Applying, study permits and work

From your first conversation with us to your first week in Canada, here are the steps, the documents for the study permit, and the rules on working during and after your studies.

Your journey in eight steps

1. PlanFree consultation and shortlist

   We look at your grades, English, budget and goals and shortlist universities, routes and scholarships. Start nine to twelve months before your intake.

2. ApplyApplications

   We prepare and submit complete applications with your transcripts, English results, passport and, for master’s, CV, references and statement of purpose.

3. ApplyOffer and acceptance

   You receive a conditional or unconditional offer. You accept it and pay the deposit; the institution then issues your letter of acceptance.

4. ApplyAttestation letter (PAL/TAL)

   For most bachelor’s, college and pathway students the institution requests a provincial attestation letter after you accept and pay. Master’s and doctoral students at a public university do not need one for applications made since 1 January 2026.

5. PermitStudy permit application

   You apply online with the letter of acceptance, the attestation letter if needed, proof of funds and a letter of explanation, then give biometrics and do the medical exam.

6. PermitDecision

   If the permit is approved, the visitor visa (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan) or eTA (Romania, electronic passports) is issued with it, together with a letter for the border.

7. GoBefore you travel

   Accommodation, health insurance, flights and the documents you show at the border: passport, letter of introduction, letter of acceptance and proof of funds.

8. GoArrival and start

   At the port of entry an officer issues your study permit. You enrol, attend orientation and apply for a social insurance number if you plan to work.

Study permit essentials

• Letter of acceptance

  From a designated learning institution (DLI). IRCC asks the institution to confirm it is genuine.

• Attestation letter (PAL/TAL)

  Required for most applicants, issued by the province through your institution. Not needed for a master’s or doctoral degree at a public DLI (applications from 1 January 2026). A PAL is valid only in its cap year: a 2026 PAL expires on 31 December 2026, and IRCC has not yet published the 2027 rules.

• Proof of funds

  First-year tuition, living costs (CAD 23,448 for one person outside Quebec, applications from 1 September 2026) and return travel, without counting work in Canada.

• Fees and biometrics

  CAD 150 study permit fee and CAD 85 biometrics, given within 30 days of the instruction letter.

• Medical exam

  Required for students from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Romania who will stay more than six months; valid 12 months.

• Visa or eTA

  Kazakh and Uzbek citizens need a visitor visa; Romanian citizens with an electronic passport need an eTA. Both are issued automatically with a first study permit.

• Processing time

  IRCC’s posted time on 21 October 2026 was 6 weeks from Kazakhstan and 4 weeks from Uzbekistan (none posted for Romania). Times change and are not a promise.

• Changing school

  Moving to a different designated learning institution (DLI) needs a new study permit before you start there, and usually a new attestation letter; moving into a master’s or doctorate at a public DLI needs no new attestation letter. Several pathway colleges now issue the letter of acceptance under the university’s DLI, so one permit covers both stages: the DLI number on your letter of acceptance decides.

Working while you study

• Off campus: up to 24 hours a week during regular terms and unlimited hours in scheduled breaks, if you study full time at a DLI in a programme of at least six months that leads to a degree, diploma or certificate, and only after your programme starts.
• Not eligible: students taking only English or French courses, or only courses needed to enter another programme (a pathway or prerequisite stage).
• On campus: no weekly limit while you are a full-time student.
• Co-op and internships: since 1 April 2026 eligible post-secondary students no longer need a separate co-op work permit for a placement their programme requires, if it is 50% or less of the programme.
• Proof of funds must not rely on work: what you earn is extra, not part of the budget the permit is based on.

After graduation: the post-graduation work permit (PGWP)

• Eligibility depends on the programme, not only the institution: the programme must be on IRCC’s list of PGWP-eligible programmes at a PGWP-eligible DLI, last at least 8 months and be studied full time. Being a DLI does not make every programme eligible.
• Length: after an eligible master’s of at least 8 months, up to 3 years. After other programmes, up to the length of the programme (8 months to under 2 years) or up to 3 years (2 years or more).
• Language test: CLB 7 for university degrees and CLB 5 for college programmes, in all four skills, with an approved test (for example IELTS General Training 6.0 in each skill for CLB 7; IELTS Academic is not accepted for the PGWP).
• Field of study: bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral graduates are exempt. College, polytechnic and other non-degree programmes (including graduate certificates and post-graduate diplomas) must be in an eligible field.
• Other rules: at most 50% of the programme by distance learning, apply within 180 days of completion, and only one PGWP in a lifetime. English-only study and most public–private partnership college programmes do not qualify.

Bringing a spouse or partner

Since 21 January 2025 a spouse or common-law partner can apply for an open work permit only if you study a master’s of 16 months or longer, a doctorate, or one of the listed professional degrees (for example engineering, education, nursing, law or medicine). Spouses of students in shorter master’s, bachelor’s (other than those degrees), college or diploma programmes do not qualify through this route. The proof of funds rises with each family member who comes with you.

Sources: IRCC pages on studying in Canada, attestation letters (2 September 2026), documents (6 October 2026), working off campus (15 April 2026), student work placements (1 May 2026), PGWP eligibility (24 June 2026), spouse work permits (3 February 2026), changing schools (10 June 2026), entry requirements by country (31 July 2026).