Study Permit

Want to come to Canada to study? Canada offers top notch schools in the world and good immigration policy to allow students to work while studying in Canada. Additionally, Canada’s tuition fees are among the lowest in all developed countries.

To be eligible to study in Canada

• You must have been accepted by a school, college, university or other educational institution in Canada that has a CIC assigned Designated Learning Institution Code.
• You must prove that you have enough money to pay for your:
• tuition fees
• living expenses for yourself and any family members who come with you to Canada and
• return transportation for yourself and any family members who come with you to Canada.
• You must be a law-abiding citizen with no criminal record and not be a risk to the security of Canada. You may have to provide a police certificate.
• You must be in good health and willing to complete a medical examination, if necessary.
• You must satisfy an immigration officer that you will leave Canada when you have completed your studies.

Exceptions

In some cases, you do not require a study permit to go to school in Canada.

1. If you wish to study in a short-term course or program: You do not need a study permit if you plan to take a course or program in Canada that lasts six months or less. You must complete the course or program within the period authorized for your stay in Canada. Even if you do not need a study permit, it is a good idea to apply for a permit before you come to Canada. If you decide that you want to continue your studies in another program after you complete your short-term course or program, you must apply through a Canadian visa office outside Canada for a study permit if you do not already have one.
2. Foreign representatives to Canada: If you are a family member or staff member of a foreign representative to Canada accredited by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, you may not need a permit to study in Canada. You should contact your embassy in Canada. Your embassy can contact the Office of Protocol at Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada to find out whether you need a study permit.
3. Members of foreign armed forces: If you are a member of a foreign armed force under the Visiting Forces Act, you d not need a permit to study in Canada. If your family members, including minor children, want to study in Canada, they must meet the requirements.

Work Permits for Students—Working on campus

You may work on campus at the institution where you study without a work permit if:

• you are a full-time student at:
• a public post-secondary institution, such as a college or university, or acollège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP)in Quebec
• a private post-secondary institution that operates under the same rules and regulations as a public institution, and receives at least 50 percent of its financing for its overall operations from government grants (currently only private college-level educational institutions in Quebec qualify) or
• a Canadian private institution authorized by provincial statute to confer degrees and
• you have a valid study permit.

Work permits for students—Working off campus

The Off-Campus Work Permit Program allows certain foreign students to work off campus while completing their studies. To qualify, you must be a full-time student enrolled at a participating publicly funded post-secondary educational institution or in an approved program at an eligible privately funded institution.

Participating publicly funded post-secondary educational institutions:

• are public post-secondary institutions, such as a college or university or a collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) in Quebec or
• are private post-secondary institutions that operate under the same rules and regulations as public institutions, and receive at least 50 percent of their financing for their overall operations from government grants (currently only private college-level educational institutions in Quebec qualify) and
• have signed an off-campus work agreement with their provincial or territorial government.

Eligible privately funded post-secondary institutions:

• are located in a province or territory that has signed a memorandum of understanding with CIC
• have signed an off-campus work agreement with their provincial or territorial government and
• have approval from their provincial or territorial government to grant specific degrees.

To work off campus, you must apply for a work permit. Do not begin to work off campus until you have received your work permit. The work permit authorizes you to work up to 20 hours per week during regular academic sessions, and full time during scheduled breaks (for example, winter and summer holidays, and spring break).

Co-op Work Permit

Under certain programs, you will be required to work in an internship to gain skilled experience in your school program. The School will place you in an internship position with a local employer. You must have a Co-op work permit in order to fulfil your program requirements. If you do not have a Co-op work permit, you will not be able to work in Canada and complete your program requirements.

Work permits for students—Working after graduation

If you want to work in Canada after you graduate from your studies, you must apply for a work permit under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program.

Post-Graduation Work Permit Program

The Post-Graduation Work Permit Program allows students who have graduated from a participating Canadian post-secondary institution to gain valuable Canadian work experience.

A work permit under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program cannot be valid for longer than the student’s study program. For example, if you graduate from a four-year degree program, you could be eligible for a three-year work permit if you meet the criteria. If you graduate from an eight-month certificate program, you would be eligible for a work permit that is valid for no more than eight months.

If you are interested in applying for a study permit, please fill in the following form for a free assessment of your eligibility or book a consultation with us.