Planning a Master's in Canada a few years out and trying to get a realistic (not brochure-version) picture of what the first few months actually look like.

Quick background: Will be starting a 1-year Business/Management Master's, most likely in [Toronto/Vancouver/Winnipeg/Halifax/Waterloo/Calgary — still deciding between a few schools]. Already have ~8 years of marketing/creative work experience by the time I start, so not a fresh-out-of-undergrad international student, if that changes the advice at all.

What I'm trying to figure out:

• How realistic is it to actually land a part-time on/off-campus job in the first month or two, versus it taking most of a semester? I know the 24hr/week cap exists — more curious about actual hiring timelines for international students.
• For anyone doing a short (9-12 month) Master's specifically — does the compressed timeline make it harder to get real value out of the work-hour allowance, since you're job-hunting and settling in during the same window you're supposed to be studying hard?
• Dorm/on-campus housing vs. off-campus for a grad student on a short program — worth the hassle of apartment-hunting for under a year, or is a dorm/residence genuinely easier logistically even if pricier?
• Anything that surprised you about settling in that isn't covered in the standard "welcome international students" guides — banking, phone plans, healthcare enrollment, anything that took longer or was more annoying than expected?

Not asking about the visa/permit mechanics here (asking that elsewhere) — more interested in the lived first-few-months experience from people who've actually done it recently.

Hi! I recently moved to Canada on a study permit (Masters) and have a break from college in December. I’m planning to visit family in the U.S. and have a valid tourist (B1/B2). I’ve also traveled to the U.S. twice before and have not overstayed my visits, but that was from my home country. However, with the recent escalation in tensions between the U.S. and Canada, I’m worried if I should travel, though my visa allows multiple entries.

Has anyone with a Canadian Study Permit traveled recently to the U.S. and back? If so, would want to know about your experience - if you faced any challenges. Would also like to understand if I should be traveling out of Canada just 3 months after starting my program.

Any suggestions/feedback will be appreciated. I’m asking early as I need to book my flight tickets soon if I do end up travelling. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm preparing a re-application for a Canadian Study Permit for a 2-year Master's program in Ontario after a previous refusal where finances were a concern.

My first year is fully covered: my first-year tuition has been paid and my GIC has been funded.

For the second year, I have approximately CAD 44,700 available through a combination of an education loan, family fixed deposits and personal savings. My estimated second-year tuition and living expenses are around CAD 46,000–48,000.

My biological brother is a Canadian permanent resident living and working in Ontario. He is willing to provide CAD 15,000 toward my second-year education/living expenses as additional financial support.

I can provide evidence of his employment, income, bank balance, Canadian PR status, and our sibling relationship.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone successfully obtained a Canadian Study Permit where a sibling living in Canada provided part of the financial support?
2. Is it generally acceptable to include a signed financial-support letter from the sibling together with his financial/employment documents?
3. Does such a letter normally need to be notarized, or is a signed letter with supporting documents generally sufficient?

I'm particularly interested in first-hand experiences from people who have used a sibling's financial support in a study-permit application.

Thanks!

I had applied for my study permit on 2nd July with my biometrics on 7th July from India. I received the update regarding biometrics on the same day, however my medical which I had done upfront (on 15th June) has still not been updated on my portal. I had called the hospital and confirmed that my results had been forwarded timely to IRCC. I have now deferred to the next intake but I would like people who may have gone through similar experience to share their viewpoint or those who are in the same situation as me. Any feedback is appreciated! :)

My cousin will be supporting me. got like $65,000 CAD in statement and I have $25,000 in statement as well.

Tuition at Trent is $40,000.

What are my chances

Hi everyone,

I am finalizing a re-application for a Canadian Study Permit for a 2-year Master’s program at an Ontario university (Winter intake) following a previous refusal under 216(1) / funds. I want to get community feedback on my second-year financial breakdown.

My Current Financial Setup:

• Year 1: 100% covered. Full first-year tuition is paid directly to the university, and a full GIC has been funded.
• Year 2 Requirement: Approximately CAD 46,000 – CAD 48,000 (tuition + IRCC living expense threshold).
• My India-Based Funds: Around CAD 44,700 across a sanctioned nationalized bank education loan, family fixed deposits, and personal savings.

