How to get a Canadian student visa, step by step
Do you want to study in Canada, and need to know what the application actually demands before you spend a naira on it?
Five things: an acceptance letter from a designated learning institution, a provincial or territorial attestation letter, proof of $22,895 in living funds on top of tuition and travel, biometrics, and the $150 fee. Two of those did not exist in 2024, and applications missing the attestation letter are returned without being read.
Here’s the current process, what it costs, and why applications get refused.
What do you need for a Canadian student visa?
Canada issues a study permit, not a student visa, and you need to clear five separate gates to get one. Miss any of them and the application fails, usually without a refund of the processing fee.
| Requirement | What it means in practice | New since 2023? |
|---|---|---|
| Letter of acceptance from a DLI | On official letterhead, showing exact tuition, start and finish dates, and your registration deadline | No |
| Provincial or territorial attestation letter | Issued through your school, signed by the province, confirming you hold a space in its allocation | Yes, from January 2024 |
| Proof of financial support | $22,895 for living costs, plus first-year tuition, plus travel | Yes, the figure more than doubled |
| Biometrics | $85, given in person within 30 days of your instruction letter | No |
| Medical exam, if required | At your own cost. Doing it upfront speeds up routine cases | No |
What is a provincial attestation letter, and do you need one?
A provincial attestation letter, or PAL, is a document from the province confirming you hold one of its allocated study permit spaces. Most applicants need one. IRCC returns applications that should have a PAL without processing them. It exists because Canada capped the number of study permit applications it will accept.
You don’t apply for it yourself. Your school requests it. In most cases you have to accept your offer and pay tuition first, in part or in full, before the school will start that request. The letter is signed by the province and shows your name, date of birth, and current residential address.
There’s one exemption worth knowing. Since January 1, 2026, master’s and doctoral students at a public designated learning institution no longer need a PAL or TAL. So if you’re choosing between a taught master’s at a public university and a college diploma, that difference is worth real money and months of waiting.
The 2026 cap, in numbers
For 2026 Canada has made 309,670 study permit application spaces available under the cap. It expects to issue up to 180,000 permits to applicants who need a PAL or TAL. Total study permits are capped at around 408,000, made up of 155,000 for newly arriving students and 253,000 extensions for students already there.
Spaces exceed permits because the allocation assumes a share of applications will be refused. Provinces distribute their spaces by population and historic approval rate. So the province you apply to affects your odds before an officer reads a word of your file.
Apply early in the intake year. Spaces are finite and they run down.
How much money do you need to show?
A single applicant outside Quebec must show $22,895 for living expenses for the first year. That’s separate from tuition and travel. The figure applies to applications submitted on or after September 1, 2025. It sat at $10,000 for roughly two decades, went to $20,635 in January 2024, then to $22,895.
| People coming with you | Living funds to show (outside Quebec) |
|---|---|
| Just you | $22,895 |
| You plus one family member | $28,502 |
| You plus two family members | $35,040 |
How you prove it now matters as much as the amount. IRCC updated its instructions to officers on July 24, 2026. Officers must assess the source of your funds in every case. The guidance now points to six months of bank statements rather than four, including the month you apply or the one before. Pension and rental income were added as acceptable documentation.
A large deposit that lands a week before you apply is the classic refusal trigger. Build the balance over months. Be able to explain where every large amount came from. Quebec runs its own, higher test, and its requirements rose sharply for some students from January 2026.
What a study permit costs
The study permit fee is $150 and biometrics cost $85, so one applicant pays $235 to IRCC. Neither has changed since 2023. That’s unusual, and worth knowing when you read older guides quoting the same numbers.
| Fee | Amount (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Study permit, including extensions | $150 |
| Biometrics, one person | $85 |
| Biometrics, family of two or more | $170 |
| Work permit, if you apply for one later | $155 |
| Visitor visa, per person | $100 |
How do you apply for a Canadian study permit?
Apply online through your IRCC secure account, in this order. The sequence matters, because two of these steps depend on the one before it.
- Confirm your school is on the designated learning institution list. A permit for a non-DLI is not possible.
- Accept your offer and pay the tuition your school requires. That usually unlocks the attestation letter.
- Get your PAL or TAL from the school, unless you’re exempt as a master’s or doctoral student at a public DLI.
