Canada Student Visa Requirements from India : Complete Guide

Team JagVimal 03 Mar 2023 2118 views

CANADA STUDENT VISA : OVERVIEW:

Ranked 10th on the Global peace index, Canada is one of the safest and most popular choices among Indian Students when it comes to higher education. This country welcomes all the immigrants warmly, and is now a top choice for the students due to great healthcare and employment opportunities. As a student, if you wish to take up any educational course in Canada, you are required to attain a Study permit, however, it does not allow your entry in Canada. For that purpose, you will need to get a Temporary Resident Visa which is provided by the Canadian authorities. The Canadian authorities that are responsible for the Visa services are Canadian High Commission and Visa Application Centres.
You need to apply for a Temporary Student Visa or Visitor’s Visa at the Canadian High Commission, which is facilitated by the Visa Application Centre after the completion of the process.
In this article, you will find all the knowledge regarding the Canadian Student Visa and requirement for the application of the Visa.

WHAT IS CANADIAN STUDENT VISA:

To be able to study in Canada, you are required to get a valid Study permit from the above mentioned authorities. The study permit allows the students to study at the Designated Learning Institutions (DLI’s) in Canada. A Designated Learning Institution (DLI) is an educational institution that has received approval from a provincial or territorial government to host international students.

Students must know that, without the valid study Visa, they are not permitted to learn at the Canadian Educational institutions. However, the study permit cannot be referred to as a Visa to enter the country. For that, you will need to get a Temporary Resident Visa which is provided by the Canadian authorities. The Canadian authorities that are responsible for the Visa services are Canadian High Commission and Visa Application Centres. You need to apply for a Temporary Resident Visa or Visitor’s Visa at the Canadian High Commission, which is facilitated by the Visa Application Centre after the completion of the process.
If you are able to get the Visa, only then the study permit is issued by the authorities.

HOW TO GET A CANADIAN STUDENT VISA:

In order to obtain a Visa to be able to enter Canada, students need to get the study permit first. The study permit is always accompanied by the Visa for the student to be able to enter the country. Please note that a study permit is a document that allows you to study in Canada while a visitor visa allows you to enter Canada. 
While travelling you need to carry all the required documents. When on the airport on reaching Canada, you would meet Immigration Officer, who will further investigate your documents. And upon verifying everything, you will be issued the study permit along with validation of the Visa.

ELIGIBILITY FOR THE VISA:

When applying for the Canadian student Visa, there are certain Eligibility criteria that have to be met by the students, since only after that, Visa is granted. You can find the details below:

  • Students must carry a valid passport, whose duration covers the intended stay in Canada. If you intend to stay for 2 years in Canada, your passport must be valid for that duration.
  • Letter acceptance from the DLI (a recognized Canadian educational institution).
  • Students must prove their clean background (no criminal background) to the Canadian High Commission in order to obtain the Visa. They also need to provide a Police Verification certificate to prove their record.
  • Aspirants need to go through a full medical test, to certify their good health before moving to the country.
  • At last, proof of finances is also to be provided, proving that the student has adequate funds to pay for the expenses during the educational course.

DOCUMENT REQUIREMENT:

  • VALID PASSPORT:  Students must know that in order to get the Visa and study permit, they need to have a valid passport for their intended stay in Canada. If the student intends to stay for 2 years, the passport must be valid for those 2 years.
  • PROOF OF FINANCE FUNDS: This is for proving that the student has adequate funds to pay for the expenses during the educational course. The students must be able to pay for the general expenses such as tuition fees, living expenses or transportation and medical. As a proof, you can get following documents: 
  1. Canadian Bank account
  2. Student Loan
  3. Scholarship Program by Canadian authorities

 

  • PROOF OF ACCEPTANCE: Letter acceptance from the DLI (a recognized Canadian educational institution). This states the purpose of the student visit and is a very important document.
  • PASSPORT SIZE PHOTOGRAPHS: If you opt for the offline mode of application, you need to carry 2 passport size photographs, with the following standards to be met:
  1. Neutral face expression
  2. Plain background
  3. Photograph not older than 6 months
  4. Size of at least 35 mm x 45 mm
  5. Name and DOB mentioned on the back of each photograph
  • ENGLISH PROFICIENCY PROOF: Since the country is one of the English speaking nations, students need to know that, in case of being the non-native speaker of English language, they need to take up exams like IELTS, TOEFL, etc, to prove their language proficiency. This is done in order to ensure that there will be no language barrier between the student and the authorities upon reaching Canada.
  • STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
  • FULL BODY MEDICAL EXAMINATION OR IMMIGRATION MEDICAL EXAMINATION (IME)

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE VISA:

DEADLINES: Students must know the deadlines for the application of the Visa. Since if you are applying for a Visa for Canada from outside the country, it takes about 9 weeks to process. It is highly recommended for the students to consult the authorities regularly to be able to apply on the exact time. And keeping a track of application is equally necessary.

