Most international students need a permit to study in Canada. The Study Permit is a document issued by IRCC that allows the international students to pursue their education at a designated learning institution in Canada.
ELIGIBILTY CRITERIA:
- Must have a letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution.
- Must be able to prove that the applicant has sufficient funds to cover the first year of tuition as well as living expenses.
- Must have a clean background. (IRCC may ask to submit a police clearance certificate).
- Must be in good medical condition.
- Must be able to prove to the IRCC officer that the applicant will leave Canada when the study permit expires.
- Must provide proof of basic language proficiency from a designated language testing organization in English or French with results equivalent to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 6 across all abilities (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). The test results must not be more than two years old on the day applicant applies for the study permit.
Note that if you lose the student status in Canada and still wish to continue living in the country, you may have to extend your study permit. The extension application must be submitted within 90 days of losing your status.
Also, international students from countries such as India, China, Pakistan, Vietnam, Morocco can apply for their study permit through a fast-tracked process called Student Direct Stream(SDS). The applications for SDS are submitted online and are processed as quick as about 20 calendar days. They would have to additionally obtain a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) with a participating Canadian bank of 10,000 CAD.