How do you apply for a study permit in Canada in 2026?

Get a letter of acceptance (LOA) from the DLI. IRCC asks schools to validate many LOAs after you apply, so confirm your registrar will respond. In most cases you also need a provincial attestation letter or territorial attestation letter (PAL or TAL) that shows the province has allocated a study-permit space for you. Schools usually issue or request the PAL after you accept an offer and pay a tuition deposit. Upload the PAL in the field IRCC names for it, or in Client information if the portal layout requires that workaround.

Prove you can pay tuition, living costs for yourself and any accompanying family, and return transport. IRCC also expects you to show you will leave when the permit ends, unless a later pathway changes your status. Biometrics, medical exams, and police certificates apply when the instructions for your country require them.

Apply online. Port-of-entry study permit applications are tightly limited; most people must finish the file before travel. Inside-Canada applications are only for listed situations such as already holding a valid study or work permit, or being the spouse or child of someone who does.

The permit can list the DLI, work conditions, and a leave-by date. On-campus and off-campus work rules are printed on the document and change with IRCC policy, so read the conditions before you take a job. A Social Insurance Number still comes from Service Canada after you have work authorization: get a SIN. Employer-focused stays usually need a work permit instead of stretching a study file.

Post-graduation work permit (PGWP) eligibility depends on the DLI, program length, field rules, and when you applied. Check PGWP rules before you pick a college, not after graduation.

Open banking, get a phone plan, and confirm whether your province covers international students under public health or requires private insurance: open a bank account and enrol provincial health. English or French academic demands differ by campus: English in Canada. Campus social patterns sit in International students community.