Canadian student visa is one of Canada’s temporary visas and the holder of this visa is allowed to study and stay temporarily in this country. This visa is divided into two parts: studying in school and studying in university, also spouses, parents, and children are allowed to stay with the applicant at the same time. To get this visa, the applicant needs to be admitted to a Canadian university, college, higher education institution, or school.
Student visa validity
The validity period of the student visa in Canada depends on the level and field of study and is valid until the end of the study period. For example, if the applicant succeeds in obtaining admission to a two-year master’s course from one of the universities or higher education institutions, he is eligible to receive a two-year student visa. It should be noted that at any time during the study period, it is possible to convert the student visa into a work visa under certain conditions.
The duration of receiving a visa
According to the announcement of the Canadian Immigration Department, the duration of obtaining a student visa, regardless of the time required to receive admission from a university and perform biometrics, is variable between 5 and 8 weeks, but currently, due to the coronavirus epidemic, it is not possible to give an exact time for receiving a student visa. This time is taking into account the completeness of all the documents required to get a visa, such as the translation of educational qualifications, financial support letter, and other documents.
Conditions for obtaining a Canadian student visa
Canadian student visa is classified into two categories: a school’s student visa and a university’s student visa. The conditions for obtaining a visa in each type are as follows:
Conditions for obtaining a Canadian school’s student visa
The most important condition for obtaining a Canadian student visa is financial ability. You must prove to the Canadian embassy that in addition to paying the school fees, you will have no problem paying for the accommodation and daily living expenses in this country. In order to obtain admission and registration in Canadian schools, it is not necessary to present the IELTS certificate. Because you can take language courses in the school of your choice. Note that the age of the applicant is important for obtaining a Canadian student visa. Also, the GPA of the last two years of his/her report card should not be less than 16.
Important note: For Canadian school student visa applicants who are less than 18 years old, you must nominate a Canadian resident as a guardian. If you do not have access to a qualified person yourself, Raha Immigration Agency will do this for you.
Conditions for obtaining a Canadian student visa (studying in college or university)
In order to obtain a Canadian student visa, financial ability is the most important condition. The applicant must be able to pay for accommodation, daily expenses, and college tuition fees. If there is not much interruption in one’s education, one can take language courses in college. It is possible to continue studying in the college until the bachelor’s degree, and some colleges also offer post-baccalaureate courses.
Conditions for obtaining a Canadian student visa (studying at a university)
In addition to financial ability and age requirements, to study in Canadian universities, IELTS academic or equivalent tests must be presented. The IELTS level is determined according to the desired field and university. But usually, IELTS Academic 6.5 is required for undergraduate and master’s courses in Canadian universities, and 7 for doctoral courses.
Benefits of getting a student visa
One of the advantages of getting a student visa is the possibility of getting a work visa after the end of your studies. Also, the applicant has the possibility to work part-time for 20 hours a week during the study period, which can significantly help to cover living expenses during the study period.
Working conditions on campus for international students
If the student has the conditions to work in the university camp, he will be allowed to work. Working in a university camp does not require a work permit. Working on a student camp includes working for an employer on a university campus. The employer can be the university, one of the university professors, a student organization, a private business that operates within the university campus, or a private contractor that provides services related to the university.
Required conditions to work in the university camp :
- Having a STUDY PERMIT
- Having a social insurance number SIN
- Being a full-time student
- Public educational institutions such as colleges or universities in Quebec or private colleges in the province of Quebec operate under government laws and use at least 50% of government grants.
Working conditions outside the university campus for international students:
- Having a study permit
- Full-time study in one of the prestigious educational centers in Canada
- Inscription of work permit on study permit
- Having a SIN social insurance number
- Studying in a training course of at least 6 months that leads to a degree at the end.
Post-graduation work permit visa (PGWP) requirements
In order to get a work permit after graduation, people must have completed at least an 8-month course full-time and continuously in an accredited training center and have received a degree at the end of the course. The duration of the work permit varies depending on the length of the study period. In this way, if you succeed in obtaining admission to a one-year course, you have permission to work in Canada for one year after finishing your studies. If your study period is two years, you will be allowed to work in Canada for 3 years after completing your studies, which will pave the way for you to obtain Canadian residency.
Possible measures in case of non-approval of student visa
In case of not receiving the student visa, there are two solutions (after requesting the details of the non-approval of the case or ATIP, which will take approximately 1 month):
- Re-applying for a study visa after correcting the objections entered into the file by the immigration officer.
- Judicial prosecution of the case in the federal court.
Procedures for obtaining a Canadian student visa by Raha Immigration Institute
- Receive applicant information
- Choosing a university, college, or school based on the applicant’s requirements
- Correspondence with the educational center of the applicant
- Obtaining an acceptance letter from the educational center
- Submission of necessary documents by the applicant
- Visa application registration
- The presence of the applicant for fingerprinting and photographing at the offices of the Immigration Department in neighboring countries
- The announcement of the visa result by the Immigration Department
Documents required to obtain a study visa
- Passport
The original applicant’s current passport + scanned pages of previous passports that have the visa stamp or sticker or your previous visas registered in them.
۲. Educational qualifications
- Original and translated transcripts of the last 2 years of education (if you are applying for Canadian schools)
- Original and translation of the last academic degree + original and translation of transcripts (if you are applying for Canadian universities)
- WES certification: World Education Service certification is a system for evaluating academic qualifications for international students of American and Canadian universities. The confirmation is only for university degrees and there is no need to get confirmation for high school degrees. WES certification costs $245 and takes about 1 month.
- Letter of recommendation form (for university and school): This form must be completed by the principal of the school or the applicant’s teacher. Also, for a Canadian student visa, the college or university of your destination will specify who should complete this form. (Some schools and universities in Canada may require more than one letter of recommendation, as well as an SOP and resume.
- Resume (CV): written by the student for presentation to the university or college.
- Letter of Motivation (SOP): written by the student to be presented to the university or college.
- Statement of purpose: providing a language certificate is not required for Canadian schools and some colleges. But it is required for admission to Canadian universities.
- Canadian schools take a test from international students before starting their education, and if they fail this test, the student must participate in a preliminary language training course.
- To study in some universities or some fields, it is necessary to provide a language certificate with a higher score or to provide a certificate of advanced tests such as GRE and GMAT.