How to Apply Study Permit in Canada before Working Holiday Visa expires?

The Canadian government offers a limited number of Working Holiday visas to Taiwanese citizens each year. Despite the limited slots and fierce competition, I was fortunate enough to secure an IEC visa on my second attempt in 2020. After enduring a slow and challenging process during the pandemic, I finally obtained my POE. In January 2023, I entered Canada, embarking on the final chapter of my Working Holiday in Canada as a nearly-40-year-old adventurer.

As the one-year visa is quickly coming to an end, I’ve grown increasingly fond of Canada’s environment and climate. Having started to build my social circle and develop a lifestyle here, I’ve been contemplating how to continue staying in Canada after my visa expires.

After researching various options and consulting with agencies, I’ve summarized the possible pathways:

1. Apply for the RO Visa: The process is similar to the IEC visa, but since I’m over 35, I no longer qualify. ❌
2. LMIA: Due to the nature of my industry, it’s challenging to find an employer willing to provide sponsorship, so I’ve ruled this out. ❌
3. Common-Law Partner or Marriage Visa: If your partner has a Canadian work permit, study permit, PR, or citizenship, you can apply for this visa. However, I came to Canada alone and don’t know anyone here, so this is not an option for me. ❌
4. PGWP: Studying for 2 years allows you to obtain a three-year work permit, which sounds appealing. However, the tuition fees for a two-year program are quite high, and schools require language proficiency. With an average score of 6 in CELPIP, this option isn’t feasible for me either. ❌
5. Work and Study (Co-op): This involves 6 months of coursework followed by a six-month Co-op internship (or 12+12). There are many course options, and the tuition fees are relatively affordable. Schools also have lower language requirements, and if your language skills aren’t sufficient, you can attend language school first. The downside is that this program doesn’t lead to a work permit after graduation. However, this seems to be the most suitable option for me at the moment.

There are other, more complicated pathways, but I’ve decided not to consider them. After all, studying is an investment in myself. With this mindset, I’ve decided to restart my academic journey. After setting my goal, I began preparing for school applications and a study permit in Canada before my visa expired.

How to Apply for a Study Permit

If you plan to study in Canada for more than 6 months, you’ll need not only a letter of acceptance from a school but also a Study Permit issued by IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada).

For those applying from within Canada, you must submit your study permit application at least 30 days before your Work Permit expires. If you apply from outside Canada, the processing time is approximately 8 weeks, while applications within Canada take about 4 weeks. Note that the required documents may differ slightly between in-country and out-of-country applications. The following guide is specifically for applying for a study permit in Canada (outside of Quebec).

• To get an idea of how long it will take for your application to be processed, you can visit the IRCC – Check processing times. This will give you the average time for your specific visa type.
• The process for applying for a study permit is clearly outlined on the IRCC website. Visit IRCC – Study in Canada as an international student page for comprehensive information. Since the requirements for study permits frequently change, it’s advisable to check the website for the most up-to-date information before applying.

Sign In to the GCKey Account

Go to the IRCC website and sign in to your GCKey account. If you previously applied for a Working Holiday Visa, you should already have an account. If not, you can create a new account on the same platform.

Select the Study Permit Application Form

After logging into the dashboard, you will first see your previous visa application records. Scroll down, and you will find the option Apply to come to Canada. Proceed to the next page and select Visitor visa, study and/or work permit.

Next comes a series of detailed questions. Please fill them out according to your own circumstances or refer to the example answers I have provided below.

Based on the answers I provided above, I am eligible to apply for a study permit in Canada. Click Continue to proceed with the application.

Create the Personal Checklist

Before submitting the application, there will be a few additional questions to answer, after which the personal document checklist will appear.

After selecting Continue, you will encounter another series of detailed questions. Please fill them out according to your personal circumstances or refer to the examples I provided.

Review All Questions

After answering all the questions, you will need to review your responses to ensure there are no errors. If any mistakes are found, you can modify them at this stage. Once everything looks correct, proceed to the next page, which will provide instructions on the upcoming steps.

Complete Preliminary Steps

Finally, the student visa application form is ready for submission. The backend clearly outlines the required documents to upload.

1. Upload IMM5709e Application Form
2. Make sure to upload all the required documents.
3. Click the Question Make icon to view file instructions.
4. If there are any additional documents, they can be uploaded here.

Document Preparation

Before starting the online student visa application, it is recommended to prepare all required documents in advance, especially the Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from the school. All documents should be provided digitally, whether through photos or scans. The required documents may vary based on personal circumstances. Below is my personal document preparation checklist for reference.

