Canada Study Visa

Millions of applicants around the world are dreaming about being accepted into one of the Canadian colleges or universities and receiving study permit. Studying in Canada is an exciting and rewarding experience for many international students. Once you’ve decided what to study, you need to consider entry dates, application deadlines, student visa processing times and English language requirements. Canadian colleges & universities offers more than 1000 courses with credentials ranging from certificate programs to Diplomas, Advance Diplomas, Bachelor Degrees, Post Graduate Diplomas, Masters and so on. The main intake is in September each year, though many colleges and universities have a smaller intake in January & May . Most foreign nationals require a study permit to study in Canada.

If your course is less than 6 months long, you’ll only need a visitor visa to come to Canada. However, if you plan to study for more than 6 months, you’ll need to apply for a student visa. To apply for study visa first of all you need to obtain acceptance letter from Canadian Educational Institution. Please make sure that the school of your choice is approved by a provincial or territorial government to host international students (Approved DLI). If you plan to apply to any college or university, this is the first thing you should check.
Please click here to check whether your institute is an approved designated learning institute to accept international students.

Student Visa Canada

There are two categories to apply for Canada student Visa.

Student Direct Stream - SDS

The SDS program is currently available to legal residents of Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago & Vietnam. Most SDS applications are processed within 20 days.
However the current processing times can be checked here.

How Student Direct Stream (SDS) Program is better?

• Easy visa processing for all SDS entitled DLI institutions.
• Less financial proofs required
• Saves time and speedy visa processing
• All applications for SDS are submitted online

Students applying through the SDS stream must provide the following documents with their application:

• Proof of a language test result from IELTS or TEF (French)
• Proof of Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) of CAN $10,000
• Proof of full payment of tuition for the applicant's first year of study
• Letter of acceptance from a post-secondary DLI
• Most recent secondary or post-secondary educational transcripts
• Proof of completion of upfront medical examination

General category

Students who don’t qualify under the SDS program can apply under the general category.

• Student requires strong proof of financial background.
• Statement of Purpose outlining study plan, career prospects etc

The other requirements for general student visa application include, Educational & Work Experience Documents, English Language Test (IELTS/ TOEFL/ PTE - any if available), Admission documents (LOA, Tuition Fee Receipt), GIC (if paid), Medical (if done upfront).

In most cases, the applicant is required to submit biometrics. After the applicant has submitted a complete application, including the payment of the application and biometric processing fees (if applicable), they are sent a biometric instruction letter (BIL), which includes instructions on submitting biometrics.