Study permit Canada

You always upload a letter of acceptance from your school with your online application. If you are headed to a college or university, the school has to confirm that letter to the government. If it does not confirm by the deadline, IRCC sends the application back and your processing fee is refunded.

Most students also need a provincial or territorial attestation letter, issued by the province or territory of their school. To get it, you usually need to accept the school's offer first and pay some or all of your tuition. Starting January 1, 2026, you do not need this letter if you are taking a master's or doctoral degree at a public school designated to accept international students.

When your school is in Quebec, the provincial attestation letter is not required. Instead you apply for a Quebec Acceptance Certificate issued by the Government of Quebec.

Gather these papers too:

• For you and each family member travelling with you: a copy of a valid passport and 2 recent passport-size photos
• Evidence that you can pay for your education
• A short letter explaining your reasons for studying in Canada, which is recommended but not required

A child under 17 travelling without a parent or legal guardian needs a custodian in Canada responsible for them.

IRCC charges $150 per person for a study permit, and extending one costs the same. In the government figures dated October 21, 2026, applications from India took around 8 weeks. Times from inside Canada and from other countries are on our study permit processing time page.

Biometrics are your fingerprints and a facial photo. You provide them for a first study permit and for an extension. US nationals are exempt.

One applicant pays $85. A family applying together has a combined maximum of $170.

Kids under 14 and applicants over 79 are not required to give biometrics. After you provide them, they remain valid for 10 years. A permit cannot be issued beyond 10 years after your most recent collection.

A medical exam is required when your stay will pass 6 months and, within the last year, you lived in or visited certain listed countries for 6 straight months or longer. You also need it if you will work in a setting where public health needs protection, like health care or child care, no matter how short the stay.

Your regular doctor cannot perform this exam. It has to be done by a panel physician, a doctor authorized by Canada for immigration medical exams. Results stay valid for 12 months.

Not everyone is interviewed. The officer reviewing your file decides whether one is needed. If an interview is required, you will receive a letter giving the date, time and location.

You need to prove funds for your first year of study. When your program runs longer, you must also say how you will fund the rest. The table lists living costs only, so tuition and travel must be shown on top of them.

For applications outside Quebec sent on or after September 1, 2026, use these amounts:

If there will be four or more people, including you, check the government's full table for the living expenses you need to cover.

For applications filed from January 1, 2025 through August 31, 2026, the single-person amount was $22,895. The figures are updated each September 1, using a low-income measure from Statistics Canada.

These figures do not apply in Quebec. For a Quebec Acceptance Certificate, you must reach the levels that Quebec's immigration ministry sets.

A guaranteed investment certificate, often called a GIC, from a Canadian financial institution is one accepted way to show proof of funds. The government page does not set a separate GIC amount.

If you rely on bank statements, they must span the past 6 months and make clear the source of the money.