Study Permit and Visa Information

You can study English for a maximum of 6 months with a Visitor's Visa. You do not need a Study Permit (student visa) if you are planning to take a course or program in Vancouver, Canada with a duration of six months or less. If you want to apply for a Study Permit to come to Canada, you need to study a full time program in English.

Letter of Acceptance from inlingua Vancouver

This document is the proof that you will study an English course at inlingua, in Vancouver, Canada. Once you register and pay your tuition fees, in part or all, you will receive a Letter of Acceptance from our language school.

You can study full time programs or part time programs at inlingua Vancouver. In general, Immigration Officers will understand better and believe you more that you are coming to Canada to study an English course if you register in a Full Time Program.

The Letter of Acceptance from inlingua Vancouver is necessary to apply for a Study Permit, a Visitor's Visa or to come to Canada and prove to the immigration officers at the airport that you are going to study an English course at our language school, even if you don't need to apply for a visa in advance.

Visitor's Visa (TRV)

Do You Want to Visit Canada and take an English course for less than 6 months?

Every year more than 35 million people visit Canada. Canada welcomes these visitors as tourists, students or temporary workers. As a visitor, you will enjoy the many opportunities Canada has to offer.

According to immigration regulations, you can study for a maximum of 6 months with a Visitor's Visa.

Who Needs a Visitor's Visa

You can study for a maximum of 6 months with a Visitor's Visa. You do not need a Study Permit (student visa) if you are planning to take a course or program in Canada with a duration of six months or less.

If you want to take an English course for more than 6 months, then you will need a Study Permit and you have to study a full time program.

Please check the Canadian Embassy of your country or area to learn more about the visa.

You can contact one of our Agents and Representatives to help you with your Visa application.

Before coming to Canada

To visit Canada and study an English course for less than 6 months, you:

Must be healthy. You might need a doctor's examination
Must respect Canadian laws
Will need a valid passport, proof of who you are or other travel documents and
Will need a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) if you are from some countries

Canada does not pay for hospital or medical services for visitors. Make sure you have health insurance to pay your medical costs before you leave for Canada.

Contact a Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate for information on what you will need before coming to Canada.

Once you arrive

An officer from Citizenship and Immigration Canada will ask you a few short questions when you arrive. To make this go quickly, keep your passport with you and not in your luggage.

If you have received a Letter of Acceptance from inlingua, show it to the immigration officer. They could also want to see the Address of your Homestay or the place where you are going to live while in Vancouver

The officer will stamp your passport to tell you how long you may stay in Canada. Feel free to ask questions if you are unsure about anything. Depending on your answers to the immigration officer, your flight ticket and your funds, you will be allowed to stay up to 6 months.

After you arrive, you may want to change the conditions of your visit. This is possible in special cases. You must do this before your visa runs out. You must apply from within Canada to extend your stay or visit three weeks before your visa expires.

If later you want to obtain a Study Permit, you will have to leave Canada and apply from outside. If you have a visa for the USA, you could go to Seattle by car or bus and apply from there. Under no circumstances visitors can apply for a study permit from Canada.

If you are already in Canada with a valid TRV and want to study at our language school, you can take any of our programs, Full Time or Part-Time programs for a maximum of 6 months.

Study Permit

If you want to take an English course for more than 6 months, then you will need a Study Permit and you have to study a full time program.

Who Needs a Study Permit?

If you need a Study Permit (student visa) to come to Canada, then you have to study a Full-Time program like Super Intensive Program with 40 lessons, Intensive Program or any of the Specialized Programs with 30 lessons per week. Our Letter of Acceptance will indicate your selected Full-Time program. It shows the beginning and ending dates of study and the amount you have paid in advance.

Study Permits are issued by Immigration Offices only when the study time is longer than 6 months.

Who Needs a Visitor's Visa in addition to the Study Permit?

Applicants from many countries will need to apply for a Visitor's Visa (TRV-Temporary Resident Visa). The documentation and process to obtain the TRV is very similar to applying for a Study Permit. In this case, you must satisfy the Immigration Officers that you can support all the expenses of your trip and that you will return to your country after your visit.

In general, Immigration Officers will understand better and believe you more that you are coming to Canada to study an English course if you register in a Full Time Program.

You can use contact of our Agents and Representatives to help you with your Visa application.

If you are already in Canada with a TRV and want to study at our school, you can take our Part-Time programs like Semi Intensive AM Program or Semi Intensive PM Program.

Benefits of Having a Study Permit

You should apply for a Study Permit before you come to Canada if you think you may wish to continue your studies in another program after you complete the short-term course or program.

If you do not have a valid Study Permit and wish to continue your studies, you will have to leave Canada to apply for one. The nearest processing centre outside of Canada and close to Vancouver is Seattle. Students will need to have a valid American Visa to go to the Canadian Consulate in Seattle.

How to Apply for a Study Permit

Print the Application for a Study Permit in Canada. (If you are from certain countries, the Immigration Officer will process your application for a Temporary Resident Visa as well as a Study Permit. You do not need a separate application).

