The Visa Issue: Canada

The Visa Issue: Canada

Canadian Flag

Certainly, if you want to go on exchange to Canada, you will have to consider the “visa issue”.  The student visa in Canada is known as “Study Permit”. You need to obtain a Canadian study permit, if you are a student from one of the following countries:

Afghanistan,  Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Macao S.A.R., Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives Islands, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia States, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda Sao Tome e Principe, Saudi Arab, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovak Rep., Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Surinam, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Don’t get scared! There are a number of criteria for students who are not required to get a Canadian study permit to study in Canada.  These criteria are the following:

• Students from Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Brunei, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel (National Passport holders only), Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Republic of Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, San Marino, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Slovenia, Switzerland, United States, and Western Samoa don't require to have Canadian student visa to study in Canada.
• Students who are the permanent resident of United States who hold a Green Card or can present any evidence which show they belong permanently to USA.
• Students who are the citizens of United Kingdom, either they are in UK or are staying abroad but legally can return back and stay in UK.
• Students who have a valid Special Administrative Region passport issued by the Government of the Hong Kong.

So, if you meet any of these criteria, you should not worry about the obtaining visa procedure!

Application procedure

Documents required for obtaining Canadian study permits:

Of course, if you have to get a Canadian visa, some documents should be presented to prove that you are eligible. These documents include:

• Completed Application for Study permits;
• A valid passport;
• Two photos of the students and each of the family members. The photograph must not be more that six month old. Back of the photo, the name and date of birth of the person appearing in the photo should be written;
• Proof that shows the educational institution has accepted the student for admission in their institution;
• Evidence of sufficient funds to overcome all the living expenses and study costs in Canada;
• Bank transaction statement of last four months;
• Proof of payment of fee in acceptable format. This format varies according to country and region. However, the most general method is presenting it through Bank Draft;
• Evidence that show students have no criminal records;
• Students from some nations may even need to present medical reports (see the list below);
• Any other documents that may help for obtaining a Student visa for Canada.

Medical records:

You have to provide the authorities with your medical record, if you are studying in one of the following countries:

Admiralty Islands, Afghanistan, Algeria, American Samoa, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Ascension, Austral Islands, Azerbaijan, Azores, Bahamas, Bahrain, Balearic Islands, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belau, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bora Bora, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, CambodiaCameroon Canary Islands, Cap Vert, Central African Rep. , Chad, Chagos Archipelago,China, Cook Islands, Cooz Islands, Colombia, Comoros - Islamic Federal Republic, Congo - Democratic Republic (Kinshasa), Christmas Island, Congo Republic, Croatia, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Easter Island, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon Republic, Gambia, Gambier Islands, Georgia, Paris, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Huahine Island, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Loyalty Islands, Marquesas Islands, Marshall Islands, Midway Islands, New Guinea Islands, Ivory Coast, Johnston Atoll, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kerguelen Islands, Kiribati, Kosrae, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar , Madeira, Maio, Makatea, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali Republic, Maupiti, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Moorea, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Britain, New Caledonia, New Guinea Mainland, New Hebrides, New Ireland, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue Island, North Korea, Northern Mariana, Northern Sinai, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Ponape, Portugal, Raiatea, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Sabah, Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, Sao Tome e Principe, Sarawak, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Society ArchipelagoSolomon Islands, Somali Republic, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Helena, Sudan, Surinam, Swaziland, Syria, Tahaa, Tahiti, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tibet, Tokelau Islands, Togo, Tonga, Tristan Da Cunha, Truk Island, Tuamotu Archipelago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, U.S. Trust Territory of Pacific Island, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wake Island, Wallis and Futuna, Western Sahara, Western Samoa, Yap Islands, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Canadian Student visa application fee:

You need to pay $125 for your application.

Processing time:

It is recommended that you submit your application for Canadian study permit at least several months before the start of the academic year so that you can make sure that your visa will be ready on time. The visa processing time usually varies depending on the individual cases. Thus, obtaining Canadian visa might take from a week to a couple of months.