Gather required documents for your initial study permit application

Even if your Letter of Admission, or offer letter, has admission conditions that you still have left to complete, you may use your conditional Letter of Admission for your study permit application. We do not recommend that you wait to meet the conditions before applying; “full acceptance” letters are not automatically issued.

If you are applying for your study permit with a conditional Letter of Admission, add a section to your letter of explanation to explain how the conditions have been or will be met and provide proof if you can.

Find out how to get your UBC Letter of Admission.

If you are applying for a study permit from India, Nepal or Bhutan

The instructions for visa offices in India indicate that an unconditional letter of acceptance is required. See important considerations for details.

As of Jan 22, 2025, all students submitting study permit applications from outside Canada must include a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) with their study permit application, except for exchange students through Go Global. Find out how to get a PAL. After you receive your PAL, you will need to upload it in your document checklist as part of your study permit application.

It is very important to show strong proof of financial support from yourself and/or your sponsors, such as family members or organizations supporting you. 

Most Canadian immigration officers interpret “evidence of sufficient funds” to mean 4 months of bank statements, savings account statements, bank drafts, or other proof that indicates you have sufficient funds to cover the cost of 1 year in Canada including:

• Your first year of tuition fees as indicated on your Letter of Admission
• Travel expenses to get to and from Canada, and
• Minimum cost-of-living
  • The minimum for one year of cost-of-living expenses is $20,635 for an individual as of 2024, in addition to tuition fees for the first year and travel costs. The cost-of-living amount will be adjusted each year based on Statistics Canada’s low-income cut-off. The amount required for additional family members depends on how many dependents you have.

You are only required to show the minimum proof of funds for tuition, cost-of-living expenses and return travel expenses to cover your first year of studies, even if your program is more than 1 year. For example, if you are an undergraduate student, you do not need to provide proof of funds for all 4 years. However, the officer who reviews your application must be satisfied that the probability of funding for future years does exist, such as if you are being supported by your parents that you provide proof of their employment, or if you have a scholarship that it is for more than 1 year.

For more details, please see IRCC’s website.

Below are examples of what you can submit as proof of financial support. Provide as many of them as apply to your situation.

• Your bank statements from Canadian or overseas bank with a stamp
• A letter from UBC that proves you are receiving financial aid/scholarship/award/teaching assistantship/research assistantship
• Bank statements of your parents/sponsor from a Canadian or overseas bank with a stamp
• Proof of employment for yourself/your parents/sponsor
• Proof of business ownership/income for yourself/your parents/sponsor
• A Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) from a participating Canadian financial institution
• Approval for an educational loan
• Proof of ownership of properties for yourself/your parents/sponsor 
• Proof of any other type of income, stock, dividend etc. for yourself/your parents/sponsor
• It is not possible to pre-pay tuition fees to UBC – you should show you have sufficient funds to cover your tuition fees in your application. It is recommended that you apply for your study permit as soon as possible and do not wait for registration to open. If you have already registered in courses and paid tuition, provide your proof of tuition payment from Workday. Learn how to access your financial account activity. It may take 1 to 5 days for tuition payment to appear on your account.

If the balance(s) in any of the documentation above is in foreign currency, provide a screenshot of the Bank of Canada currency converter result (if your currency is not listed, use xe.com).

If the proof of funds is from another person’s bank account, such as a parent or family member who is sponsoring you, they must provide proof of where their funding is coming from. Additionally, they must write a letter (preferably notarized) stating that they will support you during your studies in Canada. Providing proof of relationship and their passport is recommended. To write a letter of financial support, they can download our template (docx).

Include a summary or an index page of all the documents you are submitting for this section. This will also allow you to clarify or explain the connection between documents, if applicable. You can download a Word template for the summary (docx).

Provide a copy of the bio-data page (the page with your name, date of birth, passport number, expiration date, etc.) and a copy of every page of your passport that has stamps, visas, or markings from any country. Most visa offices require copies of your current passport and all expired passports that you have held; be sure to check your visa office instruction guide for the requirements you must meet.

Important: Your study permit will not be issued beyond your passport’s expiry date.

• If you do not have a passport, apply immediately.
• If your passport will expire soon, extend it before you apply for your study permit.
  • If this is not an option or passport processing time is too long, apply for a study permit with your current passport. If you get the new passport before your application is processed, you can request to add your new passport to your application through the IRCC’s webform.
  • If you can’t get a new study permit in time, after you arrive in Canada, extend your passport and extend your study permit from within Canada before your study permit expires. 

Make sure your photo meets the specifications for the application method you’re using.

• Applying online
  Find digital photo specifications on theYour document checklist page by clicking on the question mark, in the “Instructions” column, for “Digital photo”.
• At a Visa Application Centre or applying on paper
  You need 2 photos which meet the IRCC’s photo specifications

In addition to the documents required for students from all countries, some visa offices require additional documents. Remember to check for any additional documents required by your country’s visa office.

