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🇨🇦 Student visa guide

Canada Student Visa from Pakistan: Study Permit, PAL, Funds and Refusals

Canada study permit from Pakistan: who needs a PAL, proof of funds after the SDS, the medical, work rights, PGWP rules and why applications are refused.

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Last checked against official sources on 25 September 2026

QUICK ANSWER

How much does a Canadian study permit cost from Pakistan, and how long does it take?

A study permit costs CA$150, plus CA$85 for biometrics, and the visitor visa you need to enter Canada is issued with it. IRCC's estimate for study permits from Pakistan was 7 weeks on 7 October 2026, and it changes often, so allow 4–8 months before your intake.

Checked on the official sites on 13 October 2026. Fees and times change, so confirm them on the linked page before you pay. Visa centre charges and any consultant's fee are extra.

Study permit fee
CA$150
per person; the visitor visa is issued with the permit
IRCC ↗
Biometrics
CA$85
per person; CA$170 at most for a family applying together
IRCC ↗
Processing time
7 weeks
IRCC's estimate for Pakistan on 7 Oct 2026; it changes often
IRCC ↗

At a glance

What you are applying for

A Canadian study permit lets you study at a designated learning institution (DLI). From Pakistan you apply online with your letter of acceptance, proof of funds and, for most students, a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL or TAL); if you are approved, IRCC also issues the visitor visa you travel on.

Canada is now a capped and closely checked system. The number of permits is limited each year, the faster Student Direct Stream has gone, and officers look hard at where your money comes from and whether the programme makes sense for someone with your background. Refusals usually come down to the officer not being satisfied that your main purpose is study, or that you will leave when it ends.

Most refusals come down to one of four

  1. Study as the main purpose
  2. Funds with a history
  3. A programme that fits
  4. Ties to Pakistan
Toronto skyline
Canada · Student visa
What you apply for
A study permit; IRCC issues the visitor visa you need with the approval
Attestation letter
Needed by most students; master's and PhD students at public institutions are exempt since January 2026
Student Direct Stream
Closed on 8 November 2024; everyone applies through the regular stream
Medical
Required for Pakistan residents coming for more than six months
Work while studying
Up to 24 hours a week off campus in term, unlimited in scheduled breaks
After study
Post-graduation work permit of up to three years, if the programme qualifies

Is this the right guide?

Who it is for

Applying on the wrong visa is one of the quickest ways to a refusal, so read both lists before anything else.

You’re in the right place if you are

  • Holding a letter of acceptance

    Students with a letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution.

  • A master's or PhD student at a public university

    Master's and PhD students at public universities, who no longer need an attestation letter.

  • Able to get a PAL or TAL

    College and undergraduate students who can obtain a PAL or TAL from their province or territory.

  • Planning to work after graduating

    Students planning to work in Canada after graduating on a post-graduation work permit.

  • A family with funds and a plan

    Families who can show funds for the first year, with a history behind them, and a plan for the rest.

Document checklist

Documents you will need

The base list for this visa. Your own checklist is built around your case — a salaried applicant and a business owner do not submit the same file.

0 / 14ready in your file

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Everyone

Proof of funds

Family members coming with you

Step by step · with timings

How to apply, and how long it takes

In the order it happens. Each stage waits on the one before it, so the date you start decides the date you finish. Ranges, not promises — the mission owns the clock.

START TO FINISH4–8 monthsbefore your intake — more for September
  1. 2–8 weeks

    Choose the school and programme with the end in mind

    The school must be a designated learning institution, and for work after study it must also be eligible for a post-graduation work permit. College programmes must be in a field on IRCC's eligible list; bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees are exempt from that rule.

  2. 1–6 weeks

    Accept the offer and get your PAL or TAL

    Accept your offer and pay any deposit the school asks for. Unless you are exempt, the school or province then issues the attestation letter. It belongs to one cap year and cannot be used for an application in a later one.

  3. 6 months' statements

    Prepare the funds and the study plan

    Show the first year's tuition, living costs and travel, and explain how you will pay for the later years. IRCC asks for six months of bank statements with the source of the money, and it updates the living-cost amount each year.

  4. 1–3 weeks

    Get the medical done

    Pakistan is on IRCC's list of countries whose residents need a medical for stays of more than six months. An upfront exam with a panel physician before you apply saves weeks later.

  5. Plan 6–12 weeks

    Apply online and give biometrics

    Submit the application in your IRCC account and pay the fees, then give biometrics at a visa application centre in Pakistan when IRCC sends the letter. IRCC publishes its current processing time for applicants from Pakistan.

  6. At the border

    Approval and arrival

    If you are approved, you receive a port of entry letter of introduction and a visitor visa in your passport. The study permit itself is issued by the border officer when you land, so check its dates and conditions before you leave the airport.

Rather have it handled?University admission and student visa — from shortlist to boarding pass.Our Study Visa service

Money

What it costs

The official figures are in the quick answer at the top, as checked on 13 October 2026. They change without notice, so each line here says what a cost depends on and where the current figure is published.

  • Paid with the application

    Processing and biometrics fees

    IRCC charges a study permit processing fee and a biometrics fee. The current amounts are on IRCC's fee list.

    FIGUREIRCC
  • Shown, not paid

    Proof of funds

    Proof of funds is not a fee. IRCC publishes the living-cost amount by family size and last updated it for applications from 1 September 2026; you need it on top of first-year tuition and travel.

    FIGUREIRCC
  • Paid to third parties

    Medical and language tests

    The medical is paid to the panel physician, and language tests to the test provider.

    FIGUREEach provider
  • If you pay an adviser

    Licensed representatives only

    If you pay someone to represent you, they must be a licensed Canadian immigration consultant or a lawyer. IRCC may return or refuse applications from unauthorised paid representatives.

Where the current rules and figures are published

LAST CHECKED 25 SEP 2026

This is general guidance. Rules change, sometimes without notice, and your case will have specifics this page cannot know about. Check anything decisive on the official pages, or send us your situation and we will tell you where you actually stand.

Read before you apply

Why Canada student visa applications are refused

The grounds that come up most on files from Pakistan. Most of them can be dealt with before you submit.

  • Funds without a history

    Funds without a history: a large deposit shortly before applying, or statements that do not show where the money came from.

  • A sponsor who cannot support it

    A sponsor whose income cannot support the amount, or whose relationship and support are not documented.

  • A programme that does not fit

    A programme that does not fit your background — a college diploma after a master's, or an unrelated field — with no explanation, which leaves the officer unconvinced that study is your main purpose.

  • Weak ties to Pakistan

    Weak ties to Pakistan, so the officer is not satisfied you will leave at the end of your studies.

  • A missing or expired attestation letter

    A missing attestation letter, or one issued for an earlier cap year.

  • An acceptance letter IRCC cannot verify

    A letter of acceptance that IRCC cannot verify with the school — which is how fake letters are caught.

  • Misrepresentation

    Misrepresentation, including an undeclared refusal from any country. It carries a five-year ban.

  • Already been refused?

    Send us the refusal letter before you do anything else. It states the grounds, and they decide whether applying again is worth it or would just cost you the fee a second time.

    Send the letter

Start here

Ask us about your case

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Straight answers

Canada student visa questions

What people ask us before they apply.

Ask us something else

No. A GIC was required under the Student Direct Stream, which closed on 8 November 2024. It is still accepted as one form of proof of funds, but bank statements, a loan, a scholarship or a sponsor can be used instead.

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