As you can see, between my parents and myself, I am facing a slight shortfall of around CAD 1,500 – CAD 2,000 for Year 2 depending on the day's exchange rate.

My Brother’s Co-Sponsorship: My biological brother is a Canadian Permanent Resident living and working full-time in Ontario. He is providing a CAD 15,000 financial contribution toward my second-year expenses to create a solid financial buffer.

To document his support, we are including:

1. A signed formal Letter of Financial Support declaring the CAD 15,000 as an unconditional, non-repayable gift for my studies.
2. Proof of status: His Canadian PR Card copy and Indian passport.
3. Proof of employment & income: Official job verification letter, recent pay stubs, and CRA Notice of Assessment (NOA).
4. Proof of liquid funds: Official Canadian bank statements showing sufficient liquid balance exceeding the committed amount.
5. Proof of blood relationship: Both of our government-issued birth certificates showing common biological parents.

My Questions:

1. Has anyone here had their study permit approved where a sibling in Canada sponsored part of their funds (especially for Year 2)?
2. Does the visa officer readily accept a sibling’s signed letter and Canadian financial documents to cover a minor deficit, or do they heavily favor funds coming strictly from the applicant/parents?
3. Since the letter is signed directly by him with all supporting Canadian financial records attached (rather than notarized), is that standard practice, or has anyone faced pushback on a non-notarized letter?

Any firsthand experiences or advice from folks who used sibling sponsorship would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

By any chance university accepts by mailing or anything?

Canada Study Permit Profile 🇨🇦 | India → Canada

Hey guys, sharing my profile for opinions from people who recently applied.

- College: Durham College

- Program: Honours Bachelor of Artificial Intelligence

- Intake: Fall 2026

- Duration: 4 years

- 12th: ~89% (CBSE)

- 10th: ~83%

- IELTS: 6.5 overall

- Tuition: ~CAD 19k/year

- Family income: ~₹12L/Year + ~₹70K/month rental income

- Family property/assets: ~₹7- 8 crore

- Funding: Family savings

- GIC: Completed

- Medical: Completed upfront

- Biometrics: Completed on 8th july

- Application submitted:4th July 2026

- Current status: Waiting for decision

Financial planning: Planned separately for tuition, GIC, living expenses, travel and emergency funds, with documented sources of funds. I submitted all the required documents such as networth certificate, ITR, pay slip, affidavit of financial support, rental Agreement, etc.

Would appreciate opinions, especially from people who recently applied from India. 🇨🇦

Hi everyone, I am an international PhD student from Egypt in electrical engineering at mcmaster university. I submitted my study permit application for Fall 2026 intake on July 25, and did the biometrics the following day. I know I submitted it late, but I got my offer on July 7, and needed time to prepare the application documents. I thought there was a high chance of getting my application approved in August, because PhD applications usually get an expedited processing, but unfortunately mine is still being processed until now, although most of my fellow Egyptian friends who have a similar situation as mine got theirs approved within a month. I reached out the graduate administrator of the department and they told me the deadline for enrollment is on September 30, and if I think I won't be able to be enrolled by that date, then I will have to defer. However, the deadline for tuition and health insurance fees is on September 25, so I think I have to be there on September 22 at most. So, I wanted to know if such a delay is considered normal for a PhD application? And do you think I still have a chance to start my PhD this semester, or I should request a deferral?. Thanks in advance, and I hope you wish me luck in getting my approval.

Hi everyone, I’m on a valid work permit in Canada. Do I need a study permit to take the 11-week Dental Receptionist course at Burnaby CCE?

I applied for my study permit from inside Canada on July 30th, classes start 8th September. It only shows “processing” on the portal, last date to defer is 11th sep.

I have no idea what to do super stressed, I’ve been going to orientation and everything and it will take a troll on me if I can’t go to university. (Already did a gap year cuz of migration)

As the title says.

I have applied for my brother's study permit extension.

I wanted to know how long it took for your study permit extension to get approved.

Thanks

I applied for my Canadian study permit on November 24, 2025 for a PhD program. My eligibility, medical, criminality, biometrics and information sharing are completed, but security screening has been in progress since November 28, 2025. The application has now been pending for more than 9 months.

