Studying in Canada: Study Permits, Costs, Work Rules and PGWP Planning

Choosing a Canadian school is only the first decision in a much longer process.

A study plan can affect the study permit application, how much money must be available, whether work is allowed during school, what happens if the student changes institutions, and whether the program may support a post-graduation work permit later. Those rules are connected, but they are not the same rule.

The safest way to plan is to check each stage before committing money to the next one.

This guide provides general information, not legal advice. Study permit and PGWP requirements depend on the applicable rules and the student's circumstances.

Start with the exact school and program, not just an admission offer

For most people who need a study permit, the letter of acceptance must come from a designated learning institution (DLI). A DLI is a school approved by a province or territory to host international students.

But DLI status answers only one question: whether the school is designated for international students. It does not mean that every program at that school is eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP).

Before paying a non-refundable deposit, check the federal DLI list^[1] and look at the exact campus and program. If a PGWP matters to the plan, confirm that the DLI currently offers PGWP-eligible programs and that the specific program meets the current eligibility rules.

IRCC now makes that distinction very clear: graduating from a DLI does not automatically make someone eligible for a PGWP.

A practical pre-deposit check should cover:

• the DLI and campus;
• the exact credential and program length;
• the program's delivery method;
• whether the specific program is PGWP-eligible;
• whether a PGWP field-of-study requirement applies;
• tuition and compulsory fees; and
• the realistic cost of living in the city where the student will study.

The study permit is its own application

An admission letter is evidence that a school has accepted the student. It is not a study permit.

IRCC's current study permit eligibility^[2] and application^[3] pages set out the federal requirements. The application may also require documents that depend on the student's country, school, level of study and province or territory.

The study plan should make sense on its own terms: what the student intends to study, why that education is being pursued, how the costs will be paid and how the applicant will comply with the conditions of temporary status.

There is no benefit in forcing every applicant into the same personal-statement template. CADLEAF's study-permit statement of purpose guide^[4] explains how to organize an explanation without pretending IRCC has one universal SOP format. Students with a previous refusal can also use the study-permit refusal guide^[5] to understand what should be reviewed before another application.

Check the PAL or TAL requirement before building the document list

A provincial attestation letter (PAL) or territorial attestation letter (TAL) confirms that the province or territory has a space for the student under the international-student allocation system. It is usually required for study permit applications unless an exemption applies.

The exemptions matter because the rules are not identical for every student.

As of January 1, 2026, students entering a master's or doctoral degree program at a public DLI do not need a PAL or TAL for the study permit application. Other exemptions also exist, and Quebec has its own provincial requirements in addition to the federal process.

Use IRCC's current PAL/TAL instructions^[6] rather than relying on an old checklist or another student's application.

Budget from the immigration requirement outward

A study budget needs to cover more than tuition.

IRCC requires proof that the applicant has enough money, without relying on work in Canada, to pay tuition, living expenses and transportation. For programs longer than one year, the applicant must also explain how the full duration of study will be financed.

The application date controls the required amount. For applications made on or after September 1, 2026, a single applicant studying outside Quebec must show CAN$23,448 for first-year living expenses. For applications made from January 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026, the corresponding amount is CAN$22,895. Both amounts are in addition to tuition and transportation. Higher amounts apply when family members accompany the student, and Quebec uses its own financial requirements.

The current figures and accepted types of evidence are on IRCC's proof of financial support^[7] page.

That federal minimum is not a promise that the amount will be enough for a particular city. A realistic personal budget should separately estimate housing, utilities, groceries, transit, insurance, books, equipment and emergency costs.

Work during school should never be the calculation that makes an otherwise unaffordable plan appear viable. The immigration requirement itself assumes the student can meet the required costs without working in Canada.

Student work is permission with conditions, not an automatic benefit

Eligible international students can work off campus without a separate work permit, but only when they meet the requirements and their study permit contains the appropriate work condition.

During a regular academic term, an eligible student can currently work up to 24 hours per week off campus. During a break that is scheduled by the DLI, an eligible student can work unlimited off-campus hours. A student cannot begin working before the study program starts.

The rules can also change when the student's situation changes. For example, a student on an authorized leave, or a student between schools who is not studying, cannot simply keep using the off-campus work provision as though nothing changed.

IRCC's off-campus work rules^[8] should be checked before accepting or changing work. CADLEAF's working while studying guide^[9] covers the hours, scheduled-break and eligibility rules in more detail.

Changing schools is now a study-permit issue

Students should not assume that a post-secondary DLI can be changed simply by updating an online account.

Under the current rules, a student changing to a different post-secondary DLI generally needs to apply to extend the study permit for the new DLI and receive the new permit before starting at the new school. IRCC identifies limited situations where a student may begin at the new DLI while the extension is still being processed, such as when the previous DLI closed, discontinued the program, was suspended or lost its designation and the other conditions are met.

If a study permit application has already been approved outside Canada and the student changes DLIs before travelling, IRCC says a new study permit application with a new letter of acceptance is required.

The current process is set out on IRCC's changing your school or program^[10] page.

That makes school selection more consequential than it used to be. Before transferring, confirm the immigration process first rather than assuming the academic transfer automatically updates the study permit.