- Assemble proof of funds covering six months of history, and be ready to explain the source.
- Complete the medical exam upfront with a panel physician if your situation calls for one.
- Submit the application and pay both the $150 permit fee and the $85 biometrics fee together.
- Give biometrics within 30 days of the date on your biometric instruction letter, using that letter only.
Your permit is issued at the port of entry, not before you fly. What arrives in the post is a port of entry letter of introduction. Carry it, your passport, your acceptance letter, and your proof of funds in your hand luggage.
How long does a study permit take?
Processing time depends on the country you apply from, and it changes every month. Any fixed number in a blog post is out of date by the time you read it. Times for applications from Nigeria moved in both directions through 2026. They dropped two weeks in April, then added a week in June and again in August.
Check IRCC’s processing time tool on the day you apply and plan against that figure. Then add time for the medical exam and biometrics appointments, which you book yourself.
The Student Direct Stream is gone
The Student Direct Stream closed on November 8, 2024, and Nigeria Student Express closed at the same moment. Both are gone. Every application submitted after that date and time is processed as a regular study permit application.
This matters more to Nigerian applicants than to most. Nigeria Student Express launched in January 2020 as a pilot built specifically for Nigerian applicants. SDS offered roughly 20-day processing in exchange for a guaranteed investment certificate and IELTS 6.0 in every band. IRCC closed both to give all applicants the same route. So if a consultant offers to put you through SDS or NSE, they’re either out of date or selling you something that doesn’t exist.
One useful consequence: IRCC itself sets no language test requirement for a study permit. Your school’s admission requirements decide which test you need and what score. The old SDS rule of 6.0 in each band died with the stream.
Why are Canadian study permits refused?
Most refusals come down to money, intent, or a missing document, and all three are within your control. The refusal letter usually names the ground, so read it rather than reapplying blind.
- Funds you can’t explain. A balance that appears suddenly, or a sponsor whose income doesn’t support the deposit, now fails an explicit source-of-funds assessment.
- No attestation letter when one was required. The application is returned rather than refused, but you lose the time either way.
- Weak ties to your home country. The officer has to believe you’ll leave at the end of your studies. That’s what your statement of purpose is for.
- A program that doesn’t follow from your history. A career change is fine, but it needs explaining in writing.
- Missed biometrics. The 30-day window from your instruction letter is firm.
The statement of purpose carries more weight than most applicants expect. It’s the only place you get to answer the officer’s real question. Our guide to writing an SOP for a Canadian study permit covers what to put in it and what gets applications refused.
Frequently asked questions
These are the questions applicants ask most often about the Canadian study permit, with the figures that were current in August 2026.
How much money do I need for a Canadian student visa?
A single applicant outside Quebec shows $22,895 for living expenses, plus first-year tuition and travel costs. Add $5,607 for a first accompanying family member. IRCC updates these amounts each September 1.
Do I need a provincial attestation letter?
Most applicants do, and your application is returned unprocessed without one. Master’s and doctoral students at public designated learning institutions have been exempt since January 1, 2026.
Can I still apply through the Student Direct Stream?
No. SDS and Nigeria Student Express both closed on November 8, 2024. All applications now go through the regular study permit stream.
Do I need IELTS for a Canadian study permit?
IRCC does not require a language test for the study permit itself. Your school sets the requirement, so check its admission criteria. A test does become mandatory later if you apply for a post-graduation work permit.
How much does a Canadian study permit cost?
$150 for the permit and $85 for biometrics, so $235 for one person. Medical exams, translations, and courier fees are separate and go to third parties.
Can I work while studying in Canada?
Yes, 24 hours a week off campus while classes are in session, and unlimited hours on campus, if your permit carries the right condition. See our guide to part-time jobs for students in Canada for the limits and current pay rates.
Can my spouse come with me and work?
Since January 21, 2025, spousal open work permits are limited to spouses of students in master’s programs of 16 months or longer, doctoral programs, and certain professional programs. Spouses of undergraduate and college students no longer qualify. Dependent children are not eligible at all.
Once the permit is in hand, the next decisions are funding and work. Start with the Canadian universities that fund international students. If you’re weighing a work route instead, compare it against the Canadian work permit process.
Confirm your school is a DLI, ask it about the attestation letter, and start building your six-month bank history now. Those three steps decide most applications.
