When do you need a study permit ?
A study permit is a written authorization issued to foreign students to engage in studies in Canada. If the program of studies is six months or less, a study permit is not required. However, in the following cases a study permit is required :- The student is planning to attend the course of over six months
- While the student stays in Canada with a visitor visa, they start to take a course which is beyond the expiry date of the visitor visa.
- The student will engage in on-campus employment.
- The student will take a course of less than six months and work in a designated workplace as a part of the program.
A study permit is not required for
- preschool
- kindergarten
- courses of general interest or self-improvement
- a minor child staying in Canada with their parents who hold a study permit or a work permit
Students must obtain the letter of acceptance from the educational institution that they will be attending and submit it with the application for a study permit. Also they must demonstrate financial sufficiency at least for the first year of studies.