Keep the study permit expiry rules separate from the date printed on the document

A study permit is usually issued for the length of the study program plus an additional 90 days. Those 90 days are meant to allow the student to prepare to leave Canada or apply to extend their stay.

If the program is completed early, the permit does not necessarily remain valid until the date printed on it. IRCC says the study permit becomes invalid 90 days after the school first confirms program completion, or on the printed expiry date if that date comes first.

Students who need more time to keep studying should deal with an extension before status expires. CADLEAF's study permit extension and maintained-status guide^[11] explains the difference between applying on time and trying to restore status after expiry. IRCC's while you study^[12] page explains the current validity rules.

PGWP eligibility should be checked before enrolment, not after graduation

A PGWP is valuable because it can allow eligible graduates to gain Canadian work experience after completing an eligible program. It is not guaranteed by admission, graduation or DLI status alone.

Under IRCC's current general eligibility rules, a graduate normally needs to have completed a PGWP-eligible program that was at least 8 months long (or 900 hours for certain Quebec programs), maintained full-time student status during each semester except for permitted situations such as the final semester, applied within 180 days of confirmation of program completion, and had a valid study permit at some point during that 180-day period.

There are special cases and exceptions, so the official PGWP eligibility page^[13] should be used for the final check.

Language requirements now apply to most PGWP applicants

For PGWP applications submitted on or after November 1, 2024, most graduates must provide approved language-test results.

Current minimums are:

• CLB/NCLC 7 in all four abilities for bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree graduates;
• CLB/NCLC 7 in all four abilities for graduates of other university programs; and
• CLB/NCLC 5 in all four abilities for college, polytechnic and other non-university program graduates.

PGWP-eligible flight-school graduates have a separate exception.

Some programs must also meet a field-of-study requirement

Bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree graduates do not have a PGWP field-of-study requirement.

For many other university, college, polytechnic and non-university programs, the field-of-study rule applies when the student submitted the study permit application on or after November 1, 2024. IRCC uses six-digit Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes for this test.

The eligible list is tied to occupations facing long-term labour shortages. IRCC has stated that the PGWP field-of-study list is frozen for 2026, so no eligible fields will be added or removed during the year.

Check the exact program against IRCC's PGWP field-of-study rules^[14]. A broad program label such as "business," "technology" or "health" is not precise enough; the exact credential, program and CIP code matter.

Program length affects the possible PGWP length

The length of the PGWP is not always the same as the length of the study permit.

For most programs, a program of at least 8 months but less than 2 years may lead to a PGWP of up to roughly the same length as the program, while a program of 2 years or more may lead to a PGWP of up to 3 years.

Master's degree graduates have a special rule: an eligible master's program of at least 8 months can support a 3-year PGWP even when the master's program itself is shorter than 2 years, provided the graduate meets the other requirements.

Passport validity can shorten the permit. IRCC explains the current duration rules on its PGWP overview^[15].

CADLEAF's PGWP eligibility and planning guide^[16] goes deeper into application timing, study history, language evidence, field-of-study rules, passport validity and the transition to post-graduation work.

Studying in Canada does not guarantee permanent residence

A Canadian credential and Canadian work experience can be relevant to later immigration programs, but neither one guarantees permanent residence.

The rules used by Express Entry and provincial nominee programs are separate from the rules used to issue a study permit or PGWP. By the time a student graduates, occupation lists, invitation categories, provincial programs, language thresholds or other requirements may have changed.

That is why a sensible long-term plan focuses on what can be controlled now:

• choose a legitimate program that fits the student's educational and career goals;
• confirm the immigration consequences of the exact school and program before paying large non-refundable costs;
• budget without depending on student work;
• comply with study and work conditions;
• keep transcripts, completion records, permits and school correspondence; and
• review current permanent-residence programs when the student is actually close to using them.

Planning for future options is reasonable. Treating a study permit as a guaranteed PR route is not.

Before committing to a Canadian program

A useful final check is simple.

Confirm the DLI and exact program. Check whether a PAL or TAL is required. Build the financial plan using the current federal minimums and real local costs. Understand student work conditions. Know what would happen if you later change schools. If a PGWP matters, verify the program, language and field-of-study rules before enrolment rather than at graduation.

That sequence does not guarantee an immigration outcome. It does reduce the risk of discovering an important rule only after tuition has been paid or a program has already begun.

Read next

• Study-permit statement of purpose: what to explain and what not to assume^[4]
• Common study-permit refusal reasons and what the rules actually require^[5]
• Working while studying in Canada: off-campus hours and conditions^[9]
• Study permit extensions and maintained status^[11]
• PGWP eligibility and planning^[16]

Official sources

• IRCC: Study permit eligibility^[2]
• IRCC: Apply for a study permit^[3]
• IRCC: Designated learning institutions list^[1]
• IRCC: Provincial or territorial attestation letter^[6]
• IRCC: Proof of financial support^[7]
• IRCC: Work off campus as an international student^[8]
• IRCC: Changing your school or program^[10]
• IRCC: While you study^[12]
• IRCC: PGWP eligibility^[13]
• IRCC: PGWP field-of-study requirement^[14]
• IRCC: About the PGWP^[15]