A study permit is what’s more commonly known in the Philippines as a visa. Philippine nationals are required to have a valid study permit before pursuing an education in Canada.
Getting your documents right and accurate is the most vital part of your study permit application. These documents will legally speak for your application and any erroneous information, whether omitted or committed, may cause delay or refusal.
Here is a list of documents required for a study permit application and how to present them:
- Letter of Acceptance from your Designated Learning Institution
Your Letter of Acceptance must legibly state the following:
Condition of Admission
Your admission can either be conditional or unconditional. Unconditional admission is when you are accepted at the DLI with your current credentials and no other requirements are needed whereas conditional admission requires you to take a prerequisite course before you can start your main study program.
Information of your Program
Your LOA needs to contain the details of your program such as the title of your program or course and the level of your studies
Inclusive Dates
Your LOA must include specific dates that determines the length of your studies, the intakes or start date available for your program (include multiple start dates if applicable) and your intended date of intake – consider allotting enough time to process your study permit.
2. Study Plan
A study plan is your written explanation of why you want to study in Canada and how earning a Canadian degree can help you in your educational and career goals. A study plan is a formal letter and should be treated as such, so you must be mindful of grammar and appropriate words to convey your thoughts.
3. Proof of Identity
Philippine Passport
You must send a clear copy of the first page of your passport that contains the following (for online applications):
- Your full name
- Photo
- Date and place of birth
- Validity period (date issued and expiration)
- Issuing country or authority
- Place of issue
- Passport number
- Any marked pages of your recent international travel
- Copy of any Canadian Visa you have/had
NBI Clearance
NBI Clearance is a certificate issued by the National Bureau of Investigation that bears any criminal records you have or any pending criminal case that may cause your inadmissibility in Canada.
Two Recent Passport Size Photos with your name and date of birth written at the back of each photo.
3. Proof of financial support
You must prove that you can support yourself, and the family members who come with you, while you are in Canada.
You can prove your funds with
- proof of a Canadian bank account in your name, if you’ve transferred money to Canada
- Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) from a participating Canadian financial institution
- proof of a student or education loan from a bank
- your bank statements for the past 4 months
- a bank draft that can be converted to Canadian dollars
- proof you paid tuition and housing fees
- a letter from the person or school giving you money or
- proof of funding paid from within Canada, if you have a scholarship or are in a Canadian-funded educational program
4. Past Education and Previous employment certificates
This includes your past education credentials like transcript of records and diplomas, and previous work certificates this will strengthen your application as this will help you establish a strong correlation to your intentions of further studying in Canada.
5. Schedule of Fees and proof of any payments:
- Total cost of your program(which includes your tuition fees, books and ancillary fees)
- Medical Exam Fee
- Accommodation
- Meal plans
Additional Requirement for Study Permit Application through Student Direct Stream:
1. Language Exam
a score of 6.0 or higher in each skill (reading, writing, speaking and listening) on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or
a Test d’évaluation de français (TEF) score that is equal to a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of at least 7 in each skill (reading, writing, speaking and listening)
2. Proof of GIC with a minimum of CAD 10, 000
Guaranteed Investment Certificate GIC is a Canadian investment that has a guaranteed rate of return for a fixed period of time.
3. Proof of payment for one year of tuition fee.
