Founder and Principal Consultant
What this page covers
- What replaced the Student Direct Stream?
- How much money do you need to show?
- What is a provincial attestation letter?
- What happens if you change schools?
- How much can you work while you study?
- Why think about the work permit first?
Choose the institution and the credential before you fall in love with a program. Those two decide whether the study permit is approved and whether a work permit follows, and a great course at the wrong school leads nowhere.
The Student Direct Stream closed on 8 November 2024. Every study permit application is now assessed the same way, on its merits, and the requirements have moved significantly since 2023. The money figure has more than doubled. Attestation letters did not exist three years ago. The rules on changing schools were rewritten entirely. This page sets out what actually applies today.
Nothing replaced it. IRCC closed SDS and Nigeria Student Express at 2:00 p.m. Eastern on 8 November 2024, and applicants from the fourteen countries that used it now file a regular study permit application.
In practice this is less dramatic than it first sounded. SDS was a processing route, not an easier test. What it did was reward applicants who arrived with their financial evidence already in order. That principle has not changed. A well documented application still moves faster and refuses less often, it simply no longer carries a separate label.
For applications made on or after 1 September 2025, an applicant outside Quebec must show the following for living costs over twelve months, in addition to first year tuition and travel.
| Family size | Funds required for 12 months (CAD) |
|---|---|
| 1 person Most applicants | $22,895 |
| 2 people | $28,502 |
| 3 people | $35,040 |
| 4 people | $41,299 |
| 5 people | $46,834 |
| 6 people | $52,807 |
| 7 people | $58,780 |
| Each additional family memberAdd this amount per person beyond seven | + $6,170 |
| In effect from | Single applicant requirement |
|---|---|
| Early 2000s to 31 December 2023 | $10,000 |
| 1 January 2024 | $20,635 |
| 1 September 2025 Current | $22,895 |
Showing the money is only half of it. Officers look at where it came from, how long it has been there, and whether it is genuinely available to you rather than borrowed for a screenshot. A sudden large deposit with no explanation does more harm than a smaller balance with a clear history.
Since January 2024 most study permit applicants must include a Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter issued by the province where they intend to study. For 2026 IRCC expects to issue 408,000 study permits against an allocation of 309,670 attestation letter spaces, with Ontario at 104,780 and Quebec at 93,069.
Exemptions matter as much as the requirement. Applicants to degree granting master’s and doctoral programs at public institutions are now exempt, which is a change from 2024. So are exchange students under formal agreements, accompanying family members of approved permit holders, and in most cases those extending at the same institution and the same level of study. Prerequisite courses, however, still need one.
This is the rule that catches people out most expensively, because the old process was so easy that the change feels implausible.
Until November 2024, a student could change designated learning institutions by updating IRCC through their online account and simply starting at the new school. That is abolished. Since 8 November 2024 you must apply for and receive a new study permit naming the new institution before you begin studying there, and since 22 January 2025 the application requires a new valid attestation letter. IRCC works to a sixty day service standard once you answer yes to the change of institution question.
Starting at a new school while the application is pending puts you out of compliance with your permit conditions. The only exception is where your previous institution closed, discontinued the program, was suspended or lost its designation.
Off-campus work is capped at twenty-four hours a week during academic sessions, up from twenty since 8 November 2024, with unlimited hours during scheduled breaks. You must be enrolled full time at a designated learning institution in a program of at least six months leading to a credential, hold a valid study permit with the off-campus work condition, and have a Social Insurance Number.
A practical note: permits printed before the change may still read that you may work twenty hours a week. That text does not limit you if you meet the current conditions.
The post-graduation work permit is where most study plans either pay off or fall apart, and the rules now reach backwards into the choice of program.
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LanguageCLB 7 in all four abilities for university programs, CLB 5 for college and other non-university programs, with flight school graduates exempt
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Field of studyapplies where the initial study permit application was made on or after 1 November 2024, and only to programs not leading to a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree
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The eligible field list was frozen for all of 2026 at 1,107 programs, so nothing will be added mid-year to rescue a choice made now
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Non-credit programs do not qualify for a post-graduation work permit at all, flight school aside
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Apply within 180 days of written confirmation that you completed your program
We would rather tell a prospective client that the program they have been sold does not lead anywhere than take the file and let them find out three years later.
Is the Student Direct Stream still available?
No. IRCC closed the Student Direct Stream on 8 November 2024, along with Nigeria Student Express. Every study permit application is now processed as a regular application. There is no expedited stream and no shorter processing standard to apply under.
How much money do I need to show for a Canadian study permit?
For applications made on or after 1 September 2025, a single applicant outside Quebec must show CAD $22,895 for living costs for twelve months, on top of tuition and travel. Two people is $28,502, three is $35,040, and each additional family member adds $6,170. The figure was $10,000 until January 2024 and $20,635 until September 2025, so older guidance you find online will understate it badly.
Do I still need a GIC?
A Guaranteed Investment Certificate is not a separate requirement now that SDS has closed, but it remains one of the cleanest ways to evidence living costs, and the standard amount matches the single applicant threshold of $22,895. Bank statements, education loans and sponsor documents can also work. What matters is that the money is genuinely available to you and that its origin is explained.
Do I need a Provincial Attestation Letter?
Most applicants do. Applicants to degree granting master’s and doctoral programs at public designated learning institutions are now exempt, as are exchange students under formal agreements and, in most cases, applicants extending at the same institution and the same level of study. One trap worth knowing: prerequisite courses still require an attestation letter even where the main program is exempt.
Can I change schools once I am in Canada?
Not by simply telling IRCC. Since 8 November 2024 a post-secondary study permit holder must apply for and receive a new study permit naming the new institution before starting there, and the application needs a new valid attestation letter. IRCC works to a sixty day service standard. The only exception is where your previous institution closed, discontinued the program, was suspended or lost its designation. Changing programs within the same institution does not require a new permit.
How many hours can I work while studying?
Twenty-four hours a week during academic sessions, and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks such as summer and winter holidays. The limit rose from twenty hours on 8 November 2024. If your permit was printed before that change it may still read twenty hours, but you can work twenty-four provided you meet the current conditions.
Will my program qualify me for a post-graduation work permit?
This is the question to settle before you accept an offer, not after. If you applied for your study permit on or after 1 November 2024 and your program does not lead to a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, your field of study must appear on IRCC’s eligible list, which was frozen for all of 2026 at 1,107 programs. There is also a language requirement of CLB 7 for university programs and CLB 5 for college and other non-university programs. Graduates of non-credit programs are not eligible at all.
What is the most common reason study permit applications are refused?
Two things dominate. The officer is not satisfied the funds are genuinely available and properly explained, or the officer is not satisfied you will leave Canada at the end of your stay. Both are addressed in how the application is built and how the study plan is written, which is where an experienced representative earns their fee.
Who Will Be Working on Your File
Barrister and Solicitor, Pallavi Law Office
Applying from inside Canada
Meeting the requirements is not the same as being allowed to apply here
Section 216 sets what an officer must be satisfied of before a study permit is issued. Section 215 decides something earlier and narrower: whether you may make the application from inside Canada at all. Most visitors cannot, and a permit that has already expired does not count.