Canada Student Visa from India: Documents, Fees, Timeline

Canada calls it a study permit, not a student visa, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) decides it from your online file. You only visit a VFS Global centre in India to give biometrics and, later, to hand in your passport. Everything below is as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. For visitor visas for your parents, see our Canada visa guide for Indians.

Which documents go into the application?

• Letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution (DLI), uploaded to the online application.
• Provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL) in most cases, submitted with the application. Quebec asks for an attestation of issuance of a CAQ instead.
• Proof of financial support for tuition, living expenses and return transportation (see the funds section below).
• Police certificate and medical exam, if IRCC requires them.
• Passport and the items on the personalised checklist that the IRCC Portal generates for you.

You must also satisfy an officer that you will leave Canada when the permit expires, so the file should make your plans after the course clear.

Do you need a PAL/TAL, or are you exempt?

The province or territory issues the PAL/TAL through your DLI, usually after you accept the offer and pay part or all of the tuition. Each applicant needs their own letter, and it must be valid on the day you apply. Letters for the 2026 cap year are valid until 31 December 2026 unless they show an earlier date.

You do not need one if you are going to preschool, primary or secondary school, are an exchange student paying no tuition to the DLI, or hold a Global Affairs Canada scholarship. From 1 January 2026, master's and doctoral degree-granting programs at a public DLI are also exempt.

Two rules catch Indian students out. You need a new PAL/TAL after an approval or a refusal. And since 22 January 2025, changing schools means getting a new one before you apply (IRCC PAL/TAL page).

How much money must you show?

You need first-year tuition, return transportation and living costs. IRCC's living-cost minimums outside Quebec for applications on or after 1 September 2026 are:

The single-applicant figure was CAN$22,895 for applications from 1 January 2025 to 31 August 2026. IRCC accepts several kinds of proof: a guaranteed investment certificate (GIC) from a Canadian financial institution, a Canadian bank account in your name, bank statements for the past 6 months showing the source of funds, an education loan, a scholarship, receipts for paid tuition or housing, or a letter and proof from a sponsor. For programmes longer than a year, you must also explain how you will pay for the full duration (IRCC financial support page).

What fees will you pay?

VFS charges are paid in INR by cash or UPI and are non-refundable. VFS has announced new charges from 1 November 2026, with amounts not published as of 15 October 2026.

What does the timeline look like?

1. Offer and PAL/TAL: accept the DLI offer, pay the deposit and wait for the PAL/TAL from the province.
2. Apply online: submit through the IRCC Portal and pay CAN$150 plus CAN$85.
3. Biometrics: once the Biometric Instruction Letter arrives, book at one of the ten VACs (Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune), uploading the letter when you book.
4. Decision: IRCC's processing figure for study permits applied for from outside Canada by applicants in India is 7 weeks, last updated 14 October 2026.
5. Passport: submit it at a VAC by prior appointment; collect the decision envelope by walk-in (Monday to Friday, 9:00-17:00) or by courier.

IRCC told a parliamentary committee in April 2026 that posted processing times are backward-looking, so leave a margin before your intake.

How often are study permits refused?

According to an IRCC note for the SECU parliamentary committee (30 April 2026), the refusal rate for new study permit applications from all nationalities was 59% in January-December 2025, up from 52% in 2024. IRCC does not publish an India-only figure on that page. These are past outcomes across all applicants, not a forecast for your file.

Mistakes that sink Indian study permit files

• Using the old CAN$22,895 funds figure for an application made after 1 September 2026.
• Showing a sudden bank deposit with no six-month history of where it came from.
• Changing your DLI and reusing the old PAL/TAL.
• Counting only living costs and forgetting first-year tuition and the return fare.
• Booking biometrics before IRCC's instruction letter arrives.

Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares flight reservations, hotel bookings, itineraries and cover letters for visa files, such as a visitor application for parents attending your convocation. Packages run from INR 1,000 for a flight reservation to INR 3,000 for the full set. WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or use our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Is a GIC mandatory for Indian students going to Canada?

No. IRCC lists a guaranteed investment certificate from a Canadian financial institution as one accepted proof of funds. A Canadian bank account in your name, six months of bank statements showing the source of funds, an education loan, a scholarship or paid tuition receipts are also accepted.

Do Indian master's students need a PAL in 2026?

Not if the programme is a master's or doctoral degree-granting program at a public designated learning institution. IRCC removed the PAL/TAL requirement for those programs from 1 January 2026.

What do Quebec-bound students submit instead of a PAL?

Students going to Quebec submit an attestation of issuance of a CAQ instead of a PAL/TAL. The living-cost minimums quoted by IRCC in this guide apply outside Quebec.

Can I give Canadian biometrics in one city and submit my passport in another?

Yes. VFS charges an optional package transmission fee of INR 604 when you give biometrics at one Visa Application Centre and submit documents at another. The CAN$85 biometrics fee covers one transmission only.