Collect the documents you need to apply. Here are some of them:
- a valid passport
- a Letter of Acceptance from inlingua Vancouver
- proof that you have enough money to support yourself for your entire stay in Canada. For example, a letter from your bank in your country and a written pledge of financial support from a parent will show immigration officials that you can afford your expenses while you are in Canada. These expenses include tuition, homestay, transportation, medical insurance, personal needs and return trips home
- a medical clearance if required by immigration
- a letter from your employer or sponsoring organization if you are being sponsored
- CAN 5 for the application fee
Complete the application for a Study Permit. Fill in the forms carefully and completely:
- Follow the instructions
- Use your computer, a typewriter or print clearly, using black ink
- Add appropriate characters for languages that do not use the Latin alphabet, such as Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic, Japanese, Hebrew, etc.
- Sign and date your application forms
Include the correct Application Fee.

There is a processing fee to apply for a Study Permit. The current rate is 5 Canadian dollars for a Study Permit, and for a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV). Verify acceptable methods of payment with the office where you submit your application.

Make sure that your application is complete.

Consult the Visa Office or its Web site to see if you need to fill out any additional forms or provide any additional documents.

Submit your application.

Fees, and required documents to a Visa Office at the Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate responsible for the country in which you are living.

Supply additional information or documents when the Visa Office requests it. This may include:
- Medical Examination Results.
- Police Certificates/Certificate of Good Conduct.

When you apply for your Study Permit, there is no guarantee of acceptance. You should not take any final steps, such as purchasing plane tickets or quitting your job, until your Study Permit is approved.

If you have any questions about your application, please contact the Visa Office where you submit your application.

For more information follow this link Government of Canada - Citizenship and Immigration to Official Canada Immigration website.

After You Apply - The Status of Your Application

The Visa Office will review your application to make sure you have completed it correctly and that it contains all of the required documents.

After reviewing your application, an officer will decide if an interview is necessary. If so, the officer will inform you of the time and place.

If Citizenship and Immigration Canada does not accept your application, they will notify you of the reasons for refusal in writing. Study Permit applications may be refused for the following reasons:

You have not shown proof of financial sufficiency
You have not passed the medical examination
You have not satisfied the Officer that your primary intention in Canada is to study
You have not satisfied the Officer that you will leave Canada at the end of the period of study. Please note: you are allowed to apply to study in Canada even if you are applying or considering applying to immigrate permanently to Canada now or in the future. However, the Officer must still be satisfied that you will leave Canada at the end of the period authorized for your stay (in the event that your permanent resident application is refused).

If you have questions about your refusal, you must contact the Visa Office that issued you the refusal letter.

Application Approval Documents

If your application is approved, you will receive:

A letter of introduction confirming the approval. This letter is not your Study Permit. Bring this letter with you to show to immigration officials when you enter Canada and in that moment you will receive the Study Permit.
A Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) in your passport If you are from certain countries. Check the Temporary Resident Visa (if applicable) that the Officer puts in your passport. It will tell you the date by which you must enter Canada, and how many times you can enter Canada. You must arrive in Canada before your TRV expires.

For more information follow this link Citizenship and Immigration - Status of Your Application to Official Canada Immigration website.

Arriving in Canada

When you come to Canada, you will first pass through Canada Customs, where you must show your travel documents and tell the Officer that you are coming to Canada to study. Next, you will talk to a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Officer at the Port of Entry.

Be prepared to produce the following documents when you arrive in Canada:

The letter of introduction from CIC that you received when your Study Permit was approved. This letter shows your permit reference number.
Your valid passport
A valid Temporary Resident Visa (if required)
An original or copy of a letter of acceptance from the school at which you are permitted to study
A valid Temporary Resident Visa (if required)
Address of your Homestay or the place where you are going to live while in Vancouver
Evidence of financial support
Letters of reference or any other documents recommended by the Canadian embassy, high commission, or consulate in your country

Carrying Your Travel Documents

Carry these items and all other valuable papers, cash and traveler's checks with you at all times rather than with your checked baggage.

You may not be allowed in Canada if any of your documents are missing or if any of the information on your application or letter of reference is wrong.

If there are no problems at the Port of Entry (generally Toronto or Vancouver), the CIC Officer will authorize you to enter Canada and will issue your Study Permit. You should:

Check the Study Permit to make sure that your personal information and that the institution's name is printed correctly.
Check the date that is stamped in your passport telling you when you must leave Canada. Do not stay beyond this date!

Understanding the terms and conditions on your Study Permit

The "conditions" listed on your permit will tell you:

how long you can stay in Canada
where you can study
at what level you can study
your program of study
the date by which you must leave Canada
if you need to report for medical examination or observation
if you need to report to provide evidence of compliance for certain conditions
if you are permitted to work on-campus at your institution

If you wish to change any of the terms and conditions on your study permit, you must submit an Application to Change Conditions or Extend Your Stay in Canada.

Exiting and Re-Entering Canada

In order to return to Canada, you must be in possession of:

A valid passport or travel document
A valid Study Permit if you are returning to study in Canada
A valid Temporary Resident Visa, if you are a citizen of one of some countries. If your Temporary Resident Visa has expired, or was for single-entry only, you will have to submit a completed temporary resident visa application to a Canadian embassy, high commission, or consulate abroad in order to re-enter Canada

Possession of these documents does not guarantee re-entry. All persons must establish that they meet all of the requirements of The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations before being authorized to enter or re-enter Canada.