Canada Study Permit Applications

A study permit consultant is worth using in four situations: a first application, an extension, a school transfer, and a package you prepared yourself and want checked before it goes in. The fee for each is published below, and so is every requirement IRCC currently applies.

Canada Shaws Consulting Inc. · Richmond, BC · Practising since 2015 · Regulated by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC)

Send us your acceptance letter, your funds position and your study history. We review it at no charge and reply with which of the four services applies, what is missing, and what it would cost.

Which study permit consultant service applies to you?

Four situations account for almost every study permit file, and they cost different amounts because they are different amounts of work.

Your situation	What is actually involved
First study permit	A letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution, a provincial or territorial attestation letter where one is required, proof of funds at the current published figure, and a study plan that answers why this programme, why Canada, and what follows.
Extension	Filed before the current permit expires, with proof you are still enrolled and still funded. Timing is the whole game.
School or programme transfer	A change of designated learning institution has to be reported and, in most cases, applied for. Studying at the new school before that is settled is where status quietly breaks.
You prepared it yourself	A senior consultant reads the package before you submit and tells you what an officer will question.

What you have to show, and how much money it takes

Three things decide most applications: that you have been accepted, that you can pay for it, and that an officer accepts you will leave at the end of your authorised stay if you have no other status by then.

Requirement	What IRCC currently requires
Acceptance	A letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution, plus a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL or TAL) where one is required. IRCC’s position is that one is needed in most cases, and it is normally issued only after you have accepted your offer and paid tuition in part or in full. Quebec uses a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) instead.
Living costs, outside Quebec	For applications submitted from 1 September 2026: CAD 23,448 for the applicant alone, CAD 29,192 for two people, CAD 35,888 for three, CAD 43,572 for four, CAD 49,419 for five, CAD 55,736 for six, CAD 62,054 for seven, and CAD 6,318 for each further family member. From 1 January 2025 to 31 August 2026 the figures were CAD 22,895, CAD 28,502, CAD 35,040, CAD 42,543, CAD 48,252, CAD 54,420, CAD 60,589 and CAD 6,170. IRCC updates them every year.
Tuition and travel	On top of the living-cost figure. IRCC states plainly that these amounts do not include tuition and transportation costs, so you must be able to cover all three.
Identity and admissibility	A valid passport or travel document and two photographs, a police certificate if required, and a medical examination if required.
Departure	Evidence that you will leave Canada when your authorised stay ends, if you have no other status by then.

Holding the money is not the same as proving it. Funds that appear shortly before the application and cannot be traced to a source are one of the most common reasons an otherwise strong application is refused. The published figure is a floor, not a budget. Confirm the current amount at IRCC’s proof of financial support page before you move money.

What you may do while you hold the permit

The permit carries conditions, and breaching one of them puts status at risk even when the studies are going well. These are the conditions IRCC currently publishes.

• Working off campus: up to 24 hours a week during a regular term or semester. You may hold more than one job to reach that total, but not exceed it.
• During a scheduled break, meaning a summer or winter holiday that your institution has scheduled, you may work unlimited hours off campus.
• To work off campus at all you must be enrolled full time at a designated learning institution, have started your programme, be in an academic, vocational or professional programme of at least six months leading to a credential, hold a study permit whose printed conditions authorise work, and have a Social Insurance Number.
• Actively pursuing studies is a condition of the permit itself. Dropping to part time or pausing without authorisation puts status at risk.
• Changing designated learning institution has to be reported and, in most cases, applied for. Starting at the new school before that is settled is the most common way status quietly breaks.

The work condition has changed more than once in recent years. What governs is the condition printed on your own permit, not the general rule and not what a classmate says. IRCC’s current position is at work off campus as an international student.

What study permit refusals actually turn on

Officers refuse study permits for a small number of recurring reasons, and almost all of them are about the two things a study plan has to establish: that the study makes sense for you, and that the money is real.

• Funds that appear shortly before the application and cannot be traced to a source, or that belong to someone whose relationship to you is not documented.
• A programme that does not follow from the education or career you already have, with no explanation offered.
• A study plan that reads as a template. The officer has seen the same paragraphs that week.
• Ties to the home country stated as a claim rather than shown as a fact.
• Documents that contradict each other on dates, names or amounts.
• An institution that is not PGWP-eligible, where the plan clearly depends on a post-graduation work permit that will not be available.

None of these is fixed by writing more. They are fixed by assembling evidence that makes the answer obvious before the officer has to ask.

What the government charges, before anything we charge

These are IRCC’s own fees. They are what you would pay whether you used a representative or not.

IRCC fee	Amount
Study permit, new permit or extension, per person	CAD 150
Biometrics, one person	CAD 85
Biometrics, family of two or more applying at the same time	CAD 170 maximum
Restoration of status as a student	CAD 396.25, being the CAD 246.25 restoration fee plus a new CAD 150 study permit

Taken from the IRCC fee list on 5 September 2026. Medical examinations, police certificates, translations and the provincial attestation letter are charged by the provider or the province, not by IRCC.

What a study permit consultant costs

These are our professional fees, on top of the government fees above. Most firms will not publish theirs; we do, so you can compare before you send anything. The assessment itself is free.

