So you have decided to study in Canada, and now you want to apply for a student visa to Canada. This article contains a guide to help you prepare for the task ahead. You are required to provide certain documents and meet certain requirements to allow you to obtain a student visa. Thousands of students are constantly applying to study in Canada thus increasing the competition for students applying for a student visa to study at different universities. You can follow the step-by-step guide below to obtain your own Canadian student visa
What documents do you need?
While applying for your student visa, you will be required to provide supporting documents which includes an acceptance letter from a designated learning institution (DLI) in Canada, proof of financial capability, and proof of sufficient funds to show that you are able to take care of yourself at least for the first year in the country.
List of documents you will need Provide
- You will need to provide proof of acceptance from a DLI school
- Proof of Identity
- You will also be required to provide proof of financial support like a bank statement or a financial statement from a sponsor, parent, or guardian, Proof of paid housing or tuition fees, or proof of funding provided through scholarship or any Canadian-funded educational program.
- If you are applying to study in Quebec, you will need to provide a Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ)
- If you are a minor i.e. you are below 18 years, then you will need to provide a custodian declaration;
- You will also have to provide a letter of explanation that would help the visa officer to understand you and your goals.
Requirements that you should adhere to while studying in Canada
After your study permit is issued to you and then you begin your studies in Canada, you will have to meet certain requirements to ensure you still maintain your status as a student. As a student, you must :
- Remain enrolled at the School where you got admitted and where you got accepted. This means you should be enrolled at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) always.
- Ensure you make positive progress to complete your program
- Respect at all times the conditions listed on the study permit issued to you.
- Stop your studies if the conditions are no longer met.
- Leave the country once your visa expires
How to Apply to Obtain a Canadian Study Permit
The first thing to do is to check if you actually meet the requirement to become a student in Canada. You need to check eligibility and ensure you have all the documents that are been requested duly signed and authentic.
If you meet the requirements, then you can proceed to obtain your study permit application form. You will be able to access the study permit application on the IRCC official page, but then, the immigration officers still reserve the right to reject or refuse your study permit application if it is discovered that you do not meet the requirements.
So, you are done with filling the application form and now it’s time to submit the application. For the process, you can submit your application either online by submitting the scanned or electronic copies of the documents on the website. You can also submit a paper-based application at the Visa Application Centre (VAC) in your country.
Now you will have to wait for your application to be processed and if approved, you should be on your way to begin your studies in Canada. You should know that you won’t receive your study permit document until you are at the Canadian Port of Entry (POE). What you’d receive after your application is approved is a Port of Entry Introduction Letter from the Canadian Government. This letter will be requested by the immigration officer in other to confirm your entry and to issue your study permit.
Although the student visa or study permit document is very important to become a valid student in the country, not everyone needs a visa to begin their studies in Canada. Students who are from countries that do not require a student visa to move to Canada will need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to travel to Canada.
