The Student Visa process for Canada can be intimidating as well as scary for beginners who don’t know much about applying to this great country. Perhaps this article will help you get started. 

Every year, hundreds of thousands of international students arrive in Canada for further education. Canada study permit or Canada Student Visa is a document that allows international students to study at a registered college or university in Canada. 

You must have a Canadian study permit to study in Canada. 

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Canada (IRCC), about 51% of total applications for Canadian Student Visas were accepted. Clearly, getting a Canadian Student Visa is a challenging process that required dedicated preparation and documentation. 

This guide will help you with the Student Visa application process, documents you will need, requirements and so on. 

Requirements to study in Canada for international students

This can also be referred to as “Requirements for Canada Student Visa”. Below you will find the documents that you must submit to apply for a Canadian Student VISA. 

• Proof of acceptance from Desugnatred Learning Institute- Registered universities or colleges. 
• Proof of identity- valid passport and recent photographs as per the CIC specifications. 
• Tuition fees Receipt
• Proof of Financial Support
• Applicants need to show a property valuation of more than 200,000 Canadian Dollars. 
• Applicants need to show an annual income of more than 24,000 Canadian dollars per year. 
• Applicants need to show a bank balance (in students’ account and sponsor account) of more than 45,000 Canadian Dollars. 

Eligibility for Canada Student Visa

To study in Canada, international applicants must first get Canada Student Visa.  The eligibility requirements to obtain a Canadian Student VISA are: 

• You need to be enrolled at a Designated Learning Institution (DLIs). 
• Have no criminal record (You need to present a police certificate). 
• Get a medical exam
• Have a strong financial background and prove that you are financially able to pay your tuition fees and living expenses. 
• Convince Visa officers that you will leave Canada when the study permit expires. 

How to get a Canadian Student VISA? 

Student Visa Process for Canada: Apply to University or College

As mentioned above in the eligibility criteria, you need to be enrolled in Canadian universities or colleges to apply for a student visa. Thus, you need to apply to University or college in Canada. 

Students need to gather the academic and identity documents for applying. You also need to take the English Language Proficiency test. 

You can give tests like IELTS, TEOFL, PTE and Duolingo and bring at least the cut-off scores asked by the universities. 

In short, these are the documents you need to apply in the DLI. 

• Transcripts: This includes all the mark sheets, transcripts, character certificates, and provisional certificates of the institutions attended before. Depending on the level you are applying for, you need to scan academic documents of classes 10, 12, Bachelor degree and Master degree. 
• English Test score: International students from English, not speaking countries need to send English test scores to the university or college while applying. The table below shows the minimum cut-off test scores for Canada. 

• SOP: Another requirement is a carefully composed SOP that depicts students passion, aspirations, academic background, ambitions, accomplishments etc. If you have any backlogs or academic gaps, this is a place to explain it all. Also mention, why you are a great fit for the program you are applying. 
• CV: An up to date CV that acts as a quick window to your educational and work history.

• Experience: Some programs like MBA specifically ask for an Experience letter. In other cases, an experience letter can helo you with gaps. 

• Application fees: Application fees ranges from CAD 80 to CAD 160 depending on the university. Some universities and colleges could also offer application fee waivers. In such cases, you need not pay tuition fees. 

• Letter of Recommendations: LOR is an integral part of Canadian universities application process, especially for Masters and PhD applications. Depending upon the university admission policies, you need to provide the email address and designation of 1 to 3 referees. Generally, academic references are given priority.

•  Passport: A passport acts as Identification Document. 

Before applying to the universities and colleges, ensure that you atleast meet the academic and test requirements. Getting admission from the universities in Canada is not a child’s play. 

Student Visa Process for Canada: Receive Letter of Acceptance (LOA) and pay tuition fees

After applying to the university, patiently wait from 2 weeks to 10 weeks (some could take even longer), to receive a decision from the institutions. Generally, colleges and private universities take less time to evaluate applications and give decisions to students. 

Letter of Acceptance (LOA) also called an offer letter is a document issued by universities or colleges. It means that the university has deemed you eligible for the program you had applied for. 

The LOA has details on the program, tuition fees when the academic session will begin and so on. You need to pay the tuition fees mentioned in the LOA, that too within the date mentioned, to secure your admission. After a few days of paying the tuition fees, you will receive a tuition fee receipt from the university. You will need this tuition receipt for applying for VISA. 

Student Visa Process for Canada: Get your documents ready

After you have paid your tuition fees, you need to read all the necessary documents to apply for Canadian Visa. The necessary documents include 

•  Passport,
• All the academic documents
• Financial documents like proof of funds, and tuition fees receipt
• SOP
• Experience letter
• Police Clearance Report
• Medical Report

For the cost of Biometric and VISA application fees, you need to pay CAD 235. The Canadian Student VISA fee is just 150 Canadian Dollars.

You can go for paper-based applications as well as online applications. Online Applications are much popular these days. 

These are the steps you can follow for an Online Application. 

1. Create an online account with CIC.
2. Fill in the academic and course details, Financial details and any other documents asked.
3. Log in with the email and password sent via email, pay the VISA Fees and book the available date for biometric. 
4. Submit the application online.

Financial documents needed to apply for Canadian Visa from Nepal

1. Relationship Verification
2. Permanent Address Verification
3. Annual Income Verification
4. Tax Clearance Certificate
5. All concerned financial docs:

• • PAN/VAT Registration & Translate
  • Audit Report
  • Appointment Letter
  • Salary Certificate
  • Payslip
  • Bank Balance Certificate / Statement

6. Sponsorship Letters
7. Lalpurja Translate
8. Property Valuation

Academic and Additional Documents needed to apply for Canadian Visa from Nepal

1. Curriculum Vitae / Resume
2. Statement of Purpose (SOP)
3. Explanation Letter (if you are Re-applying)
4. Rejection Mail (if you are Re-applying)
5. Letter of Acceptance
6. TT Slip from Bank
7. Tuition Fee Receipt from College / University
8. No Objection Letter (NOC)
9. Police Report
10. IELTS/TOEFL
11. All Academics (Starting from Most Recent Degree to SLC)
12. Letter of Recommendations
13. Training Certificates
14. Work Experience Letter

Your documents will be checked thoroughly by Visa officers before providing you VISA, so ensure that all the documents are as authentic as possible and meet all the requirements.

After this, you will just need to wait until your VISA decision arrives! This can take from 2 to 4 months in general.