Service	What it covers	Professional fee
Assessment of your case	You send the form, we review your acceptance, funds and history and tell you which service applies.	Free
Study permit, full representation	First application. Document plan, funds review, the study plan written with you, forms, filing under an RCIC account and follow-up.	CAD 3,500
School or programme transfer	The change of designated learning institution reported and applied for in the right order, so status is not broken.	CAD 2,250
Study permit extension	Filed before expiry with proof of enrolment and funding.	CAD 460
Document review	You prepare it; a senior RCIC reads the package before you submit and tells you what an officer will question.	from CAD 669
Paid consultation	20, 40 or 60 minutes with a senior RCIC, for cases that need advice before a decision. Credited against full representation if you retain us within 7 days.	from CAD 120

Fees are professional fees only. They do not include IRCC or ESDC government fees, biometrics, medical examinations, translations, or applicable taxes.

Your journey with Canada Shaws

The same seven steps apply to every matter we take, whichever programme it is. The first two cost nothing, and the third is optional.

1. Free preliminary assessment. You complete our client intake form with your background, your goals and your current circumstances. An RCIC reviews what you have provided and carries out a preliminary assessment to identify the immigration programmes or pathways that may be relevant to your situation on the information available at this stage.
2. Assessment follow-up and information review. Our client representative contacts you to introduce the pathways the RCIC identified, explain our service process and professional fees, and understand your circumstances better. They may also review what you submitted, clarify anything incomplete or unclear, and confirm whether more information is needed. You can ask questions and see the available next steps.
3. Optional paid RCIC consultation. After the assessment and follow-up, you decide whether you want to speak directly with an RCIC before proceeding. If your questions are complex, or you want a detailed professional discussion of the options identified, you may book a paid consultation. It is optional. You can also proceed straight to signing up if you are ready.
4. Sign up with your RCIC. If you decide to proceed, you enter into a formal service agreement directly with the RCIC who will be professionally responsible for your matter. Once it is in place, the file moves into formal case preparation.
5. Detailed information and document preparation. Our team collects and reviews the detailed information and supporting documents your matter requires, and guides you through preparing them.
6. Application preparation and RCIC final review. The case team prepares your application package under the supervision of your RCIC: forms, supporting documents, submission letters and any other required materials. Your RCIC carries out the final professional review before submission.
7. Submission, updates and next steps. After submission we keep you informed of material developments. If immigration authorities request further information or issue a decision, our team guides you through the response, the result, and what happens next.

Who will handle your file

Every file is prepared under a named licensed consultant, and you can verify either of us on the CICC public register before you pay anything.

Both consultants are listed as Entitled to Practise on the CICC public register. Verify any Canadian immigration consultant at register.college-ic.ca.

Questions people ask before they apply

How much money do I need to show?

For applications from 1 September 2026, outside Quebec: CAD 23,448 for a single applicant, CAD 29,192 for two people and CAD 35,888 for three, plus CAD 6,318 for each family member beyond seven. Those amounts are for living costs only, with tuition and return travel on top, and IRCC updates the figure every year. The real cost of studying in Canada breaks down what students routinely leave out.

Do I need a provincial attestation letter?

IRCC’s position is that one is needed in most cases. It is a separate document obtained through the province or territory, not from IRCC, and it is normally issued only after you have accepted your offer and paid tuition in part or in full. Quebec uses a CAQ instead. Some applicants are exempt, so check before you assume the acceptance letter is enough.

How many hours can I work while studying?

Up to 24 hours a week off campus during a term, and unlimited hours during a break your institution has scheduled. You must be enrolled full time at a designated learning institution in a programme of at least six months, hold a permit whose printed conditions authorise work, and have a SIN. The condition printed on your own permit governs.

When should I apply for an extension?

Before the current permit expires, with enough margin that a request for documents does not push you past the date. When and how to apply for an extension sets out the timing.

Does it matter whether the college is public or private?

It affects both this application and what you are eligible for afterwards, including whether the institution is PGWP-eligible and whether the field of study rules will apply to you. Public colleges and private colleges set out the difference before you accept an offer.

I was refused. Can I apply again?

Usually yes, but not with the same package. A second application that does not address what the refusal letter says will be read against the first. Five reasons study permits are refused covers the recurring ones. Send us the refusal letter with the assessment form.

What does a study permit consultant actually do?

A study permit consultant confirms which of the four routes applies, checks the funds against the current published figure, writes the study plan with you, and files under an RCIC account so IRCC correspondence comes to us rather than getting missed.

Talk to a study permit consultant

Send us your situation in a short form. There is no charge for the assessment and no obligation: you will get back which service applies, whether your funds meet the current published figure, and what the work would cost.

Requirements described on this page are taken from the published criteria of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (and, where a page says so, Employment and Social Development Canada or the relevant province) and were checked on the date below. Immigration rules change, and the official criteria govern, so confirm the current requirement before you act on anything here.
No representative can guarantee an immigration outcome, and we do not promise one. What we commit to is a complete, correctly prepared application and a named licensed consultant responsible for it. Canada Shaws Consulting Inc. provides immigration consulting services as Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants; we are not a law firm and do not provide legal services.
Page last verified: 5 September 2026.