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.
