There are 10 steps to apply Canada Student Visa:
1. Find out how long it takes to process your Canada Student Visa in the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Website, this will give you an idea on how long it will take to process your application. As well as allow you to plan your other activities pertaining to your application. Which includes the application guide as well as the forms, said documents can also be viewed at the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Website and also be downloaded from the website.
2. Please note that there some applicants may be required to obtain a temporary residents Visa as well as a study study permit to study in Canada. This will be dependent on where you are currently living. To check if you are living in a country who will be required to get a Temporary Residents Visa please click on this link.
3. Determine where to submit the application. Find out which Visa office is responsible for processing your application. You may
4. Collect the documents needed to apply.
5. If studying in Quebec, check the provincial guidelines. This step only applies if you want to study in the province of Quebec. If studying in Quebec, the student needs a certificate of acceptance or CAQ. The applicant must have received the certificate of acceptance before applying for a study permit.
6. Complete your application for a study permit. Fill in the forms carefully and completely.
• Type or print clearly, using black ink.
• Add appropriate characters for languages that do not use the Latin alphabet, such as Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic, Japanese, Hebrew, etc.
• Answer all questions carefully, completely and truthfully. Incomplete application packages will not be processed, but will be returned to you.
7. Pay the correct processing fee. There is a fee to apply for a study permit. You as a student should check the website of the Canadian visa office serving the country or region where you live for additional information on fees, including how to pay them.
The processing fee is non-refundable even if the application is not accepted.
8. Check your application. Make sure the application is complete and includes all the necessary documents.
9. Submit the application form. Sign and date the application form, and be sure to include the receipt for the processing fee. Submit the application form to the Canadian visa office that serves the country or region where the you live.
10. Supply additional information or documents. After the visa office receives the application, it might request more information or documents.
These may include the following:
• Medical information In most cases, the student will need a medical examination.
• Security information If the student wants to study in Canada, he and any family members who come to Canada with him, and who are 18 years of age and over, may have to provide police certificates.
STUDY PERMITS: After applying
The status of your application
The visa officer assigned to handle your application will review the application that you have submitted to make sure that you have completed it correctly as well as included all the required documents. If the application is incomplete, it will not be processed—it will be returned to to yout.
If application is complete, the visa office will review it and decide if an interview is necessary.
Note:
Change of address
If you move or change your address, telephone number or any other contact information after you submit your application, you must notify the visa office where you submitted your application.
If your application is approved
If your application for Canada Student Visa is approved, you will receive the following:
• A letter of introduction confirming the approval. This is not the study permit. You must thisbring this letter of introduction to show to immigration officials at the point of entry when you arrive in Canada.
• A temporary resident visa (TRV) will be issued to you if you live in a country where Canada Student Visa.
This will be stamped in your passport. The expiry date on this visa indicates the date by which you must enter Canada. Meaning you must enter Canada before your TRV expires. The TRV will also indicate if you can enter Canada only once (a single-entry visa) or if you can enter Canada multiple times (a multiple-entry visa).
If application is not approved
If the application is not approved, the visa office will send a letter explaining why the application has been refused.
This may be due to several reasons, which includes but not limited to the following:
• You have not shown proof that you have enough money to support yourself while studying in Canada.
• You have not not passed the medical examination if one was required.
• You have not satisfied the visa officer that your primary intention in Canada is to study.
• You have not satisfied the visa officer that you will leave Canada at the end of period of study.
STUDY PERMITS: Arriving
When you arrive in Canada, you will be met by an officer from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) at a point of entry, such as an airport.
The CBSA is responsible for border and point of entry activities in Canada.
There will be certain documents that the CBSA will require from you upon entry.
The CBSA officer will ask to see the travel documents when the student arrives in Canada. Therefore said documents must not pack in the luggage, and have them readily available in order to help speed up the entry to Canada.
Be ready to show the following documents:
• a valid passport or travel document
• the letter of introduction from the visa office that the student receives when the study permit was approved (this letter contains your permit reference number and the CBSA officer needs this letter to issue your study permit)
• a valid temporary resident visa (if required)
• a copy of the letter of acceptance from the school at which the student is permitted to study
• proof that the student have enough money to support himself during his stay in Canada and
• letters of reference or any other documents recommended by the visa office where the student applied.