To get the full list of documents required by your country’s visa office:

1. Go to the IRCC website for paper applications and select your country/territory from the drop-down list.
2. Then select “Visa office instructions”. This will launch a PDF specifying requirements for your visa office.

To avoid delays or rejection, submit the required documents listed on the Your document checklist page in your IRCC secure account plus any visa office-specific documents.

• For any visa office specific documents you have not already provided in your online document checklist, add them to your Letter of Explanation. Merge your Letter of Explanation and all visa office-specific documents into one file (such as a PDF) then upload the file in the “Client Information” section under Optional Documents in your online checklist. The file must be within 4MB in size.

A letter of explanation is a letter you will write yourself to describe additional factors, and a place to include additional documents to support your application. An important part of your application is to provide an explanation and supporting documents to show the officer that you have strong ties to your home country and will leave Canada before the end of your authorized stay. See the guideline below on how to write a letter of explanation. 

Your letter of explanation could include:

• Issues you would like to clarify or that the officer might find useful
• Supporting documents, screenshots, or any other proof to support your explanation
• Documents showing how you will meet the conditions of your Letter of Admission, if applicable
• Additional employment history if you have run out of space in your application form
• Additional documents required by your visa office which you have not provided elsewhere in your application
• An explanation about your status in the country you are applying from, if you are not applying from your country of citizenship, and copies of your status documents

For further guidelines, check out the How to write a Letter of Explanation guide (pdf).

You may also download our template to write a letter of explanation (docx). Upload this document under “Client Information” in the Optional Documents section of your online checklist.

The letter of explanation that you will write should be the first page, followed by supporting documents which you then combine into one PDF to upload a single file. 

To address the purpose of your studies, write a detailed study plan that is concise, clear and genuine (see template below). This may be required by your visa office and could include specific points to address.

For further guidelines, check out the How to write a Study Plan guide (pdf).

You may also use our study plan Word template (docx). Upload this document under “Client Information” in the Optional Documents section of your online checklist if applying online.

If you apply for a study permit from outside Canada, you will be required to submit your biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) in-person at a biometrics collection point outside of Canada. 

The time it takes to submit your biometrics is not included in the processing time for your study permit and your application will not be processed until biometrics are received by the visa office. You only need to give biometrics once every 10 years.

American citizens, those who have provided biometrics in the past 10 years, as well as certain individuals are exempt from providing biometrics. 

1. Pay the biometrics fee at the same time you submit your study permit application for faster processing.
2. Receive your Biometrics Instruction Letter (BIL) online. You will typically receive the PDF biometrics instruction letter soon after submitting your study permit application. If you pay the biometrics fee and do not receive the biometrics instruction letter within 3 business days of submitting your application, you should submit a webform on technical difficulties to follow up and request your BIL.
3. Submit your biometrics within 30 days after receiving your biometrics instruction letter.

Find out where to submit biometrics.

Note: If there is no biometrics collection service point in your home country, you may need to travel to another country to give biometrics.

You require a medical exam when applying for a study permit if you:

1. Have lived in a designated country or territory for more than 6 months in the 12 months immediately before you apply. Canada is not a designated country or territory, so this does not apply to you if you have been in Canada for more than 6 months in the past year.
2. Would like to work in certain jobs in Canada which bring you into close contact with people, such as positions in elementary schools or hospitals, or if you are a medical student.

If the above scenario applies to you, you will need a medical exam conducted by an IRCC-approved Panel Physician. The doctor will send the full results to IRCC automatically. Ask the doctor for a copy of your medical exam report (referred to as your “e-medical”), which you will need to upload in your document checklist.

You have 2 options:

1. Take an upfront medical exam before submitting your initial study permit application, then include your e-medical report in your application. We recommend this option as it will save you time. 
2. Alternatively, apply for your study permit first and wait for a visa officer to send you a medical exam request. This may delay the processing of your application, then provide medical exam results within 30 days of the request.

Medical exams are valid for 12 months and must be valid at the time you enter Canada. If you will travel to Canada more than 12 months after your medical exam, you will need a new one before you travel. Check the travelling to Canada guide for more details.

This form is required if it is included in your document checklist (see sample below) or if it is required by your visa office (upload under Client Information along with your letter of explanation). Check IRCC’s instruction guide.

If your program has a mandatory work component, such as a co-op, practicum or internship, upload a letter from your faculty or program to apply for a co-op work permit at the same time as your study permit application.

For more information about whether you need a co-op work permit, check the “apply online” section of our tutorial.

This document is required only if you answer “Yes” to questions 3, 4, 5 or 6 in the “Background Information” section of the “Application for a Study Permit Made Outside of Canada” form [IMM1294], or if it is required by your visa office.

Most students will not require Schedule 1. That is why it is listed in the “Optional Documents” section in your IRCC online account, if you are applying online.