MODE OF APPLICATION: When you apply for Canada, you must know that there are 2 modes of application, which are, 
Online Application- To be able to apply online, students must have access to a scanner so to create soft copies of the documents along with a valid credit card for the payments for the VISA process. You also will have to provide a fingerprint at the regional Visa Application Centre (VAC).
Offline application or paper application: It can be done by downloading the form and taking out the print form. Along with that comes the instruction guide, following which the final form is to be filled.

CONSENT FORM: Once you fill in the application form, you will have to attach VFS consent form along with it. To complete the Visa filing process, you need to fill in both the forms.

FEE PAYMENT: Students must keep this in mind, that when they submit their application form along with a consent form, they also need to submit their VISA fees to the VFS global services. The fees are non-refundable in all cases.
Also if any family or partner is going along, exact fees need to be paid.
In case you are following the offline mode of the application, you need to visit your nearest VFS services centre to pay the fee and obtain the receipt. Also the students need to keep the receipt, since the unique tracking number helps in tracking the application.
In case your application is accepted, you will receive an email from the Canadian authorities, in order to obtain your passport. After the document is verified, you will receive a Temporary Resident Visa and letter of introduction.

VISA FEES:

When applying for the Canadian Student Visa, students need to know that, the charges they need to pay are CAD (Canadian Dollar) 150, i.e., INR 9150. However, since the exchange rates keep changing, students need to keep a track of the current rates.
Also this Visa fee is not inclusive of the VFS service fee, so students need to take at most care of that. The fee remains the same via both modes of application (online or paper mode).
After the visa application process, students need to submit their biometric fee of CAD 85.
After all the payments, students need to be careful with the payment receipts, since these act as a proof of the payment in case of any discrepancy.

PROCESSING TIME FOR THE CANADA STUDENT VISA:

Usually it takes about 12 weeks for the Visa processing.This processing time is taken by the CIC for processing a visa application. Students can easily keep the track of their application through the unique tracking number on the payment receipt which helps in tracking the application or via the CIC accounts. Also both online and paper mode aspirants can access the tracking link of the application.

STUDENT PERMIT RENEWAL:

Students studying in Canada sometimes need to extend their study permit due to certain circumstances, they need to apply for the renewal 30 days before the current study permit expires. Since to stay and study in Canada, students need a valid study permit at all times, in case your study permit is close to expiring, you need to apply for a new one in order to stay in Canada. Study permits can be applied through both mail and online.

Canadian Embassy and Consulates Addresses
1. High Commission of Canada, New Delhi
7/8 Shantipath, Chanakyapuri
New Delhi 110 021, India
Phone: 011-4178 2000
2. Consulate General of Canada
World Trade Center, 22nd Floor
26/1, Dr. Rajkumar Road 
Malleshwaram West
Yeshwantpur
Bengaluru – 560055
3. Consulate General of Canada
SCO# 54-56, Sector 17 A
Chandigarh 160 017, India
4. Consulate General of Canada
Indiabulls Finance Centre
21st Floor, Tower 2
Senapati Bapat Marg
Elphinstone Road (West)
Mumbai 400013
VFS Center Addresses
1. New Delhi
VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd.
Shivaji Stadium Metro Station, Mezzanine Level, 
Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Connaught Place 
New Delhi-110001
2. Chennai
Canada Visa Application Centre
VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd.
Fagun Towers, Second floor, No 74, Ethiraj Salai, Egmore, Chennai- 600008, India
3. Mumbai
Canada Visa Application Centre
VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd.
Trade Centre 5th Floor, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (East), Mumbai – 400051, India
4. Kolkata
Canada Visa Application Centre
VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd.
Rene Tower, Building No. 1842, Rajdanga Main Road, Rajdanga, Landmark: Near Geetanjali Stadium Kolkata, 700107, India
 
 

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Our FAQ's

How much money do I need for a Canadian student visa?

When applying for the Canadian Student Visa, students need to know that the charges they need to pay are CAD (Canadian Dollar) 150, i.e., INR 9150. However, since the exchange rates keep changing, students need to keep a track of the current rates. Also during biometrics, CAD 85 is charged, along with the VFS consent fee, which depends on city to city in Canada.

Students can be assured that if they hold a valid passport, proof of financial funds, a clean background (no criminal record) and letter of acceptance from DLI, they are eligible for the Canadian student Visa.

In order to obtain a Visa to be able to enter Canada, students need to get the study permit first. The study permit is always accompanied by the Visa for the student to be able to enter the country. Please note that a study permit is a document that allows you to study in Canada while a visitor visa allows you to enter Canada. Combination of both study permit and Visitor visa, forms the Canada student Visa.

Getting a Visa to Canada can be really hard. According to information from IRCC, about 30 percent of all study permit applications are refused. Since studying in Canada is so popular, that’s tens of thousands of prospective students who have been accepted to a Canadian school, but whose study permit applications are refused.

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