fee will not be refundable so that is something keep in mind if fee is paid for three years or four years may not get refund. You may ask to have the conversation because it may be the options in policies.
Karl Anderson
(Assistant Director of International Student Recruitment, University of Arkansas)
lowest cost for MBA drgree in canada
Greetings, Aspirant!
MBA is a high profile degree and pursuing it is expensive. In countries like USA, the tution fees alone for MBA requires many students to take up education loans.
The situation in Canada is somewhat better when it comes to fee structures. However, the fee structure is still substantial.
Depending on the university you opt for, the fee structures may vary greatly from $30,000/- to $120,000/-
To learn more about the best MBA universities in Canada and their fee structures, click on the link below:-
Apart from the tutition fees, one also needs to consider the living cost. Depending on your place of accomodation, rent rates will differ greatly. If you live with roommates, you can split the rent, utilities and grocery bills.
Hope this information helped you
Best of luck!!
What is the qualification for a music teacher in Canada
Hii!
To be recruited as a music teacher in Canada, the person should have taken a training or done the specialisation in this field from University, or College or a private instructor. A university degree Is required for a classical musician, singer or even an orchestra artist. The talent and ability shown during the audition also plays a major role.
Hope this helps.
Good luck!
Im interested to do BBA in canada.Is it necessary to attempt GRE ?
Dear,
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a 4-year full time undergraduate course. To study in Canada, you must have qualified their secondary level education or equivalent to pursue this course.Basic Requirement is :IELTS- 6.5, TOEFL- 88, CAEL- 70 and PTE- 65In Canada, GRE is required for master's level admission, and some universities and programs may need a good score in the test too.
As you intend to study business, you don't require appearing for GRE exam.
Hope this helps!
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