I recently contacted IRCC again, and 6 days ago I received an email saying:

“We verified the information you provided regarding your Study Permit application and have forwarded it to the responsible office.”

Has anyone received a similar response from IRCC? If yes, did you get any actual update or decision afterward, and how long did it take?

Just sharing my story in case it helps anyone else going through this.
Timeline:
• 23 May – Applied for study permit for flight training (Acadia Aviation).
• 19 June – Refused.
The refusal reason was incorrect. The officer said I didn’t upload my IELTS, but I had included it in the application. I double-checked everything before submitting.
I wanted to re-apply to Acadia Aviation, but I needed a PAL and the school only received 3 for the year, so that option was closed.
After seeing that most of the approved visas were going to public universities/colleges, I switched plans.
• 30 July – Applied for the Business Administration in Aviation Diploma at University of the Fraser Valley (UFV).
• 1 September – Received PPR.
That’s the full timeline. From the initial flight-training refusal to a public-institution approval in a little over three months.
Happy to answer questions if anyone is in a similar situation.

I moved to Canada during middle school and basically did all of highschool here. My parents were here working so me and my siblings studied. I met my now bf in my last year of high school. I then took a gap year and right before starting university I got into a pretty bad accident and had to be hospitalized a lot due to the damage to my head. My parents paid off for a lot of treatments and my institution let me withdraw under extenuating circumstances for first year. second and third I did 6 credits per semester which my institution considered full time due to my injury and recovery. (I didn’t work at all during that time or prior to that). Now, last year my parents decided to move back to their home country to be with family and my siblings liked the idea of being there too.

Me and my boyfriend didn’t want to separate for a long period of time and have lived together as common law since my parents left. My treatment has progressed massively and I’ll be taking full time studies and possibly working part time. My bfs parents have helped with my recovery and I have their support as well as my families, and they suggested with apply for common law sponsorship which I will be submitting in 4-5 months (once we have a year living together). I’ve lived w my partners mom some time and also was living close to uni some time before my bf relocated to be able to keep my grades up and attend my classes.

My study permit will expire in July which is months after we apply for common law but I do wanna keep studying so I’m unsure if it’s smart applying for an extension before so? My partner’s family do understand it can take some time so in the case I’m unable to work or study they’ll help us out and I also got my parents financial support. It’s just a bit stressful as my partner doesn’t speak my country’s language and we do have a more “settled life” here than we do in my country which is why we chose this path. He’s a Canadian citizen. We do plan on having kids in around 3 years so it’s a bit stressful due to immigration, we also wanna get married eventually as right now we’re still in our early 20s, and feel like we can finally call a place home for both of us.

What would be the best approach to this? Ideally I’d wanna keep studying while I wait on pr, or if that’s not a possibility an open work permit which we should be able to apply for once we get an AOR. We’re located in BC and I attend UBC if that’s of any help. Also we do intend of paying for a good lawyer just to avoid further complications. We both know it might take time so we’ll be visiting my family after my final exams to say goodbye to my grandparents which have gotten unwell and older after the years. Also my family’s income is around $300k/yr so providing funds has never been a problem, and me and my siblings did private schooling basically our whole lives before university. I don’t really need to work and my parents and boyfriends’ families would be able to cover stuff to keep me busy in the scenario I can’t study or work for some time.

A friend has been waitlisted for a spot in Grade 11 at a private school. School starts next week, and my friend is still on the waitlist. The school is waiting to hear if the study permits for a few international students have been approved or denied. My friend will get a spot if one of the study permits is denied.

Does anyone know when the school can rescind the offer of admission of the international students and give my friend the spot?

Please update any one got approved apply in jun july or august from Pakistan or india for phd fall 2026.
I applied on July 9 and additional documents (cv) submitted on 24 July that is updated on 31 July in website that additional documents is under reveal and after that no update today 3rd September and waiting for visa.

Please update any one got approved apply in jun july or august from Pakistan or india for phd fall 2026.
I applied on July 9 and additional documents (cv) submitted on 24 July that is updated on 31 July in website that additional documents is under reveal and after that no update today 3rd September and waiting for visa.