IMM5709e Form

This is the form for applying for a student permit in Canada. You can find it on the Find an IRCC application package or form.

1. Chiise A form or a checklist
2. Searching 5709
3. Download the form

Before starting to fill out the form, please note the following points:

1. The imm5709e.pdf form should be opened with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
2. Please do not press the Validate button until you have completed filling out the form.
3. The Clear Form button will erase all the information entered.
4. If you need to take a break, you can always save the form by pressing Ctrl+S (or Command+S on Mac).
5. Your UCI number can be found on the top right corner of your Open Work Permit (the orange visa paper).
6. The following filling methods are for reference only. Please fill out the form according to your personal situation.

Once the entire form is filled out and you’ve confirmed that all the information is correct, you can click the Validate button. Afterward, the next page will display a full-page QR Code, as shown below:

Once you’ve reviewed the entire document and confirmed that there are no issues, you can save and close the file. This document will be needed for your study permit application, so make sure not to delete it.

Letter of Acceptance (LOA)

To apply for a study permit, you need to provide a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from a Designated Learning Institution (DLI).

A DLI is a school approved by the provincial or territorial government to accept international students. You can find the list of DLIs directly on the IRCC – Designated learning institutions list.

After entering the website, scroll down and select the province/region where you plan to study in the red box. This will display a list of all schools. You can check if the school you are applying to is on the list. If you have a specific school and course/department in mind, you can go directly to the school’s official website to submit an application¹. As long as you meet the application requirements, receive the school’s offer, pay the tuition fee, etc., the school will send you the LOA, which you can use to apply for a study permit.²

1. Each school has a different application process. For detailed information, please consult with the school’s advisor. ↩︎
2. PGWP refers to the Post-Graduation Work Permit in Canada. Students who have obtained a diploma, undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree in Canada can receive an open work permit for a period ranging from 8 months to 3 years, depending on the length of their program, once they hold a study permit. ↩︎

Passport

Provide a valid passport in digital, including the page with your personal details (photo, date of birth, etc.) and any pages with stamps, visas, or other markings. If the document contains multiple pages, you can combine them into a PDF, but the file size must not exceed 4MB.

Proof of Means of Financial Support

For study permits applied after January 1, 2024, the proof of financial support must show at least CAD $20,635. If applying for multiple people, the required financial proof will vary. For more details, refer to IRCC – IRCC – Proof of financial support.

Proof of Upfront Medical Exam

This refers to a medical exam performed at a designated hospital. It is similar to the process for work holiday applications. Please refer to the Working Holiday in Canada (4) Proof of Upfront Medical Exam.

Digital Photo

The official photo format requirements are as follows:

• The photo must show a complete front view of the head and shoulders, with the face in the center.
• Head size (from chin to top of the head) must be between 31mm and 36mm.
• The image must be at least 420 x 540 pixels.
• Only JPEG or JPEG2000 formats are accepted.
• File size: approximately 240KB, not exceeding 4MB.
• The image must be in RGB (24 bits).

Uploading and Submitting

Once the above documents are ready, log in to the IRCC website and upload all the documents. Be sure to name the files in English to avoid upload errors.

Once all the documents are uploaded, the Next button will appear at the bottom right.

This step is for the declaration and electronic signature. Once everything looks good, you can proceed to the payment!

The study permit fee is CA$150. The next page will prompt you to enter your credit card details.

Once the payment is successfully completed, this screen will appear, indicating that the application has been successfully submitted.

IRCC has received your visa application

After submitting the application, I received a notification the next day confirming that IRCC has received the application documents. Now, I just need to wait to see if any additional documents are required. If not, I will wait for IRCC to issue the study permit.

Study Permit has been Approved

The IRCC website stated that the processing time is about 4 weeks, and indeed, on the 28th day, I received the approval letter for my study permit!

First, I received a notification about the status change.

Then, I received this PDF document informing me that the visa has been approved. Next, I had to wait for the documents to be mailed to the address provided in the application. If the documents weren’t received within 6 weeks, I was instructed to contact IRCC.

Receiving the Student/Work Permit

About a week later, the visa was mailed to the address provided in the application. Be sure to keep an eye on your mail for its arrival.

Since the school I applied to offers Co-op, I received 2 letters: one for the study permit and one for the work permit. Upon opening them, be sure to check that all the information is correct. If there are any errors, it’s best to contact IRCC as soon as possible to request corrections!

This concludes the guide for applying for a study permit in Canada.

Related Posts

---

Thank you for reading!
If you like my post🖋️
Feel free to buy me a coffee☕️
Your support is our motivation for creating!🥰