Study Permits-Visas

Congratulations!

You have been accepted to study in a BC Public School District.  What happens next?

1. The District where you have been accepted issues you a Letter Of Acceptance. This document is your official offer to study in a BC school.

2. The District where you have been accepted also issues you a Custodial Document which indicates that you will be supervised while studying in BC. This document must be notarized and signed by your parents or legal guardian and the custodian in BC.

3. Apply for a Study Permit (Visa).  A Study Permit is a document issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada that authorizes you attend school in BC.  To apply for a Study Permit, you will need to visit the Canadian Embassy or High Commission in your home country and complete an application.  You may also obtain an application for a Study Permit by visiting the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.

Note that all students who plan to study in a BC Public School for six months or longer are required to apply for a Study Permit from Citizenship and Immigration Canada before they arrive in the country. Students may not apply for their initial Study Permit from inside Canada. Without a valid study permit students cannot be accepted at school.

If you plan to stay less than six months then you can apply to attend school without a study permit.  However, IPSEA school districts strongly encourage all of their students to apply for a study permit even if they intend to stay for less than six months.  There are two good reasons for this:

  1. If you have a valid study permit you can apply for health insurance coverage under the Medical services Plan of BC after you have been in BC for three months.
  2. If you attend for one semester and then decide you would like to stay longer, you do not have to leave the country to apply for a study permit.  As you already have a study permit you can simply renew and extend it here.

Because the process of applying for a study permit can be difficult if you don’t speak good English, some families choose to work with an education agent in their home country to assist them with the application process.

4. Gather the necessary documents.  This is extremely important and will usually require the following:

  1. Proof of identity: Passport; Travel documents; identity of family members
  2. Proof of financial support: Documents that show you have enough money to pay for your stay in BC
  3. Medical examination: Required if your stay is longer than six months or if you come form a country which is considered a high health risk
  4. Proof of acceptance from the school district where you will study (Letter of Acceptance)
  5. Custodial letter: Required for students under the age of nineteen in BC

5. Visit the Canadian Immigration office nearest you and submit all required forms.  These forms will be reviewed; you and your family will likely be interviewed.  If your documents are in order, then you will be issued a document that you will show to an immigration officer when you arrive in Canada.  At that point, you will be issued a Study Permit (Visa) which is your official invitation to study in BC.  This permit may be valid for one year or for multiple years.

NOTE:  The above information is of a general nature.  For up-to-date and more detailed information about applying for a Study Permit, visit the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website: www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/index.asp