You must carry these items and all other valuable papers, cash and traveller’s cheques at all times. Do not put them in the checked luggage. You may not be allowed into Canada if any of the documents are missing or if any of the information on the application or letters of reference is incorrect.
Possession of these documents does not guarantee entry. All persons must establish that they meet all the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations before being authorized to enter or re-enter Canada.
If there are no problems at the point of entry, the officer will let you enter Canada and will issue your study permit. You as the student should:
• check the study permit to make sure that personal information is accurate and
• check the expiry date on the study permit. The student must leave Canada by this date.
Citizens or residents of the United States, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon and Greenland
Citizens and permanent residents of the United States, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon and Greenland do not need a passport or a temporary resident visa to enter or return to Canada. However, the student must provide proof of citizenship or permanent residence, such as a national identity card or an alien registration card.
Disclosure of funds
If the student arrives in Canada with more than C$10,000, he must disclose this information to the CBSA officer. If he does not disclose this information, he could be fined or put in prison. These funds could be in the form of:
• cash
• securities in bearer form (for example, stocks, bonds, debentures, treasury bills) or
• negotiable instruments in bearer form, such as bankers’ drafts, cheques, traveller’s cheques or money orders.
Understanding the terms and conditions of the study permit
The conditions listed on the permit tell the student:
• at which institution he can study
• if he is allowed to work in Canada
• whether he need to report for a medical examination, observation or treatment
• if his travel within Canada is restricted and
• when he must leave Canada.
If the student wants to change any of the terms and conditions on his study permit, he must submit a completed Application to Change Conditions or Extend Your Stay in Canada.
If he is a post-secondary student with a valid study permit, no need to submit an application if he wants to change the program of study or the institution where he is studying.
It is an offence under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act if the student does not comply with the conditions imposed during his entry to Canada was authorized, or when your study permit was issued.
The student may voluntarily leave Canada, or he may be subject to an admissibility determination or hearing. This could lead to his removal from Canada. The student will lose the temporary resident status and any permit he have, if he breaks any of the conditions of his stay.
Leaving and coming back to Canada
If you intend to leave Canada at the duration of your study permint and want to return after a specified tie, you must have:
• a valid passport or travel document
• a valid study permit if he is returning to study in Canada and
• a valid temporary resident visa, if he is a citizen of a designated country for which Canada requires a visa.
Note: If you are a citizen of a designated country and he travels to a country other than the United States, Greenland or Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, you will need a multiple-entry visa to re-enter Canada. If your temporary resident visa has expired, or your visa is only valid for a single entry, you will have to re-apply for a temporary resident visa at a Canadian visa office outside Canada if you want to re-enter Canada.
Health insurance
The Government of Canada will not pay for your medical costs as a foreign student. Therefore, part of your requirement is a Health Insurance coverage. Health coverage for foreign students varies among the provinces of Canada. Contact the school which you have applied to in Canada, to get more information about your cost for the Health Insurance.
STUDY PERMITS: Extending stay
Renewing the study permit
If after your program you found other school programs you want to be involved in and want to extend your stay in Canada as a student, you must complete the Application to Change Conditions or Extend Your Stay in Canada. Check the expiry date on the study permit, and make sure that you apply before that date. You should apply for renewal at least 30 days before the current permit expires.
If you apply for a renewal of the study permit, and the permit expires before you receive an answer, You continue to study in Canada under the same conditions until you receive a decision your application to extend.
You should apply to renew the study permit if you intend to travel outside Canada and the permit will expire while you are travelling.
You won't be able to extend the study permit beyond the expiry date on your passport.
If your study permit has expired, and you have not applied for an extension, you will be required leave Canada.
Restoring your status
In some cases, you as the student may apply to restore your status as a student within 90 days of losing it. You may only apply if you have continued to meet the requirements under which you were allowed to enter and stay in Canada and have met all the conditions imposed on the permit.
After the student apply to restore the status, he may stay in Canada until a decision is made on the application but he is not allowed to study until his status has been restored.
There is no guarantee that his application to restore the status will be accepted. On the application, he must provide full details of all the facts and circumstances that caused him to lose the status.
In addition to a fee for renewing the study permit, there is also a fee for restoring the status. The fee is required for each family member who has lost status.
An officer will evaluate the request for restoration of status and will process an application for a study permit. Citizenship and Immigration Canada will advise the student of any further action to be taken.
Other than this blogpost, Canada Student Visa - How to apply, you should also read - Canada Student Visa application