Immigration to Canada through education

Immigrating to Canada through regular federal or provincial programs is a long and demanding process. On top of that, not everyone has enough points to qualify. But there's another way: study in Canada, find a job afterward, and then apply for permanent residency.

General Requirements

You can apply to a Canadian school at any age. If you have a high school diploma or any higher education degree, you can apply to a college or university.

Usually, there are no entrance exams. However, depending on the school, program, or field of study, you may need a certain average grade from your previous education (GPA), relevant education or work experience, or an essay or motivation letter.

Language Test

To get accepted, you'll also need to prove you know the language you'll be studying in. This is usually done through language test results. Most people take IELTS for English or TCF for French. Requirements can vary, but generally, your score should be at least IELTS 6.0 or an equivalent on another testing scale.

Don't let language tests scare you — there are tons of prep courses out there. You can take them in your home country, in Canada, or online with Canadian teachers. For example, ILAC language school, one of our partners, offers a wide range of English courses: general English, test prep, and business English.

If you'd rather skip the language test altogether, there's a solution for that too. ILAC has a special prep course for getting into foreign universities called University Pathway. ILAC works with a lot of Canadian schools, and they accept a certificate from this prep program instead of a language test. So yes, you can get into a Canadian college or university without taking an exam at all.

Applying to a College or University

Once you've picked the right school for you, you need to apply for your chosen program and get a letter of acceptance. Most programs also require you to get a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL or TAL), which confirms your spot at a school in a specific province under that province's allocation for international students. This requirement doesn't apply to master's and PhD students at public institutions, K-12 students, or people renewing their permit at the same school and study level.

Spots are limited: for 2026, Canada plans to issue 408,000 study permits, with 155,000 going to new students and the rest to renewals — that's 7% less than the year before. The immigration department will only process up to 309,670 applications from students who need a PAL or TAL. Because of these caps, it's best to apply as early as possible: spots get divided among provinces, and the popular ones fill up fast.

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After that, you'll need to apply for a study permit and student visa. Our company, Immigrant.Today, helps future students of Canadian schools handle all this paperwork.

Here's an example of a student visa one of our clients received:

After finishing your studies at a Canadian school, you'll get a certificate or diploma that's recognized worldwide. Canada offers several levels of education:

• Certificate and diploma programs lasting 1 to 3 years, and bachelor's degrees that take 3-4 years to complete. You can apply to these with just a high school diploma.
• Post-graduate certificates and diplomas lasting 1-2 years, which require a completed degree to apply. These programs teach extra professional skills but aren't considered an academic degree.
• Master's degrees, which take 1 to 3 years after a bachelor's degree.
• Doctoral degrees, which take 3 or more years after previous levels of education.

Academic Credits in Canada

In Canada, students build their own schedules, picking required and elective courses. Most universities and colleges split the academic year into 2-3 semesters: usually September to December (fall semester) and January to April (winter semester). Depending on the program and school, students can start in September, January, or May. Many schools also offer summer courses (usually May to August).

Canadian schools use a credit system that assigns a certain value to each course, which counts toward completing your program. Basically, credits reflect how many hours you spend studying. For full-time studies, a standard semester adds up to about 15 credits total, counting all your courses. Each course contributes a certain number of credits depending on how many hours a week you spend on it.

Generally, here's how many credits you need to graduate:

• certificate or diploma: 30 credits;
• bachelor's degree: 90–120 credits;
• master's degree: 45 credits;
• doctoral degree: 90 credits.

Moving With Your Family

You can bring your whole family to Canada. Your family members can come with you on a work or visitor visa. Your spouse can apply for an open work permit if you're studying in a PhD program, a master's program that's at least 16 months long, one of the professional programs (medicine, law, dentistry, nursing, engineering, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, optometry, or education), or one of the pilot programs approved by the immigration department. This is an important thing to keep in mind when choosing your program: a short master's or a college diploma won't give your spouse this option. Kids can get a visitor or study visa depending on their age.

Here's an example of a Canadian work visa issued to an accompanying spouse:

Permanent residency in Canada after studying

After finishing your studies, you'll need to apply for a post-graduation work permit, or PGWP for short. The length of this work permit depends on how long you studied. If your program was one year, you'll get a one-year PGWP. If it was 2 years or longer, you'll receive a 3-year PGWP. Graduates of master's programs get a 3-year permit even if their program lasted less than 2 years, as long as it was at least 8 months.

It's important to keep the other PGWP requirements in mind too. At least 50% of your program must be completed in person in Canada. You'll need to prove your language skills with a score of at least CLB 7 for university programs (bachelor's, master's, doctoral) or CLB 5 for college programs. On top of that, graduates of programs that don't lead to an academic degree — meaning college certificates and diplomas — need to have studied in a field linked to Canada's long-term labor shortages. Bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree holders are exempt from this requirement. The list of eligible fields includes around 1,100 programs, and the immigration ministry has said it won't change this list until the end of 2026. You should check whether your program is on this list before applying to college, since switching your major after enrollment could cost you your eligibility for a work visa.

Canada has many provincial immigration programs designed specifically for graduates. Also, once you've gained some work experience, you can apply through the federal program for candidates with Canadian experience or similar provincial programs.

Cost of studying in Canada

Tuition costs depend on the type of school. At colleges, it's roughly $16,000–$25,000 CAD per year. Universities are pricier: according to Statistics Canada, in the 2025/2026 school year, international students paid an average of $41,746 CAD per year for a bachelor's degree and $24,028 CAD per year for a master's degree. You'll also need to budget around $1,000 CAD for study materials. Payments can usually be split into installments.

When applying for a visa, you'll also need to show enough funds in your account to cover living expenses in Canada during your studies. For applications submitted on or after September 1, 2026, this amount is $23,448 CAD per student for all provinces and territories except Quebec. This figure doesn't include tuition or travel costs — those need to be proven separately. If you're planning to bring your family, the required amount is higher: $29,192 CAD for two people, $35,888 CAD for three, $43,572 CAD for four, and an extra $6,318 CAD for each additional family member beyond seven. The immigration ministry updates these amounts every year on September 1, so it's worth checking the current table before submitting your documents.

Good news for those planning to stay in Canada after graduation and start working: in the following years, you may be able to get back part of the money you paid through a tax credit. Also, while studying, you're allowed to work up to 24 hours a week off campus, and during official school breaks, there's no limit on hours. This can help offset some of your education costs. Just keep in mind that income from part-time work can't be used as proof of funds when applying for your visa.

Help with admission

Some people choose their study program and college based purely on personal preference or a lower price tag. This approach often leads to visa refusals. That's why we recommend booking a consultation with an immigration consultant, who can assess your chances of getting a visa, help you pick the right college or university, and handle your student visa application.